GeForce 7800 GT vs GT 540M
Aggregated performance score
GT 540M outperforms 7800 GT by 97% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 1001 | 1151 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.05 | no data |
| Architecture | Fermi (2010−2014) | Curie (2003−2013) |
| GPU code name | N12P-GS | G70 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop |
| Release date | 6 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 11 August 2005 (18 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $449 |
| Current price | $283 | $225 (0.5x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
GT 540M and 7800 GT have a nearly equal value for money.
Detailed specifications
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 | 96 | no data |
| CUDA cores | 96 | no data |
| Core clock speed | 672 MHz | 400 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 585 million | 302 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 110 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 65 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 10.8 billion/sec | 8.000 |
| Floating-point performance | 258.05 gflops | no data |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on GeForce GT 540M and GeForce 7800 GT 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). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.
| Laptop size | large | no data |
| Interface | MXM-A (3.0) | PCIe 1.0 x16 |
| Length | no data | 226 mm |
| Width | no data | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | no data | 1x 6-pin |
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 type | DDR3 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 256 MB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 900 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 28.8 GB/s | 32 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | no data |
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 Connectors | No outputs | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| 3D Blu-Ray | + | no data |
| 3D Gaming | + | no data |
| Optimus | + | no data |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 API | 9.0c (9_3) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 3.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | 2.1 |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | N/A |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
| CUDA | + | no data |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
GT 540M outperforms 7800 GT by 97% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of 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%
GT 540M outperforms 7800 GT by 96% in Passmark.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Average FPS across all PC games
Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:
| 900p | 16
+100%
| 8−9
−100%
|
| Full HD | 20
+100%
| 10−12
−100%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 9−10
+125%
|
4−5
−125%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Hitman 3 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 3−4
+200%
|
1−2
−200%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 7−8
+133%
|
3−4
−133%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 9−10
+125%
|
4−5
−125%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Hitman 3 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Metro Exodus | 2−3
+100%
|
1−2
−100%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 3−4
+200%
|
1−2
−200%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 7−8
+133%
|
3−4
−133%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
+200%
|
1−2
−200%
|
| Hitman 3 | 4−5
+100%
|
2−3
−100%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 8−9
+100%
|
4−5
−100%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 5−6
+150%
|
2−3
−150%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Far Cry 5 | 2−3
+100%
|
1−2
−100%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 2−3
+100%
|
1−2
−100%
|
4K
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Hitman 3 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 7−8
+133%
|
3−4
−133%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Far Cry 5 | 3−4
+200%
|
1−2
−200%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 5−6
+150%
|
2−3
−150%
|
This is how GT 540M and 7800 GT compete in popular games:
- GT 540M is 100% faster than 7800 GT in 900p
- GT 540M is 100% faster than 7800 GT in 1080p
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.24 | 0.63 |
| Recency | 6 January 2011 | 11 August 2005 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 256 MB |
| Chip lithography | 40 nm | 110 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 35 Watt | 65 Watt |
The GeForce GT 540M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce 7800 GT in performance tests.
Be aware that GeForce GT 540M is a notebook card while GeForce 7800 GT is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
