FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

FirePro V3800

2010Core: 690 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017Core: 1506 MHzBoost: 1709 MHz
Similar parts
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FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro V3800

2010

Why buy it

  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 74W instead of 120W, a 46W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 51.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $129 MSRPvs$85 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 3.8 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $85 MSRP).

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $44 less on MSRP ($85 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • Delivers 53.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.8 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($85 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 62.2% higher power demand at 120W vs 74W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.2% in PassMark G3D (325 vs 321), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro V3800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $44 cheaper on MSRP at $85 vs $129, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 53.7% (3.8 vs 2.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro V3800 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro V3800

The FirePro V3800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 26 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 690 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 74W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 321 points. Launch price was $479.

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 26 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1709 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 325 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro V3800 scores 321 and the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT reaches 325 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro V3800 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT uses Pascal, both on 40 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 800 (FirePro V3800) vs 1,280 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT). Raw compute: 1.104 TFLOPS (FirePro V3800) vs 4.375 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
G3D Mark Score
321
325+1%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Pascal
Process Node
40 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
800
1280+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.104 TFLOPS
4.375 TFLOPS+296%
ROPs
16
40+150%
TMUs
40
80+100%
L1 Cache
80 KB
480 KB+500%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1.25 MB+400%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro V3800 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro V3800 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT carries 512 MB. FirePro V3800 gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro V3800 and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro V3800) vs 1.25 MB (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) — the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+700%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1.25 MB+400%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro V3800) vs 10.0 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT). Vulkan: N/A vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
DirectX
11.2+12%
10.0
Vulkan
N/A
N/A
OpenGL
4.4+33%
3.3
Max Displays
2
4+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro V3800) vs None (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs PureVideo VP2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro V3800) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
Encoder
None
None
Decoder
UVD 2.3
PureVideo VP2
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro V3800 draws 74W versus the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT's 120W — a 47.4% difference. The FirePro V3800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro V3800) vs 350W (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 75.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
TDP
74W-38%
120W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Length
168mm
168mm
Height
69mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
80
75-6%
Perf/Watt
4.3+59%
2.7
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro V3800 came in at $129, while the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT launched at $85. On MSRP, GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT was 34.1% cheaper ($44 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (FirePro V3800) vs 3.8 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) — the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT offers 52% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT (2017 vs 2010).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT
MSRP
$129
$85-34%
Performance per Dollar
2.5
3.8+52%
Codename
Juniper
GP106
Release
April 26 2010
December 26 2017
Ranking
#780
#289

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