GeForce4 MX 440 Mac Edition vs ATI FireGL X3-256
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | not rated | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Architecture | R400 (2004−2008) | Celsius (1999−2005) |
| GPU code name | R420 | NV17 A5 |
| Market segment | Workstation | Desktop |
| Release date | 3 August 2004 (20 years ago) | 6 February 2002 (22 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,099 | no data |
Detailed specifications
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Core clock speed | 491 MHz | 275 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 160 million | 29 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 130 nm | 150 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 57 Watt | no data |
| Texture fill rate | 5.892 | 1.100 |
Form factor & compatibility
Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).
| Interface | AGP 8x | AGP 4x |
| Width | 1-slot | 1-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x Molex | None |
VRAM capacity and type
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR3 | DDR |
| Maximum RAM amount | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 908 MHz | 400 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 29.06 GB/s | 6.4 GB/s |
Connectivity and outputs
Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.
| Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | 1x DVI |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 9.0b (9_2) | 8.0 |
| OpenGL | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| OpenCL | N/A | N/A |
| Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 3 August 2004 | 6 February 2002 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Chip lithography | 130 nm | 150 nm |
ATI FireGL X3-256 has an age advantage of 2 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 15.4% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between FireGL X3-256 and GeForce4 MX 440 Mac Edition. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that FireGL X3-256 is a workstation graphics card while GeForce4 MX 440 Mac Edition is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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