GeForce 8600 GT vs Quadro FX 3500
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Quadro FX 3500 with GeForce 8600 GT, including specs and performance data.
FX 3500 outperforms 8600 GT by an impressive 88% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 1241 | 1350 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | 0.61 | 0.55 |
| Architecture | Curie (2003−2013) | Tesla (2006−2010) |
| GPU code name | G71 | G84 |
| Market segment | Workstation | Desktop |
| Release date | 22 May 2006 (19 years ago) | 17 April 2007 (18 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,599 | $159 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
FX 3500 and 8600 GT have a nearly equal value for money.
Performance to price scatter graph
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.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | no data | 32 |
| Core clock speed | 450 MHz | 540 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 278 million | 289 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 90 nm | 80 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 80 Watt | 47 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 9.000 | 8.640 |
| Floating-point processing power | no data | 0.07616 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 16 | 8 |
| TMUs | 20 | 16 |
| L2 Cache | no data | 32 KB |
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).
| Interface | PCIe 1.0 x16 | PCIe 1.0 x16 |
| Length | 173 mm | 170 mm |
| Width | 1-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | None |
| SLI options | - | + |
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 | GDDR3 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Standard memory config per GPU | no data | 256 MB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 660 MHz | 700 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 42.24 GB/s | 22.4 GB/s |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 9.0c (9_3) | 11.1 (10_0) |
| Shader Model | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| OpenGL | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| OpenCL | N/A | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
| CUDA | - | 1.1 |
Synthetic benchmarks
Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark score.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.60 | 0.32 |
| Recency | 22 May 2006 | 17 April 2007 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Chip lithography | 90 nm | 80 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 80 Watt | 47 Watt |
FX 3500 has a 87.5% higher aggregate performance score.
8600 GT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 10 months, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 12.5% more advanced lithography process, and 70.2% lower power consumption.
The Quadro FX 3500 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce 8600 GT in performance tests.
Be aware that Quadro FX 3500 is a workstation graphics card while GeForce 8600 GT is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
