Quadro NVS 280 PCI vs Quadro FX 5500
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Quadro FX 5500 and Quadro NVS 280 PCI, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
FX 5500 outperforms NVS 280 PCI by a whopping 2900% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 1205 | 1497 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Power efficiency | 0.45 | 0.11 |
| Architecture | Curie (2003−2013) | Rankine (2003−2005) |
| GPU code name | G71 | NV34 B1 |
| Market segment | Workstation | Workstation |
| Release date | 20 April 2006 (18 years ago) | 28 October 2003 (21 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $2,999 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.
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 | 650 MHz | 275 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 278 million | 45 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 90 nm | 150 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 96 Watt | 13 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 15.60 | 1.100 |
| ROPs | 16 | 2 |
| TMUs | 24 | 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 | PCI |
| Length | 229 mm | 168 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin | 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 | GDDR3 | DDR |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 64 MB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 505 MHz | 250 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 32.32 GB/s | 8 GB/s |
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 | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | 1x DMS-59 |
API and SDK compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 9.0c (9_3) | 9.0a |
| Shader Model | 3.0 | no data |
| OpenGL | 2.1 | 1.5 (2.1) |
| OpenCL | N/A | N/A |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
Synthetic benchmark performance
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 | 0.02 |
| Recency | 20 April 2006 | 28 October 2003 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 64 MB |
| Chip lithography | 90 nm | 150 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 96 Watt | 13 Watt |
FX 5500 has a 2900% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 1500% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 66.7% more advanced lithography process.
NVS 280 PCI, on the other hand, has 638.5% lower power consumption.
The Quadro FX 5500 is our recommended choice as it beats the Quadro NVS 280 PCI in performance tests.
Other comparisons
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