GeForce 9300 GE vs GeForce 9500M

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 9300 GE vs GeForce 9500M 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 9300 GE vs GeForce 9500M: 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 9300 GE

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($23 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 33W instead of 75W, a 42W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 9500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2015 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GeForce 9500M

2015

Why buy it

✅1.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2015 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 4.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $23 MSRP).
❌127.3% higher power demand at 75W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 9500M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2% in PassMark G3D (104 vs 102), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce 9300 GE 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 9300 GE makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce 9500M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 9300 GE vs GeForce 9500M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 9300 GE

The GeForce 9300 GE is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 941 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 102 points.

GeForce 9500M

The GeForce 9500M 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: 104 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9300 GE scores 102 and the GeForce 9500M reaches 104 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9300 GE is built on Maxwell while the GeForce 9500M uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 9300 GE) vs 640 (GeForce 9500M). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 9300 GE) vs 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 9500M). Boost clocks: 941 MHz vs 1020 MHz.

Feature	GeForce 9300 GE	GeForce 9500M
G3D Mark Score	102	104+2%
Architecture	Maxwell	Maxwell
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	640+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7227 TFLOPS	1.306 TFLOPS+81%
Boost Clock	941 MHz	1020 MHz+8%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	24	40+67%
L1 Cache	192 KB	320 KB+67%
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce 9300 GE	GeForce 9500M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 9300 GE has 256 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce 9500M carries 512 MB. GeForce 9500M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 9300 GE and 128-bit on the GeForce 9500M. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 9300 GE) vs 2 MB (GeForce 9500M) — the GeForce 9500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 9300 GE	GeForce 9500M
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 9300 GE) vs 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9500M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 9300 GE	GeForce 9500M
DirectX	10.0	11.1 (10_0)+11%
OpenGL	3.3	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 9300 GE) vs No NVENC (G84) (GeForce 9500M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs PureVideo HD VP3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce 9300 GE) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 9500M).

Feature	GeForce 9300 GE	GeForce 9500M
Encoder	No	No NVENC (G84)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP2	PureVideo HD VP3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9300 GE draws 33W versus the GeForce 9500M's 75W — a 77.8% difference. The GeForce 9300 GE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9300 GE) vs 350W (GeForce 9500M). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 85°C.