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GeForce FX 5900ZT vs RADEON 9600SE

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5900ZT

2011Core: 607 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

RADEON 9600SE

2025Core: 1295 MHzBoost: 2900 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce FX 5900ZT vs RADEON 9600SE Performance Spectrum

GeForce FX 5900ZT
0.125 GB 365
33
+22.2%
brand logoGeForce FX Go 5600
brand logoGeForce 6150
brand logoGeForce FX 5700LE
brand logoGeForce 6100
brand logoGeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB
brand logoGeForce GTX 780 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 4050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
RADEON 9600SE
0.5 GB 55
27
0.0%
brand logoRADEON 7500
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON 9000
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON 7500
brand logoMOBILITY RADEON 7000 IGP
brand logoRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
brand logoRadeon R9 Fury
brand logoRadeon RX 5700
brand logoRadeon RX 6700

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 5900ZT vs RADEON 9600SE 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
GeForce FX 5900ZT
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
1080P
RADEON 9600SE
low1 FPS
medium1 FPS
high1 FPS
ultra1 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

GeForce FX 5900ZT vs RADEON 9600SE: 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 5900ZT

2011

Why buy it

  • ✅+22.2% higher PassMark G3D performance.

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.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 0.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $65 MSRP).
  • ❌563.6% higher power demand at 365W vs 55W.
  • ❌29.8% longer card at 218mm vs 168mm.

RADEON 9600SE

2025

Why buy it

  • ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($65 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 128 MB).
  • ✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • ✅Draws 55W instead of 365W, a 310W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 168mm instead of 218mm, a 50mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (27 vs 33).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce FX 5900ZT is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 22.2% in PassMark G3D (33 vs 27), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RADEON 9600SE 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 40 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 9600SE makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce FX 5900ZT still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce FX 5900ZT vs RADEON 9600SE Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5900ZT

The GeForce FX 5900ZT 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: 33 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

RADEON 9600SE

The RADEON 9600SE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 40 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 27 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce FX 5900ZT scores 33 versus the RADEON 9600SE's 27 — the GeForce FX 5900ZT leads by 22.2%. The GeForce FX 5900ZT is built on Rankine while the RADEON 9600SE uses RDNA 3.5, both on 40 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs 2,560 (RADEON 9600SE). Raw compute: 1.244 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs 14.85 TFLOPS (RADEON 9600SE).

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
G3D Mark Score
33+22%
27
Architecture
Rankine
RDNA 3.5
Process Node
40 nm
4 nm
Shading Units
1024 ×2
2560+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.244 TFLOPS ×2
14.85 TFLOPS+1094%
ROPs
48 ×2
64+33%
TMUs
64 ×2
160+150%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
8 MB+967%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

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

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
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 FX 5900ZT has 128 MB of VRAM, while the RADEON 9600SE carries 512 MB. RADEON 9600SE 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 5900ZT and 64-bit on the RADEON 9600SE. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs 8 MB (RADEON 9600SE) — the RADEON 9600SE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
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 5900ZT) vs 9.0 (RADEON 9600SE). Vulkan: N/A vs N/A. OpenGL: 2.1 vs 2.0. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
DirectX
9.0a
9.0
Vulkan
N/A
N/A
OpenGL
2.1+5%
2.0
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs None (RADEON 9600SE). Decoder: None vs None. Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs MPEG-2 (RADEON 9600SE).

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
Encoder
None
None
Decoder
None
None
Codecs
MPEG-2
MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce FX 5900ZT draws 365W versus the RADEON 9600SE's 55W — a 147.6% difference. The RADEON 9600SE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs 350W (RADEON 9600SE). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 218mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 60.

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
TDP
365W
55W-85%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
Legacy
Length
218mm
168mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
70
60-14%
Perf/Watt
0.1
0.5+400%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce FX 5900ZT came in at $0, while the RADEON 9600SE launched at $65. On MSRP, GeForce FX 5900ZT was 100+% cheaper ($65 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce FX 5900ZT) vs 0.4 (RADEON 9600SE) — the GeForce FX 5900ZT offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is RADEON 9600SE (2025 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce FX 5900ZTRADEON 9600SE
MSRP
$0-100%
$65
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
0.4
Codename
GF110
Strix Halo
Release
March 24 2011
January 6 2025
Ranking
#555
#98
Search GeForce FX 5900ZT on AmazonSearch RADEON 9600SE on Amazon

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