GeForce 405 vs Radeon X1600 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce 405

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 1020 MHz
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon X1600 XT

2020Core: 1825 MHzBoost: 2250 MHz
Similar parts
·······

GeForce 405 vs Radeon X1600 XT 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 405 vs Radeon X1600 XT FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 405 vs Radeon X1600 XT: 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 405

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $159 less on MSRP ($40 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 406.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.0 vs 0.6 G3D/$ ($40 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Draws 75W instead of 300W, a 225W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon X1600 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon X1600 XT

2020

Why buy it

  • 2.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • GeForce 405 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon X1600 XT is the less risky modern option long term.
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 512 MB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 397.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $199 MSRPvs$40 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.6 vs 3.0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $40 MSRP).
  • 300% higher power demand at 300W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon X1600 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 405 instead at 118 vs 116, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon X1600 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, 80 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 405 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $159 cheaper on MSRP at $40 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 406.1% (3.0 vs 0.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce 405 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon X1600 XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 405 vs Radeon X1600 XT Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 405

The GeForce 405 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 27 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 1020 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 118 points.

AMD

Radeon X1600 XT

The Radeon X1600 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1825 MHz to 2250 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 80 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 116 points. Launch price was $999.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 405 scores 118 and the Radeon X1600 XT reaches 116 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 405 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon X1600 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 405) vs 5,120 (Radeon X1600 XT). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 405) vs 23.04 TFLOPS (Radeon X1600 XT). Boost clocks: 1020 MHz vs 2250 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 405Radeon X1600 XT
G3D Mark Score
118+2%
116
Architecture
Maxwell
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
640
5120+700%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.306 TFLOPS
23.04 TFLOPS+1664%
Boost Clock
1020 MHz
2250 MHz+121%
ROPs
16
128+700%
TMUs
40
320+700%
L1 Cache
0.31 MB
1 MB+223%
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 405 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon X1600 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 405Radeon X1600 XT
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 405 and 64-bit on the Radeon X1600 XT. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 405) vs 4 MB (Radeon X1600 XT) — the Radeon X1600 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 405Radeon X1600 XT
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 405 draws 75W versus the Radeon X1600 XT's 300W — a 120% difference. The GeForce 405 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 405) vs 350W (Radeon X1600 XT). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce 405Radeon X1600 XT
TDP
75W-75%
300W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
168mm
Height
64mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
1.6+300%
0.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 405 came in at $40, while the Radeon X1600 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, GeForce 405 was 79.9% cheaper ($159 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.0 (GeForce 405) vs 0.6 (Radeon X1600 XT) — the GeForce 405 offers 400% better value. The newer card here is Radeon X1600 XT (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce 405Radeon X1600 XT
MSRP
$40-80%
$199
Performance per Dollar
3.0+400%
0.6
Codename
GM107
Navi 21
Release
October 27 2015
October 28 2020
Ranking
#671
#35

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.