9500 GT vs 8600 GTS
- Interface PCIe 1.0 x16
- Core clock speed 675 MHz
- Max video memory 256 MB
- Memory type GDDR3
- Memory clock speed 1000 MHz
- Maximum resolution
- Interface PCIe 2.0 x16
- Core clock speed 550MHz
- Max video memory 1024
- Memory type GDDR3
- Memory clock speed 800 (GDDR3) and 500 (DDR2)MHz
- Maximum resolution
General info
Comparison of graphics card architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters.
| Place in performance rating | not rated | not rated |
| Architecture | Tesla (2006−2010) | Tesla (2006−2010) |
| GPU code name | G84 | G96 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 17 April 2007 (15 years old) | 29 July 2008 (14 years old) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $199 | $85.99 |
| Current price | $199 (1x MSRP) | $99 (1.2x MSRP) |
Technical specs
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 32 | 32 |
| CUDA cores | no data | 32 |
| Core clock speed | 675 MHz | 550 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 289 million | 314 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 80 nm | 65 nm |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 60 Watt | 50 Watt |
| Maximum GPU temperature | no data | 105 °C |
| Texture fill rate | 10.8 billion/sec | 8.8 billion/sec |
| Floating-point performance | 92.8 gflops | 89.6 gflops |
Compatibility, dimensions and requirements
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Interface | PCIe 1.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Length | 198 mm | 6.875" (17.5 cm) |
| Height | no data | 4.376" (11.1 cm) |
| Width | 1-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin | None |
| SLI options | + | + |
Memory
Parameters of memory installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Note that GPUs integrated into processors have no dedicated VRAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR3 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 256 MB | 1 GB |
| Standard memory config per GPU | 256 MB | no data |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1000 MHz | 800 (GDDR3) and 500 (DDR2) MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 32 GB/s | 25.6 (GDDR3) and 16.0 (DDR2) |
Video outputs and ports
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 Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | Dual Link DVISingle Link DVI |
| Multi monitor support | no data | + |
| HDMI | no data | + |
| Maximum VGA resolution | no data | 2048x1536 |
| Audio input for HDMI | no data | S/PDIF |
API support
APIs supported, including particular versions of those APIs.
| DirectX | 11.1 (10_0) | 11.1 (10_0) |
| Shader Model | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| OpenGL | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
| CUDA | 1.1 | + |
Benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. Note that overall benchmark performance is measured in points in 0-100 range.
- Passmark
Passmark
This is probably the most ubiquitous benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
GeForce 8600 GTS outperforms GeForce 9500 GT by 13% in Passmark.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Recency | 17 April 2007 | 29 July 2008 |
| Cost | $199 | $85.99 |
| Memory bandwidth | 32 | 25.6 |
| Chip lithography | 80 nm | 65 nm |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 60 Watt | 50 Watt |
Technical City couldn't decide between
and
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.
Competitors of GeForce 8600 GTS by AMD
We believe that the nearest equivalent to GeForce 8600 GTS from AMD is Radeon HD 4550.
Competitors of GeForce 9500 GT by AMD
We believe that the nearest equivalent to GeForce 9500 GT from AMD is Radeon HD 4550.
Similar GPU comparisons
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