GeForce FX 5900XT vs RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

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 RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 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 FX 5900XT vs RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700: 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

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 128 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 128 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌21.7% higher power demand at 365W vs 300W.
❌24.6% longer card at 218mm vs 175mm.

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

2025

Why buy it

✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 128 MB).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 4.0 (2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 300W instead of 365W, a 65W reduction.
✅Measures 175mm instead of 218mm, a 43mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 5% in PassMark G3D (42 vs 40), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB vs 128 MB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 4nm process instead of 40nm, and 64 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce FX 5900XT vs RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 Technical Specifications

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

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.

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 23 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2920 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 42 points. Launch price was $1,299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce FX 5900XT scores 40 versus the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700's 42 — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 leads by 5%. The GeForce FX 5900XT is built on Rankine while the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 uses RDNA 4.0, both on 40 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 4,096 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). Raw compute: 1.244 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 47.84 TFLOPS (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700).

Feature	GeForce FX 5900XT	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
G3D Mark Score	40	42+5%
Architecture	Rankine	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	40 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	1024 ×2	4096+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.244 TFLOPS ×2	47.84 TFLOPS+3746%
ROPs	48 ×2	128+167%
TMUs	64 ×2	256+300%
L2 Cache	0.75 MB	8 MB+967%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce FX 5900XT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce FX 5900XT	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce FX 5900XT has 128 MB of VRAM, while the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 carries 512 MB. RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 gives you 300% 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 FX 5900XT and 64-bit on the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 8 MB (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce FX 5900XT	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
VRAM Capacity	0.125 GB	0.5 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.75 MB	8 MB+967%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0a (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 9.0 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). OpenGL: 1.5 vs 2.0. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce FX 5900XT	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
DirectX	9.0a	9.0
OpenGL	1.5	2.0+33%
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce FX 5900XT draws 365W versus the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700's 300W — a 19.5% difference. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs 350W (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 218mm vs 175mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

Feature	GeForce FX 5900XT	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
TDP	365W	300W-18%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	Legacy
Length	218mm	175mm
Height	—	100mm
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	—	70
Perf/Watt	0.1	0.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce FX 5900XT came in at $0, while the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 launched at $0. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce FX 5900XT) vs Infinity (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 offers NaN% better value. The newer card here is RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 (2025 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce FX 5900XT	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
MSRP	$0	$0
Performance per Dollar	Infinity	Infinity
Codename	GF110	Navi 48
Release	March 24 2011	July 23 2025
Ranking	#555	#23

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