GeForce FX 5950 Ultra vs MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL

NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra

2011Core: 900 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL

2009Core: 550 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce FX 5950 Ultra vs MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL 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 5950 Ultra vs MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL: 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 5950 Ultra

2011

Why buy it

  • More future proof: Fermi 2.0 (2010−2014) 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.
  • 2011 hardware with 256 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 1.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 286.7% higher power demand at 116W vs 30W.
  • 22800% longer card at 229mm vs 1mm.

MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL

2009

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
  • Draws 30W instead of 116W, a 86W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 229mm, a 228mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 512 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?
MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (60 vs 59), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2011 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL 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 X700 XL is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce FX 5950 Ultra has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra vs MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Rankine architecture. The core clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 116W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 59 points. Launch price was $149.

AMD

MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL

The MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL 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: 60 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra scores 59 and the MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL reaches 60 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is built on Rankine while the MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 800 (MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL). Raw compute: 0.6912 TFLOPS (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 0.88 TFLOPS ×2 (MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL).

FeatureGeForce FX 5950 UltraMOBILITY RADEON X700 XL
G3D Mark Score
59
60+2%
Architecture
Rankine
TeraScale
Process Node
40 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
192
800 ×2+317%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6912 TFLOPS
0.88 TFLOPS ×2+27%
ROPs
24+50%
16 ×2
TMUs
32
40 ×2+25%
L1 Cache
256 KB+60%
160 KB
L2 Cache
384 KB+50%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce FX 5950 UltraMOBILITY RADEON X700 XL
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 5950 Ultra has 256 MB of VRAM, while the MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL carries 512 MB. MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL gives you 100% 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 5950 Ultra and 64-bit on the MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 256 KB (MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL) — the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce FX 5950 UltraMOBILITY RADEON X700 XL
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
384 KB+50%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0a (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 9_0b (MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL). OpenGL: 1.5 vs 2.1. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce FX 5950 UltraMOBILITY RADEON X700 XL
DirectX
9.0a
9_0b
OpenGL
1.5
2.1+40%
Max Displays
2
0
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra draws 116W versus the MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL's 30W — a 117.8% difference. The MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 350W (MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 229mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce FX 5950 UltraMOBILITY RADEON X700 XL
TDP
116W
30W-74%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
229mm
1mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
0.5
2.0+300%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra came in at $0, while the MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL launched at $49. On MSRP, GeForce FX 5950 Ultra was 100+% cheaper ($49 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 1.2 (MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL) — the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is GeForce FX 5950 Ultra (2011 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce FX 5950 UltraMOBILITY RADEON X700 XL
MSRP
$0-100%
$49
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
1.2
Codename
GF116
M98
Release
March 15 2011
January 9 2009
Ranking
#761
#818

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