GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs GeForce RTX 4070

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017Core: 1506 MHzBoost: 1709 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

2023Core: 1920 MHzBoost: 2475 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs GeForce RTX 4070 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 GT 120 / 9500 GT vs GeForce RTX 4070 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 GT 120 / 9500 GT vs GeForce RTX 4070: 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 GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $514 less on MSRP ($85 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Draws 120W instead of 200W, a 80W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 304mm, a 136mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2017 hardware with 512 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 3.8 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($85 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Why buy it

  • 2646.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 1075.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 3.8 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $85 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 66.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 120W.
  • 81% longer card at 304mm vs 168mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2646.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 8182.8% in PassMark G3D (26,919 vs 325), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) and DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 16nm, and 46 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?
GeForce RTX 4070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $514 more expensive on MSRP at $599 vs $85, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1075.4% (44.9 vs 3.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs GeForce RTX 4070 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 26 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1709 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 325 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

The GeForce RTX 4070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1920 MHz to 2475 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,919 points. Launch price was $599.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT scores 325 versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 26,919 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 8182.8%. The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is built on Pascal while the GeForce RTX 4070 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070). Raw compute: 4.375 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070). Boost clocks: 1709 MHz vs 2475 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
G3D Mark Score
325
26,919+8183%
Architecture
Pascal
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
16 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1280
5888+360%
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.375 TFLOPS
29.15 TFLOPS+566%
Boost Clock
1709 MHz
2475 MHz+45%
ROPs
40
64+60%
TMUs
80
184+130%
L1 Cache
0.47 MB
5.8 MB+1134%
L2 Cache
1.25 MB
36 MB+2780%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4070 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT has 512 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4070 carries 12 GB. GeForce RTX 4070 gives you 2300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 4070. L2 Cache: 1.25 MB (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
12 GB+2300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
504 GB/s
Bus Width
64-bit
192-bit+200%
L2 Cache
1.25 MB
36 MB+2780%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
DirectX
10.0
12.2+22%
Vulkan
N/A
1.3
OpenGL
3.3
4.6+39%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070). Decoder: PureVideo VP2 vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070).

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
Encoder
None
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder
PureVideo VP2
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT draws 120W versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 200W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4070). Power connectors: None vs 8-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 304mm, occupying 1 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
TDP
120W-40%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
None
8-pin
Length
168mm
304mm
Height
111mm
137mm
Slots
1-67%
3
Temp (Load)
75-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
2.7
134.6+4885%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT came in at $85, while the GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599. On MSRP, GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT was 85.8% cheaper ($514 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.8 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 offers 1081.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4070 (2023 vs 2017).

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTGeForce RTX 4070
MSRP
$85-86%
$599
Performance per Dollar
3.8
44.9+1082%
Codename
GP106
AD104
Release
December 26 2017
April 12 2023
Ranking
#289
#32

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