GeForce4 MX 420 PCI vs GeForce FX 5900 ZT

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Primary details

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

Place in the rankingnot ratednot rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
ArchitectureRankine (2003−2005)Celsius (1999−2005)
GPU code nameNV35NV17 A3
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date12 May 2003 (21 year ago)6 February 2002 (22 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.

Core clock speed325 MHz250 MHz
Number of transistors135 million29 million
Manufacturing process technology130 nm150 nm
Texture fill rate2.6001.000
ROPs42
TMUs84

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 8xPCI
Width1-slot1-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x MolexNone

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 typeDDRSDR
Maximum RAM amount128 MB64 MB
Memory bus width256 Bit64 Bit
Memory clock speed350 MHz166 MHz
Memory bandwidth22.4 GB/s1.328 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 VGA, 1x S-Video

API compatibility

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

DirectX9.0a8.0
OpenGL1.5 (2.1)1.3
OpenCLN/AN/A
VulkanN/AN/A

Pros & cons summary


Recency 12 May 2003 6 February 2002
Maximum RAM amount 128 MB 64 MB
Chip lithography 130 nm 150 nm

FX 5900 ZT has an age advantage of 1 year, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 15.4% more advanced lithography process.

We couldn't decide between GeForce FX 5900 ZT and GeForce4 MX 420 PCI. 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 5900 ZT
GeForce FX 5900 ZT
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 PCI
GeForce4 MX 420 PCI

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