GeForce FX 5950 Ultra vs RADEON 9800

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 RADEON 9800 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 5950 Ultra vs RADEON 9800: 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

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (256 MB vs 128 MB).

Trade-offs

❌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 0.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌110.9% higher power demand at 116W vs 55W.

RADEON 9800

2025

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 55W instead of 116W, a 61W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 128 MB vs 256 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (59 vs 58), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

RADEON 9800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 4nm process instead of 40nm, 40 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2011. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

RADEON 9800 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce FX 5950 Ultra still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce FX 5950 Ultra vs RADEON 9800 Technical Specifications

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

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.

RADEON 9800

The RADEON 9800 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: 58 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra scores 59 and the RADEON 9800 reaches 58 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 RADEON 9800 uses RDNA 3.5, both on 40 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 2,560 (RADEON 9800). Raw compute: 0.6912 TFLOPS (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 14.85 TFLOPS (RADEON 9800).

Feature	GeForce FX 5950 Ultra	RADEON 9800
G3D Mark Score	59+2%	58
Architecture	Rankine	RDNA 3.5
Process Node	40 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	192	2560+1233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6912 TFLOPS	14.85 TFLOPS+2048%
ROPs	24	64+167%
TMUs	32	160+400%
L2 Cache	0.38 MB	8 MB+2005%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The RADEON 9800 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce FX 5950 Ultra	RADEON 9800
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 RADEON 9800 carries 128 MB. GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 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 RADEON 9800. L2 Cache: 0.38 MB (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 8 MB (RADEON 9800) — the RADEON 9800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce FX 5950 Ultra	RADEON 9800
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB+100%	0.125 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.38 MB	8 MB+2005%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce FX 5950 Ultra draws 116W versus the RADEON 9800's 55W — a 71.3% difference. The RADEON 9800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 350W (RADEON 9800). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy.

Feature	GeForce FX 5950 Ultra	RADEON 9800
TDP	116W	55W-53%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	Legacy
Length	229mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	0.5	1.1+120%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra came in at $0, while the RADEON 9800 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce FX 5950 Ultra was 100+% cheaper ($399 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) vs 0.1 (RADEON 9800) — the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is RADEON 9800 (2025 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce FX 5950 Ultra	RADEON 9800
MSRP	$0-100%	$399
Performance per Dollar	Infinity	0.1
Codename	GF116	Strix Halo
Release	March 15 2011	January 6 2025
Ranking	#761	#98

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