GeForce GTS 250 vs Quadro FX 3800M

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 GTS 250 vs Quadro FX 3800M 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 GTS 250 vs Quadro FX 3800M: 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 GTS 250

2010

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 106W instead of 189W, a 83W reduction.
✅More future proof: Fermi (2010−2014) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro FX 3800M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quadro FX 3800M

2008

Why buy it

✅30.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 1 GB 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 4.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
❌78.3% higher power demand at 189W vs 106W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Quadro FX 3800M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 30.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (572 vs 569), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTS 250 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2010 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTS 250 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Quadro FX 3800M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTS 250 vs Quadro FX 3800M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTS 250

The GeForce GTS 250 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 569 points. Launch price was $129.

Quadro FX 3800M

The Quadro FX 3800M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 11 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 610 MHz. It has 240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 189W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 572 points. Launch price was $3,499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 250 scores 569 and the Quadro FX 3800M reaches 572 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 250 is built on Fermi while the Quadro FX 3800M uses Tesla 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 250) vs 240 (Quadro FX 3800M). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 250) vs 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 3800M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
G3D Mark Score	569	572
Architecture	Fermi	Tesla 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	192	240+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS	0.6221 TFLOPS+3%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	80+150%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 250 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro FX 3800M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTS 250 and 64-bit on the Quadro FX 3800M.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTS 250) vs 10 (Quadro FX 3800M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
DirectX	11.1 (10_0)+11%	10
OpenGL	3.3	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP5 (GeForce GTS 250) vs None (Quadro FX 3800M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs PureVideo HD (VP2). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTS 250) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Quadro FX 3800M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP5	None
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	PureVideo HD (VP2)
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 250 draws 106W versus the Quadro FX 3800M's 189W — a 56.3% difference. The GeForce GTS 250 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTS 250) vs 350W (Quadro FX 3800M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 229mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 90°C vs 90.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
TDP	106W-44%	189W
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	229mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	90°C	90
Perf/Watt	5.4+80%	3.0

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTS 250 (2010 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250	Quadro FX 3800M
MSRP	$129	—
Codename	GF106	GT200B
Release	September 13 2010	November 11 2008
Ranking	#791	#815

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