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GeForce 9600M GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce 9600M GT

2008Core: 500 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 2600

2010Core: 700 MHz
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Buy on Amazon

GeForce 9600M GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 9600M GT
0.5 GB 150
163
0.0%
brand logoGeForce 8600M GS
brand logoGeForce Go 6800
brand logoGeForce 9300
brand logoGeForce GT 130M
brand logoGeForce GTX 1630
brand logoGeForce GTX 970
brand logoGeForce RTX 4050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
Mobility Radeon HD 2600
0.25 GB 50
168
+3.1%
brand logoRadeon HD 6250
brand logoRadeon HD 7290
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON X1800
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 4350
brand logoRadeon R9 270X
brand logoRadeon RX 6500 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 5700
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT

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 9600M GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600: 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 9600M GT

2008

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($80 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 21.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.0 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($80 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2008 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌200% higher power demand at 150W vs 50W.

Mobility Radeon HD 2600

2010

Why buy it

  • ✅Draws 50W instead of 150W, a 100W reduction.
  • ✅More future proof: TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2010 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    25% HIGHER MSRP
    $100 MSRPvs$80 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Mobility Radeon HD 2600 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.1% in PassMark G3D (168 vs 163), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9600M GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB 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 9600M GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 cheaper on MSRP at $80 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 21.3% (2.0 vs 1.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Mobility Radeon HD 2600 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 9600M GT vs Mobility Radeon HD 2600 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9600M GT

The GeForce 9600M 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: 163 points.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 2600

The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 168 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9600M GT scores 163 and the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 reaches 168 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9600M GT is built on G9x while the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 uses TeraScale 2, both on 65 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 9600M GT) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600).

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
G3D Mark Score
163
168+3%
Architecture
G9x
TeraScale 2
Process Node
65 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
224
800+257%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9600M GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
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 9600M GT has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 carries 256 MB. GeForce 9600M GT gives you 100% 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 9600M GT and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 2600.

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB+100%
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 9600M GT) vs 10.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
DirectX
10.0
10.0
Max Displays
1
2+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 9600M GT) vs Avivo HD (Mobility Radeon HD 2600). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs Avivo HD. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce 9600M GT) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600).

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
Encoder
No
Avivo HD
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP3
Avivo HD
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9600M GT draws 150W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 2600's 50W — a 100% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9600M GT) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 2600). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
TDP
150W
50W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
—
Height
0mm
—
Slots
0
—
Temp (Load)
85°C
80°C-6%
Perf/Watt
1.1
3.4+209%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9600M GT came in at $80, while the Mobility Radeon HD 2600 launched at $100. On MSRP, GeForce 9600M GT was 20% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.0 (GeForce 9600M GT) vs 1.7 (Mobility Radeon HD 2600) — the GeForce 9600M GT offers 17.6% better value. The newer card here is Mobility Radeon HD 2600 (2010 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 9600M GTMobility Radeon HD 2600
MSRP
$80-20%
$100
Performance per Dollar
2.0+18%
1.7
Codename
NB9E-GTX
Broadway
Release
July 15 2008
January 7 2010
Ranking
#825
#846
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