GeForce FX 5900 Ultra vs Quadro NVS 290
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Quadro NVS 290 with GeForce FX 5900 Ultra, including specs and performance data.
NVS 290 outperforms 5900 Ultra by a whopping 440% 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 | 1272 | 1511 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.01 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 1.97 | 0.13 |
| Architecture | Tesla (2006−2010) | Rankine (2003−2005) |
| GPU code name | G86 | NV35 |
| Market segment | Workstation | Desktop |
| Release date | 4 October 2007 (18 years ago) | 23 October 2003 (22 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $149 | $499 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
NVS 290 and FX 5900 Ultra 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 | 16 | no data |
| Core clock speed | 459 MHz | 450 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 210 million | 135 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 80 nm | 130 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 21 Watt | 59 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 3.672 | 3.600 |
| Floating-point processing power | 0.02938 TFLOPS | no data |
| ROPs | 4 | 4 |
| TMUs | 8 | 8 |
| L2 Cache | 16 KB | no data |
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 8x |
| Length | 168 mm | 218 mm |
| Width | 1-slot | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | 1x Molex |
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 | DDR2 | DDR |
| Maximum RAM amount | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Memory bus width | 64 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 400 MHz | 425 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 6.4 GB/s | 27.2 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 DMS-59 | 1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 11.1 (10_0) | 9.0a |
| Shader Model | 4.0 | no data |
| OpenGL | 3.3 | 1.5 (2.1) |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | N/A |
| 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 | 0.54 | 0.10 |
| Recency | 4 October 2007 | 23 October 2003 |
| Chip lithography | 80 nm | 130 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 21 Watt | 59 Watt |
NVS 290 has a 440% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 62.5% more advanced lithography process, and 181% lower power consumption.
The Quadro NVS 290 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce FX 5900 Ultra in performance tests.
Be aware that Quadro NVS 290 is a workstation graphics card while GeForce FX 5900 Ultra 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.
