9800 GX2 vs GTX 280

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Combined performance score

GTX 280
3.35
+62.6%

GTX 280 outperforms 9800 GX2 by 63% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

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

Place in performance ranking695831
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money0.240.09
ArchitectureTesla 2.0 (2007−2013)Tesla (2006−2010)
GPU code nameGT200G92
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date16 June 2008 (15 years old)18 March 2008 (16 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$649 $599
Current price$159 (0.2x MSRP)$140 (0.2x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 280 has 167% better value for money than 9800 GX2.

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 cores240128
CUDA cores240256 (128 per GPU)
Core clock speed602 MHz600 MHz
Number of transistors1,400 million754 million
Manufacturing process technology65 nm65 nm
Power consumption (TDP)236 Watt197 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature105 °C105 °C
Texture fill rate48.2 billion/sec76.8 billion/sec
Floating-point performance622.1 gflops2x 384.0 gflops

Size and 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).

InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Length10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)10.5" (26.7 cm)
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)2-slot
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors6-pin & 8-pin6-pin & 8-pin
SLI options++

Memory

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 typeGDDR3GDDR3
Maximum RAM amount1 GB512 MB
Memory bus width512 Bit512 Bit
Memory clock speed1107 MHz1000 MHz
Memory bandwidth141.7 GB/s128 (64 per GPU)

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 ConnectorsHDTVDual Link DVIHDMIDual Link DVI
Multi monitor support++
HDMIno data+
Maximum VGA resolution2048x15362048x1536
Audio input for HDMIS/PDIFS/PDIF

API support

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

DirectX11.1 (10_0)11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model4.04.0
OpenGL2.12.1
OpenCL1.11.1
VulkanN/AN/A
CUDA++

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.

GTX 280 3.35
+62.6%
9800 GX2 2.06

GTX 280 outperforms 9800 GX2 by 63% in our combined 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%

GTX 280 1299
+63%
9800 GX2 797

GTX 280 outperforms 9800 GX2 by 63% in Passmark.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 3.35 2.06
Recency 16 June 2008 18 March 2008
Cost $649 $599
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 512 MB
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 197 Watt

The GeForce GTX 280 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce 9800 GX2 in performance tests.


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

User ratings

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 280
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2
GeForce 9800 GX2

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User ratings: view and submit

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3.5 96 votes

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3.3 11 votes

Rate NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 on a scale of 1 to 5:

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Questions and comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.