GeForce 256 vs MOBILITY/RADEON 9000

NVIDIA

GeForce 256

2019Core: 937 MHzBoost: 1038 MHz
VS
AMD

MOBILITY/RADEON 9000

2010Core: 700 MHz

GeForce 256 vs MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 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.

GeForce 256 vs MOBILITY/RADEON 9000: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 256

2019

Why buy it

  • +25% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce 256 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • 2019 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

MOBILITY/RADEON 9000

2010

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (4 vs 5).
  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 0.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 256 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 25% in PassMark G3D (5 vs 4), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 256 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 256 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce 256 vs MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 256

The GeForce 256 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 20 2019. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 937 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 10W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5 points.

AMD

MOBILITY/RADEON 9000

The MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 10W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 256 scores 5 versus the MOBILITY/RADEON 9000's 4 — the GeForce 256 leads by 25%. The GeForce 256 is built on Pascal while the MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 uses TeraScale 2, both on 14 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 256) vs 800 (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000). Raw compute: 0.7972 TFLOPS (GeForce 256) vs 1.12 TFLOPS (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000).

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
G3D Mark Score
5+25%
4
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 2
Process Node
14 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
800+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7972 TFLOPS
1.12 TFLOPS+40%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
24
40+67%
L1 Cache
144 KB+80%
80 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 256 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 256 and 64-bit on the MOBILITY/RADEON 9000. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce 256) vs 256 KB (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000) — the GeForce 256 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 7.0 (GeForce 256) vs 8.1 (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000). OpenGL: 1.2 vs 1.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
DirectX
7.0
8.1+16%
OpenGL
1.2
1.4+17%
Max Displays
1
2+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 256) vs N/A (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000). Decoder: MPEG-2 Motion Comp vs MPEG-2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (GeForce 256) vs MPEG-2 (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000).

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
Encoder
None
N/A
Decoder
MPEG-2 Motion Comp
MPEG-2
Codecs
MPEG-2
MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 256 draws 10W versus the MOBILITY/RADEON 9000's 10W — a 0% difference. The MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 256) vs 0W (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000). Power connectors: Legacy vs None. Card length: 165mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 60°C vs 70.

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
TDP
10W
10W
Recommended PSU
350W
0W-100%
Power Connector
Legacy
None
Length
165mm
0mm
Height
100mm
0mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
60°C-14%
70
Perf/Watt
0.5+25%
0.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 256 came in at $199, while the MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 launched at $0. On MSRP, MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 was 100+% cheaper ($199 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.0 (GeForce 256) vs Infinity (MOBILITY/RADEON 9000) — the MOBILITY/RADEON 9000 offers 100+% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 256 (2019 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce 256MOBILITY/RADEON 9000
MSRP
$199
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
0.0
Infinity
Codename
GP108B
Broadway
Release
February 20 2019
January 7 2010
Ranking
#643
#846

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