GeForce FX 5900 XT vs FX 5500

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Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking1487not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
ArchitectureRankine (2003−2005)Rankine (2003−2005)
GPU code nameNV34 B1NV35
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date17 March 2004 (20 years ago)12 May 2003 (21 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$36.99 no data

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.

Core clock speed270 MHz400 MHz
Number of transistors45 million135 million
Manufacturing process technology150 nm130 nm
Power consumption (TDP)no data35 Watt
Texture fill rate1.0803.200
ROPs44
TMUs48

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).

InterfaceAGP 8xAGP 8x
Length152 mmno data
Width1-slot1-slot
Supplementary power connectorsNone1x Molex

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 typeDDRDDR
Maximum RAM amount64 MB128 MB
Memory bus width128 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed166 MHz350 MHz
Memory bandwidth5.312 GB/s22.4 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 Connectors1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX9.0a9.0a
OpenGL1.5 (2.1)1.5 (2.1)
OpenCLN/AN/A
VulkanN/AN/A

Pros & cons summary


Recency 17 March 2004 12 May 2003
Maximum RAM amount 64 MB 128 MB
Chip lithography 150 nm 130 nm

FX 5500 has an age advantage of 10 months.

FX 5900 XT, on the other hand, has a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 15.4% more advanced lithography process.

We couldn't decide between GeForce FX 5500 and GeForce FX 5900 XT. We've got no test results to judge.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500
GeForce FX 5500
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 XT
GeForce FX 5900 XT

Comparisons with similar GPUs

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Community ratings

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3.3 143 votes

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4.4 14 votes

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Questions & comments

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