GeForce FX 5600 XT vs 6800 XT

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Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking1307not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
ArchitectureCurie (2003−2013)Rankine (2003−2005)
GPU code nameNV42NV31
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date30 September 2005 (19 years ago)17 March 2003 (21 year ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Core clock speed450 MHz235 MHz
Number of transistors202 million80 million
Manufacturing process technology110 nm130 nm
Texture fill rate5.4000.94
ROPs84
TMUs124

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfaceAGP 8xAGP 8x
Width1-slot1-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x MolexNone

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR3DDR
Maximum RAM amount256 MB128 MB
Memory bus width256 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed600 MHz200 MHz
Memory bandwidth38.4 GB/s6.4 GB/s

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX9.0c (9_3)9.0a
Shader Model3.0no data
OpenGL2.0 (full) 2.1 (partial)1.5 (2.1)
OpenCLN/AN/A
VulkanN/AN/A

Pros & cons summary


Recency 30 September 2005 17 March 2003
Maximum RAM amount 256 MB 128 MB
Chip lithography 110 nm 130 nm

6800 XT has an age advantage of 2 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 18.2% more advanced lithography process.

We couldn't decide between GeForce 6800 XT and GeForce FX 5600 XT. We've got no test results to judge.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT
GeForce 6800 XT
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 XT
GeForce FX 5600 XT

Comparisons with similar GPUs

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Community ratings

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4.1 45 votes

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3.4 28 votes

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Questions & comments

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