GeForce 9400 GT vs GeForce GT 120

NVIDIA

GeForce 9400 GT

2015Core: 1072 MHzBoost: 1176 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9400 GT vs GeForce GT 120 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 GT 120 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 GT 120: 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 $41 less on MSRP ($59 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • Delivers 72.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.2 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 120 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 GT 120

2017

Why buy it

  • 1.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 69.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $100 MSRPvs$59 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 3.2 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $59 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 120 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.1% 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: 1 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 9400 GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $41 cheaper on MSRP at $59 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 72.2% (3.2 vs 1.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce GT 120 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 9400 GT vs GeForce GT 120 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 GT 120

The GeForce GT 120 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: 188 points. Launch price was $79.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9400 GT scores 191 and the GeForce GT 120 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 GT 120 uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 384 (GeForce GT 120). Raw compute: 0.9032 TFLOPS (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 120). Boost clocks: 1176 MHz vs 1468 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
G3D Mark Score
191+2%
188
Architecture
Maxwell
Pascal
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
384
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.9032 TFLOPS
1.127 TFLOPS+25%
Boost Clock
1176 MHz
1468 MHz+25%
ROPs
8
16+100%
TMUs
24
24
L1 Cache
192 KB+33%
144 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
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)

The GeForce 9400 GT has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GT 120 carries 512 MB. GeForce 9400 GT 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 9400 GT and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 120. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 0.5 MB (GeForce GT 120) — the GeForce 9400 GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
VRAM Capacity
1 GB+100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 10.0 (GeForce GT 120). Vulkan: None vs None. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
DirectX
10.0
10.0
Vulkan
None
None
OpenGL
3.3
3.3
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 9400 GT) vs No (GeForce GT 120). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs PureVideo HD VP3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce GT 120).

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
Encoder
No
No
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
PureVideo HD VP3
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9400 GT draws 33W versus the GeForce GT 120's 30W — a 9.5% difference. The GeForce GT 120 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 350W (GeForce GT 120). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 65°C.

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
TDP
33W
30W-9%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
168mm
168mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
65°C
65°C
Perf/Watt
5.8
6.3+9%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9400 GT came in at $59, while the GeForce GT 120 launched at $100. On MSRP, GeForce 9400 GT was 41% cheaper ($41 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.2 (GeForce 9400 GT) vs 1.9 (GeForce GT 120) — the GeForce 9400 GT offers 68.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 120 (2017 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce 9400 GTGeForce GT 120
MSRP
$59-41%
$100
Performance per Dollar
3.2+68%
1.9
Codename
GM108
GP108
Release
March 13 2015
May 17 2017
Ranking
#847
#641

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