GeForce 8600M GT vs 9700M GT
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce 9700M GT and GeForce 8600M GT, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
9700M GT outperforms 8600M GT by an impressive 86% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
Place in the ranking | 1223 | 1335 |
Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
Power efficiency | 0.82 | 0.99 |
Architecture | Tesla (2006−2010) | Tesla (2006−2010) |
GPU code name | G96 | G84 |
Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
Release date | 29 July 2008 (16 years ago) | 31 December 2007 (16 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
Pipelines / CUDA cores | 32 | 32 |
Core clock speed | 625 MHz | 475 MHz |
Number of transistors | 314 million | 289 million |
Manufacturing process technology | 65 nm | 80 nm |
Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 20 Watt |
Texture fill rate | 10.00 | 7.600 |
Floating-point processing power | 0.0992 TFLOPS | 0.0608 TFLOPS |
Gigaflops | 148 | no data |
ROPs | 8 | 8 |
TMUs | 16 | 16 |
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).
Laptop size | medium sized | medium sized |
Interface | MXM-II | MXM-II |
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 | DDR2 |
Maximum RAM amount | 512 MB | 512 MB |
Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit |
Memory clock speed | 800 MHz | 400 MHz |
Memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 12.8 GB/s |
Shared memory | - | - |
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 | No outputs | No outputs |
API compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
DirectX | 11.1 (10_0) | 11.1 (10_0) |
Shader Model | 4.0 | 4.0 |
OpenGL | 3.3 | 3.3 |
OpenCL | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Vulkan | N/A | N/A |
CUDA | + | 1.1 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
3DMark Vantage Performance
3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 1−2 | 0−1 |
Hitman 3 | 5−6
+25%
|
4−5
−25%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−11
+25%
|
8−9
−25%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 6−7
+50%
|
4−5
−50%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 30−33
+7.1%
|
27−30
−7.1%
|
Full HD
High Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Far Cry New Dawn | 1−2 | 0−1 |
Hitman 3 | 5−6
+25%
|
4−5
−25%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−11
+25%
|
8−9
−25%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 6−7
+50%
|
4−5
−50%
|
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−11
+11.1%
|
9−10
−11.1%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 30−33
+7.1%
|
27−30
−7.1%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 4−5
+33.3%
|
3−4
−33.3%
|
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Hitman 3 | 5−6
+25%
|
4−5
−25%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−11
+25%
|
8−9
−25%
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 6−7
+50%
|
4−5
−50%
|
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−11
+11.1%
|
9−10
−11.1%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 30−33
+7.1%
|
27−30
−7.1%
|
1440p
High Preset
Far Cry New Dawn | 1−2 | 0−1 |
1440p
Ultra Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 0−1 | 0−1 |
Cyberpunk 2077 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
Far Cry 5 | 1−2 | 0−1 |
Hitman 3 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
Horizon Zero Dawn | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
Watch Dogs: Legion | 1−2 | 0−1 |
1440p
Epic Preset
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 3−4
+50%
|
2−3
−50%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 0−1 | 0−1 |
4K
Epic Preset
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1080p resolution and the Low Preset, the 9700M GT is 50% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- 9700M GT is ahead in 26 tests (90%)
- there's a draw in 3 tests (10%)
Pros & cons summary
Performance score | 0.54 | 0.29 |
Recency | 29 July 2008 | 31 December 2007 |
Chip lithography | 65 nm | 80 nm |
Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 20 Watt |
9700M GT has a 86.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 months, and a 23.1% more advanced lithography process.
8600M GT, on the other hand, has 125% lower power consumption.
The GeForce 9700M GT is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce 8600M GT in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.