GeForce 605 vs GeForce GT 230

NVIDIA

GeForce 605

2012Core: 902 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 605 vs GeForce GT 230 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 605 vs GeForce GT 230 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 605 vs GeForce GT 230: 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 605

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $14 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $44 MSRP).
  • Delivers 49.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.0 vs 7.3 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $44 MSRP).
  • Measures 145mm instead of 168mm, a 23mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 230 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 116.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 30W.

GeForce GT 230

2017

Why buy it

  • 26.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Draws 30W instead of 65W, a 35W reduction.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 46.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $44 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.3 vs 11.0 G3D/$ ($44 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).
  • 15.9% longer card at 168mm vs 145mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 230 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 605 instead at 330 vs 323, 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?
GeForce 605 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 605 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $14 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $44, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 49.8% (11.0 vs 7.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce GT 230 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 605 vs GeForce GT 230 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 605

The GeForce 605 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 5 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 902 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 330 points. Launch price was $99.

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230

The GeForce GT 230 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 323 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 605 scores 330 and the GeForce GT 230 reaches 323 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 605 is built on Kepler while the GeForce GT 230 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 605) vs 384 (GeForce GT 230). Raw compute: 0.6927 TFLOPS (GeForce 605) vs 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 230).

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
G3D Mark Score
330+2%
323
Architecture
Kepler
Pascal
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
384
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6927 TFLOPS
1.127 TFLOPS+63%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
32+33%
24
L1 Cache
32 KB
144 KB+350%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 605 and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 230. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce 605) vs 512 KB (GeForce GT 230) — the GeForce GT 230 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 605) vs 10.0 (GeForce GT 230). Vulkan: N/A vs None. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
DirectX
12 (11_0)+20%
10.0
Vulkan
N/A
None
OpenGL
4.6+39%
3.3
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 605) vs No (GeForce GT 230). Decoder: VP5 vs PureVideo HD VP3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (GeForce 605) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce GT 230).

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
Encoder
None
No
Decoder
VP5
PureVideo HD VP3
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 605 draws 65W versus the GeForce GT 230's 30W — a 73.7% difference. The GeForce GT 230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 250W (GeForce 605) vs 350W (GeForce GT 230). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 145mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
TDP
65W
30W-54%
Recommended PSU
250W-29%
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
145mm
168mm
Height
69mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
75
75°C
Perf/Watt
5.1
10.8+112%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 605 came in at $30, while the GeForce GT 230 launched at $44. On MSRP, GeForce 605 was 31.8% cheaper ($14 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.0 (GeForce 605) vs 7.3 (GeForce GT 230) — the GeForce 605 offers 50.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 230 (2017 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce 605GeForce GT 230
MSRP
$30-32%
$44
Performance per Dollar
11.0+51%
7.3
Codename
GK107
GP108
Release
June 5 2012
May 17 2017
Ranking
#837
#641

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