GeForce FX 5900XT vs MOBILITY RADEON 9600

NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5900XT

2011Core: 607 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

MOBILITY RADEON 9600

2010Core: 700 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce FX 5900XT vs MOBILITY RADEON 9600 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 FX 5900XT vs MOBILITY RADEON 9600: 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 FX 5900XT

2011

Why buy it

  • +11.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • More future proof: Fermi 2.0 (2010−2014) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 128 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 0.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 630% higher power demand at 365W vs 50W.
  • 21700% longer card at 218mm vs 1mm.

MOBILITY RADEON 9600

2010

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 365W, a 315W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 218mm, a 217mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (36 vs 40).
  • 2010 hardware with 128 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce FX 5900XT is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 11.1% in PassMark G3D (40 vs 36), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce FX 5900XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2011 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
MOBILITY RADEON 9600 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, MOBILITY RADEON 9600 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce FX 5900XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce FX 5900XT vs MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5900XT

The GeForce FX 5900XT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 24 2011. It features the Rankine architecture. The core clock speed is 607 MHz. It has 1024 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 365W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 40 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

MOBILITY RADEON 9600

The MOBILITY RADEON 9600 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: 36 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce FX 5900XT scores 40 versus the MOBILITY RADEON 9600's 36 — the GeForce FX 5900XT leads by 11.1%. The GeForce FX 5900XT is built on Rankine while the MOBILITY RADEON 9600 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 800 (MOBILITY RADEON 9600). Raw compute: 1.244 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 1.12 TFLOPS (MOBILITY RADEON 9600).

FeatureGeForce FX 5900XTMOBILITY RADEON 9600
G3D Mark Score
40+11%
36
Architecture
Rankine
TeraScale 2
Process Node
40 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1024 ×2+28%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.244 TFLOPS ×2+11%
1.12 TFLOPS
ROPs
48 ×2+200%
16
TMUs
64 ×2+60%
40
L1 Cache
1 MB+1150%
0.08 MB
L2 Cache
768 KB+200%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce FX 5900XT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The MOBILITY RADEON 9600 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900XTMOBILITY RADEON 9600
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)

Both cards ship with 128 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce FX 5900XT and 128-bit on the MOBILITY RADEON 9600. L2 Cache: 768 KB (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 256 KB (MOBILITY RADEON 9600) — the GeForce FX 5900XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900XTMOBILITY RADEON 9600
VRAM Capacity
0.125 GB
0.125 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
768 KB+200%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0a (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 9.0 (MOBILITY RADEON 9600). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900XTMOBILITY RADEON 9600
DirectX
9.0a
9.0
Max Displays
1
0
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce FX 5900XT draws 365W versus the MOBILITY RADEON 9600's 50W — a 151.8% difference. The MOBILITY RADEON 9600 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 350W (MOBILITY RADEON 9600). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 218mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900XTMOBILITY RADEON 9600
TDP
365W
50W-86%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
218mm
1mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Perf/Watt
0.1
0.7+600%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce FX 5900XT came in at $0, while the MOBILITY RADEON 9600 launched at $49. On MSRP, GeForce FX 5900XT was 100+% cheaper ($49 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 0.7 (MOBILITY RADEON 9600) — the GeForce FX 5900XT offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is GeForce FX 5900XT (2011 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce FX 5900XTMOBILITY RADEON 9600
MSRP
$0-100%
$49
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
0.7
Codename
GF110
Broadway
Release
March 24 2011
January 7 2010
Ranking
#555
#846

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