GeForce 9400 GT vs GeForce 9500 GT

NVIDIA

GeForce 9400 GT

2015Core: 1072 MHzBoost: 1176 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce 9500 GT

2008Core: 500 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9400 GT vs GeForce 9500 GT 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 9400 GT vs GeForce 9500 GT 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 9400 GT vs GeForce 9500 GT: 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 9400 GT

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $40 less on MSRP ($59 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • Delivers 70.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.2 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 150W, a 117W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 175mm, a 7mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 9500 GT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GeForce 9500 GT

2008

Why buy it

  • 5.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 67.8% HIGHER MSRP
    $99 MSRPvs$59 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 3.2 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $59 MSRP).
  • 354.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 9500 GT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 9400 GT instead at 191 vs 188, 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 9400 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 65nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 9400 GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $40 cheaper on MSRP at $59 vs $99, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 70.5% (3.2 vs 1.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce 9500 GT still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 9400 GT vs GeForce 9500 GT Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9400 GT

The GeForce 9400 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1072 MHz to 1176 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 191 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce 9500 GT

The GeForce 9500 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 15 2008. It features the G9x architecture. The core clock speed is 500 MHz. It has 224 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 188 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9400 GT scores 191 and the GeForce 9500 GT reaches 188 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9400 GT is built on Maxwell while the GeForce 9500 GT uses G9x, both on 28 nm vs 65 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 224 (GeForce 9500 GT).

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
G3D Mark Score
191+2%
188
Architecture
Maxwell
G9x
Process Node
28 nm
65 nm
Shading Units
384+71%
224

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
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 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 9400 GT and 64-bit on the GeForce 9500 GT.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 10.0 (GeForce 9500 GT). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
DirectX
10.0
10.0
Vulkan
None
N/A
OpenGL
3.3
3.3
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 9400 GT) vs None (GeForce 9500 GT). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs PureVideo HD (VP2). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce 9500 GT).

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
Encoder
No
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
PureVideo HD (VP2)
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9400 GT draws 33W versus the GeForce 9500 GT's 150W — a 127.9% difference. The GeForce 9400 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 350W (GeForce 9500 GT). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 168mm vs 175mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 80.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
TDP
33W-78%
150W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
Legacy
Length
168mm
175mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
65°C-19%
80
Perf/Watt
5.8+346%
1.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9400 GT came in at $59, while the GeForce 9500 GT launched at $99. On MSRP, GeForce 9400 GT was 40.4% cheaper ($40 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.2 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 1.9 (GeForce 9500 GT) — the GeForce 9400 GT offers 68.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 9400 GT (2015 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce 9500 GT
MSRP
$59-40%
$99
Performance per Dollar
3.2+68%
1.9
Codename
GM108
NB9E-GTX
Release
March 13 2015
July 15 2008
Ranking
#847
#825

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