GeForce 6600 LE vs GeForce FX 5950 Ultra

NVIDIA

GeForce 6600 LE

2012Core: 823 MHzBoost: 888 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra

2011Core: 900 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 6600 LE vs GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 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 6600 LE vs GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 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 6600 LE vs GeForce FX 5950 Ultra: 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 6600 LE

2012

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Measures 180mm instead of 229mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
  • More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (51 vs 59).
  • 2012 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra

2011

Why buy it

  • +15.7% higher PassMark G3D performance.

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 256 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 1.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $30 MSRP).
  • 27.2% longer card at 229mm vs 180mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 15.7% in PassMark G3D (59 vs 51), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 6600 LE is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 6600 LE makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce FX 5950 Ultra still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 6600 LE vs GeForce FX 5950 Ultra Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 6600 LE

The GeForce 6600 LE is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 823 MHz to 888 MHz. It has 1152 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 51 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Rankine architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 116W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 59 points. Launch price was $149.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6600 LE scores 51 versus the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra's 59 — the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra leads by 15.7%. The GeForce 6600 LE is built on Kepler while the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra uses Rankine, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 192 (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra). Raw compute: 2.046 TFLOPS (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 0.6912 TFLOPS (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra).

FeatureGeForce 6600 LEGeForce FX 5950 Ultra
G3D Mark Score
51
59+16%
Architecture
Kepler
Rankine
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1152+500%
192
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.046 TFLOPS+196%
0.6912 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+33%
24
TMUs
96+200%
32
L1 Cache
96 KB
256 KB+167%
L2 Cache
512 KB+33%
384 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce 6600 LEGeForce FX 5950 Ultra
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 256 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6600 LE and 128-bit on the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 384 KB (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) — the GeForce 6600 LE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LEGeForce FX 5950 Ultra
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+33%
384 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 9.0a (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra). OpenGL: 2.0 vs 1.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LEGeForce FX 5950 Ultra
DirectX
9.0c
9.0a
OpenGL
2.0+33%
1.5
Max Displays
2
2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6600 LE draws 130W versus the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra's 116W — a 11.4% difference. The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 350W (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 180mm vs 229mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LEGeForce FX 5950 Ultra
TDP
130W
116W-11%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
Legacy
Length
180mm
229mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
0.4
0.5+25%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6600 LE came in at $30, while the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra launched at $0. On MSRP, GeForce FX 5950 Ultra was 100+% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (GeForce 6600 LE) vs Infinity (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) — the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 6600 LE (2012 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce 6600 LEGeForce FX 5950 Ultra
MSRP
$30
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
1.7
Infinity
Codename
GK104
GF116
Release
August 22 2012
March 15 2011
Ranking
#799
#761

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