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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590

NVIDIA
VS
NVIDIA
Performance
GeForce GTX 68011% better
10,216.510% of 104,937
GeForce GTX 590
9,166.59% of 104,937

The GeForce GTX 680 has 11% better performance than the GeForce GTX 590 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 68056% better
20.4713% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 590
13.118% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 680 has 56% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 590 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 GPU

The GeForce GTX 680 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q1 2012 with a suggested retail price of $499. Its GK104 chip that powers the GPU uses the Kepler architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.

This GPU is paired with 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,502 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 192.3 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

The GTX 680 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 195 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 450 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

The GeForce GTX 680 has the 175th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 9.74% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 10,216.5 score and $499 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 20.47. This is the 83rd best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 GPU

The GeForce GTX 590 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q1 2011 with a suggested retail price of $699. Its GF110 chip that powers the GPU uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 40 nm process.

This GPU is paired with 1,536 MB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 854 MHz memory clock and 384 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 164 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

The GTX 590 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, mini-DisplayPort display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 365 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 750 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

The GeForce GTX 590 has the 185th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 8.74% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 9,166.5 score and $699 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 13.11. This is the 91st best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureKeplerFermi 2.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ1 2012Q1 2011
Launch Price (MSRP)$499$699
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Display FPS for Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Display FPS for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3
Display FPS for Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V
Display FPS for BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite
Display FPS for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS: GO

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
GeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
Low - 720p
73 FPS
--
Medium - 768p
51 FPS
--
High - 1080p
30 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
9 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
--
--
4K UHD - 2160p
9 FPS
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 680 orGeForce GTX 590
GPUFrames Per Second
GeForce GTX 98018+112%
Radeon RX 47017.8+109%
GeForce GTX 165016.8+98%
GeForce GTX 97016.5+94%
GeForce GTX 10509+6%
GeForce GTX 6808.5
GeForce GT 10305-41%

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 680 orGeForce GTX 590
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)15.74-73%
GeForce GT 103015.8-73%
GeForce GTX 97019.94-66%
Radeon R9 FURY21.87-63%
GeForce GTX 98030.5-48%
GeForce GTX 68058.71

Benchmark Performance

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Performance
GeForce GTX 68011% better
10,216.510% of 104,937
GeForce GTX 590
9,166.59% of 104,937

The GeForce GTX 680 has 11% better performance than the GeForce GTX 590 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 680 is ranked 175th with a score of 10,216.5, and the GeForce GTX 590 is ranked 185th with a score of 9,166.5.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 68056% better
20.4713% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 590
13.118% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 680 has 56% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 590 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 680 is ranked 83rd with a performance per dollar of 20.47, and the GeForce GTX 590 is ranked 91st with a performance per dollar of 13.11.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 680 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce GTX 165013,645+34%
Radeon R9 38012,191+19%
Radeon R9 280X10,792+6%
GeForce GTX 96010,767.5+5%
GeForce GTX 68010,216.5
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti9,453-7%
GeForce GTX 5909,166.5-10%
GeForce GTX 10508,571-16%
Radeon R7 3708,518.5-17%
GeForce GTX 660 Ti8,415-18%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 680 or

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
2,068
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
2,332
--
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
47,130
--
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
7,587
--
3DMark 11 Performance Score
10,000
(+24.11%)
8,057.5
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
78.2
--
PassMark G3D Mark
5,553
(+66.21%)
3,341
PassMark G2D Mark
527
(+34.44%)
392
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
CodenameGK104GF110
ArchitectureKeplerFermi 2.0
Process Size28 nm40 nm
Transistors3,540 million3,000 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
Memory Size2 GB1,536 MB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth192.3 Gb/s164 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,502 MHz854 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit384 bit
L1 Cache16 KB64 KB
L2 Cache512 KB768 KB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)195 W365 W
Suggested PSU450 W750 W
Power Connectors2x 6-pin2x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2DVI, mini-DisplayPort

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
CUDA Cores1,536512
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)816
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)12864
Render Output Units (ROP)3248
Core Clock Speed1,006 MHz607 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,058 MHz--

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
Pixel Fill Rate33.86 GPixel/s19.46 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate135.4 GTexel/s38.91 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance3.25 TFLOPS1,244 GFLOPS
FP64 Performance135.4 GFLOPS155.5 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecGeForce GTX 680GeForce GTX 590
DirectX12 (11_0)12 (11_0)
OpenCL3.01.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.5 (5.1)5.1

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.