860M SLI vs 590

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Combined performance score

GTX 590
8.62

860M SLI outperforms 590 by 42% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

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

Place in performance ranking460368
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money0.464.60
ArchitectureFermi (2010−2014)Maxwell (2014−2018)
GPU code nameGF110no data
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date24 March 2011 (13 years old)12 March 2014 (10 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$699 no data
Current price$600 (0.9x MSRP)$489
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 860M SLI has 900% better value for money than GTX 590.

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 cores10241280
CUDA cores1024no data
Core clock speed607 MHz1029 MHz
Number of transistors3,000 million2x 1870 Million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)365 Watt120 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature97 °Cno data
Texture fill rate77.7 billion/secno data
Floating-point performance2x 1,244.2 gflopsno data

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 590 and GeForce GTX 860M SLI 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 sizeno datalarge
Bus support16x PCI-E 2.0no data
InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16no data
Length11" (280 mm) (27.9 cm)no data
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectorsTwo 8-pinno data
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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3072 MB (1536 MB per GPU)2x 4 GB
Memory bus width768-bit (384-bit per GPU)2x 128 Bit
Memory clock speed1707 MHz5000 MHz
Memory bandwidth327.7 GB/sno data
Shared memory--

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 ConnectorsThree Dual Link DVI-IMini DisplayPortno data
Multi monitor support+no data
HDMI+no data
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
Audio input for HDMIInternalno data

Technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

Optimusno data+

API support

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

DirectX12 (11_0)12 (FL 11_0)
Shader Model5.1no data
OpenGL4.2no data
OpenCL1.1no data
VulkanN/Ano data
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 590 8.62
GTX 860M SLI 12.28
+42.5%

860M SLI outperforms 590 by 42% in our combined benchmark results.


3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 590 25720
GTX 860M SLI 27223
+5.8%

860M SLI outperforms 590 by 6% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

Benchmark coverage: 17%

GTX 590 9167
GTX 860M SLI 9840
+7.3%

860M SLI outperforms 590 by 7% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

GTX 590 6680
+12.4%
GTX 860M SLI 5941

590 outperforms 860M SLI by 12% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

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:

900p47
−38.3%
65−70
+38.3%
Full HD109
+137%
46
−137%
1200p112
−33.9%
150−160
+33.9%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−35.7%
18−20
+35.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
−44.4%
24−27
+44.4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−66.7%
20−22
+66.7%
Battlefield 5 27−30
−44.8%
40−45
+44.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 24−27
−33.3%
30−35
+33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−35.7%
18−20
+35.7%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−52.4%
30−35
+52.4%
Far Cry New Dawn 21−24
−50%
30−35
+50%
Forza Horizon 4 30−33
−43.3%
40−45
+43.3%
Hitman 3 21−24
−50%
30−35
+50%
Horizon Zero Dawn 16−18
−47.1%
24−27
+47.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 18−20
−36.8%
24−27
+36.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion 14−16
−53.3%
21−24
+53.3%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
−44.4%
24−27
+44.4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−66.7%
20−22
+66.7%
Battlefield 5 27−30
−44.8%
40−45
+44.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 24−27
−33.3%
30−35
+33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−35.7%
18−20
+35.7%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−52.4%
30−35
+52.4%
Far Cry New Dawn 21−24
−50%
30−35
+50%
Forza Horizon 4 30−33
−43.3%
40−45
+43.3%
Hitman 3 21−24
−50%
30−35
+50%
Horizon Zero Dawn 16−18
−47.1%
24−27
+47.1%
Metro Exodus 12−14
−46.2%
18−20
+46.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
−40%
21−24
+40%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 18−20
−36.8%
24−27
+36.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
−38.9%
24−27
+38.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 14−16
−53.3%
21−24
+53.3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 18−20
−44.4%
24−27
+44.4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
−66.7%
20−22
+66.7%
Battlefield 5 27−30
−44.8%
40−45
+44.8%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−35.7%
18−20
+35.7%
Far Cry 5 21−24
−52.4%
30−35
+52.4%
Far Cry New Dawn 21−24
−50%
30−35
+50%
Forza Horizon 4 30−33
−43.3%
40−45
+43.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
−38.9%
24−27
+38.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 14−16
−53.3%
21−24
+53.3%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
−38.5%
18−20
+38.5%
Hitman 3 14−16
−35.7%
18−20
+35.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn 14−16
−28.6%
18−20
+28.6%
Metro Exodus 7−8
−57.1%
10−12
+57.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 6−7
−50%
9−10
+50%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 12−14
−33.3%
16−18
+33.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 8−9
−50%
12−14
+50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
−125%
9−10
+125%
Battlefield 5 12−14
−84.6%
24−27
+84.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
−50%
6−7
+50%
Far Cry 5 14−16
−42.9%
20−22
+42.9%
Far Cry New Dawn 12−14
−61.5%
21−24
+61.5%
Forza Horizon 4 14−16
−53.3%
21−24
+53.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
−50%
12−14
+50%
Watch Dogs: Legion 4−5
−75%
7−8
+75%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 6−7
−33.3%
8−9
+33.3%
Hitman 3 8−9
−37.5%
10−12
+37.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn 8−9
−12.5%
9−10
+12.5%
Metro Exodus 2−3
−150%
5−6
+150%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 4−5
−75%
7−8
+75%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
−83.3%
10−12
+83.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−40%
7−8
+40%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
−50%
6−7
+50%
Battlefield 5 6−7
−100%
12−14
+100%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
−100%
2−3
+100%
Far Cry 5 7−8
−42.9%
10−11
+42.9%
Far Cry New Dawn 10−11
−20%
12−14
+20%
Forza Horizon 4 10−11
−60%
16−18
+60%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
−100%
4−5
+100%

This is how GTX 590 and GTX 860M SLI compete in popular games:

900p resolution:

  • GTX 860M SLI is 38.3% faster than GTX 590

1080p resolution:

  • GTX 590 is 137% faster than GTX 860M SLI

1200p resolution:

  • GTX 860M SLI is 33.9% faster than GTX 590

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Metro Exodus, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 860M SLI is 150% faster than the GTX 590.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, GTX 860M SLI surpassed GTX 590 in all 68 of our tests.

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 8.62 12.28
Recency 24 March 2011 12 March 2014
Chip lithography 40 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 365 Watt 120 Watt

The GeForce GTX 860M SLI is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 590 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 590 is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 860M SLI is a notebook one.


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

User ratings

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590
GeForce GTX 590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M SLI
GeForce GTX 860M SLI

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