GeForce 256 SDR vs Quadro FX 540
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 1451 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | 0.58 | no data |
| Architecture | Curie (2003−2013) | Celsius (1999−2005) |
| GPU code name | NV43 | NV10 |
| Market segment | Workstation | Desktop |
| Release date | 9 August 2004 (21 years ago) | 11 October 1999 (25 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $299 | $249 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
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.
| Core clock speed | 300 MHz | 120 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 146 million | 17 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 110 nm | 220 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 25 Watt | no data |
| Texture fill rate | 2.400 | 0.48 |
| ROPs | 4 | 4 |
| TMUs | 8 | 4 |
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 | AGP 4x |
| Length | 198 mm | no data |
| Width | 1-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | None |
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 | DDR | SDR |
| Maximum RAM amount | 128 MB | 32 MB |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 64 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 250 MHz | 143 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 8 GB/s | 1.144 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 | 1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video | 1x VGA |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 9.0c (9_3) | 7.0 |
| Shader Model | 3.0 | no data |
| OpenGL | 2.0 (full) 2.1 (partial) | 1.2 |
| OpenCL | N/A | N/A |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 9 August 2004 | 11 October 1999 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 128 MB | 32 MB |
| Chip lithography | 110 nm | 220 nm |
FX 540 has an age advantage of 4 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Quadro FX 540 and GeForce 256 SDR. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Quadro FX 540 is a workstation graphics card while GeForce 256 SDR is a desktop one.
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