GeForce 9500 GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce 9500 GT

2008Core: 500 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT

2009Core: 550 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9500 GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT 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 9500 GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT: 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 9500 GT

2008

Why buy it

  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 96.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.9 vs 1.0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 256 MB).

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.
  • 400% higher power demand at 150W vs 30W.

Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT

2009

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 150W, a 120W reduction.
  • More future proof: TeraScale (2005−2013) on 55nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2009 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 101% HIGHER MSRP
    $199 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.0 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (192 vs 188), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9500 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs 256 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 9500 GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 96.8% (1.9 vs 1.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 9500 GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT Technical Specifications

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

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.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT

The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 550 MHz. It has 800 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 192 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9500 GT scores 188 and the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT reaches 192 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9500 GT is built on G9x while the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT uses TeraScale, both on 65 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 9500 GT) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT).

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
G3D Mark Score
188
192+2%
Architecture
G9x
TeraScale
Process Node
65 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
224
800 ×2+257%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9500 GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 9500 GT has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT carries 256 MB. GeForce 9500 GT gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce 9500 GT and 64-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT.

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
VRAM Capacity
1 GB+300%
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 9500 GT) vs 10.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
DirectX
10.0
10.0
OpenGL
3.3
3.3
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 9500 GT) vs Avivo HD (Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP2) vs Avivo HD. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce 9500 GT) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT).

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
Encoder
None
Avivo HD
Decoder
PureVideo HD (VP2)
Avivo HD
Codecs
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9500 GT draws 150W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT's 30W — a 133.3% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9500 GT) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 70°C.

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
TDP
150W
30W-80%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
175mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
80
70°C-13%
Perf/Watt
1.3
6.4+392%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9500 GT came in at $99, while the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, GeForce 9500 GT was 50.3% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (GeForce 9500 GT) vs 1.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT) — the GeForce 9500 GT offers 90% better value. The newer card here is Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT (2009 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 9500 GTMobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
MSRP
$99-50%
$199
Performance per Dollar
1.9+90%
1.0
Codename
NB9E-GTX
M98
Release
July 15 2008
January 9 2009
Ranking
#825
#818

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