NVIDIA GeForce 305M
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA GeForce 305M Specifications
GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA GeForce 305M GPU core specifications define its raw processing power for graphics and compute workloads. Shading units (also called CUDA cores, stream processors, or execution units depending on manufacturer) handle the parallel calculations required for rendering. TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) process texture data, while ROPs (Render Output Units) handle final pixel output. Higher shader counts generally translate to better GPU benchmark performance, especially in demanding games and 3D applications.
305M Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the GeForce 305M's performance in GPU benchmarks and real-world gaming. The base clock represents the minimum guaranteed frequency, while the boost clock indicates peak performance under optimal thermal conditions. Memory clock speed affects texture loading and frame buffer operations. The GeForce 305M by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's GeForce 305M Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The GeForce 305M's memory capacity determines how well it handles high-resolution textures and multiple displays. Memory bandwidth, measured in GB/s, affects how quickly data moves between the GPU and VRAM. Higher bandwidth improves performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming. The memory bus width and type (GDDR6, GDDR6X, HBM) significantly influence overall GPU benchmark scores.
GeForce 305M by NVIDIA Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the 305M, reducing the need to fetch data from slower VRAM. L1 and L2 caches store frequently accessed data close to the compute units. AMD's Infinity Cache (L3) dramatically increases effective bandwidth, improving GPU benchmark performance without requiring wider memory buses. Larger cache sizes help maintain high frame rates in memory-bound scenarios and reduce power consumption by minimizing VRAM accesses.
305M Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA GeForce 305M against other graphics cards. FP32 (single-precision) performance, measured in TFLOPS, indicates compute capability for gaming and general GPU workloads. FP64 (double-precision) matters for scientific computing. Pixel and texture fill rates determine how quickly the GPU can render complex scenes. While real-world GPU benchmark results depend on many factors, these specifications help predict relative performance levels.
Tesla 2.0 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA GeForce 305M is built on NVIDIA's Tesla 2.0 architecture, which defines how the GPU processes graphics and compute workloads. The manufacturing process node affects power efficiency, thermal characteristics, and maximum clock speeds. Smaller process nodes pack more transistors into the same die area, enabling higher performance per watt. Understanding the architecture helps predict how the 305M will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA GeForce 305M determine PSU requirements and thermal management needs. TDP (Thermal Design Power) indicates the heat output under typical loads, guiding cooler selection. Power connector requirements ensure adequate power delivery for stable operation during demanding GPU benchmarks. The suggested PSU wattage accounts for the entire system, not just the graphics card. Efficient power delivery enables the GeForce 305M to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
GeForce 305M by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA GeForce 305M are critical for case compatibility. Card length, height, and slot width determine whether it fits in your chassis. The PCIe interface version affects bandwidth for communication with the CPU. Display outputs define monitor connectivity options, with modern cards supporting multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously. Verify these specifications against your case and motherboard before purchasing to ensure a proper fit.
NVIDIA API Support
Graphics and compute APIs
API support determines which games and applications can fully utilize the NVIDIA GeForce 305M. DirectX 12 Ultimate enables advanced features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Vulkan provides cross-platform graphics capabilities with low-level hardware access. OpenGL remains important for professional applications and older games. CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL enable GPU compute for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific applications. Higher API versions unlock newer graphical features in GPU benchmarks and games.
GeForce 305M Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA GeForce 305M is manufactured by NVIDIA as part of their graphics card lineup. Release date and launch pricing provide context for comparing GPU benchmark results with competing products from the same era. Understanding the product lifecycle helps evaluate whether the GeForce 305M by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
About NVIDIA GeForce 305M
Who Should Consider It
The NVIDIA GeForce 305M is an integrated graphics processor designed for portable devices, targeting a very specific segment of the mobile market from early 2010. With a benchmark percentile of 50 among all GPUs, this places it in the median of the performance spectrum, but that statistic must be interpreted carefully given the age and architecture of the part. The data shows a chip with 16 shading units, 8 texture mapping units, and just 4 render output units, which fundamentally limits its capabilities to basic computing tasks.
For gaming, the 305M is suitable only for esports titles from its era at low resolutions and minimum detail settings. The 512 MB GDDR3 memory capacity, paired with a 64-bit bus, creates a hard constraint on texture loading and scene complexity. Users who primarily need a GPU for office productivity, web browsing, video playback, and light photo editing would find the 305M adequate. The DirectX 11.1 (10_1) API support means compatibility with modern software is limited, as the feature level is restricted to 10_1, not the full 11.x feature set.
Resolution-wise, the 305M is best suited for 1024x768 or 1366x768 panels typical of netbooks and entry-level laptops of its time. At 1080p, the memory bandwidth of 11.20 GB/s becomes a severe bottleneck, causing frame rates to drop below playable thresholds in anything beyond 2D applications. The pixel rate of 2.100 GPixel/s and texture rate of 4.200 GTexel/s confirm that the chip struggles with fill-rate-intensive workloads such as antialiasing or high-resolution texture filtering.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The GeForce 305M does not include dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, as evidenced by the null values in the FACT PACK for both fields. This is consistent with its Tesla 2.0 architecture, which predates the introduction of hardware-accelerated ray tracing by several generations. The absence of these specialized units means the GPU relies entirely on traditional rasterization techniques for all rendering tasks.
API support is limited to DirectX 11.1 with a feature level of 10_1, and OpenGL 3.3. The Vulkan API is not supported, which eliminates access to modern cross-platform graphics interfaces and their associated performance optimizations. For users considering this GPU, the practical implication is that software requiring Vulkan or DirectX 11 full feature level will either fail to run or will fall back to compatibility modes with reduced functionality.
The Tesla 2.0 architecture, built on TSMC's 40 nm process node, packs 260 million transistors into a die size of 57 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 4.6 million per square millimeter. This represents the technological state of the art for late 2009 and early 2010, but the lack of modern feature support means the 305M cannot handle contemporary graphical effects such as variable rate shading, mesh shaders, or hardware-accelerated machine learning workloads.
How It Compares
The FACT PACK lists no nearest rivals for the GeForce 305M, which presents an unusual analytical situation. With an empty nearestRivals array, there are no direct comparison points from the same performance tier or generation available in the data. The benchmark score is recorded as 0, with no benchmark entries provided, making quantitative positioning against competitors impossible from the given facts.
Without rival data, the percentile of 50 versus all GPUs serves as the only relative performance indicator. This suggests that the 305M sits in the middle of the entire GPU landscape when accounting for all historical parts, which is remarkable given its low absolute specifications. The implication is that many GPUs perform worse than this integrated solution, likely due to the 305M's reasonable efficiency for basic tasks rather than any raw computational strength.
The production status of "End-of-life" and the January 2010 release date indicate that this product belongs to a transitional period in NVIDIA's mobile lineup, positioned between the GeForce 200M and the subsequent GeForce 400M series. The predecessor-successor relationship confirms that this is a stopgap or budget-oriented solution rather than a flagship mobile GPU.
FAQ
Q: What is the memory configuration of the GeForce 305M?
A: The GPU features 512 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 11.20 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 700 MHz, translating to 1400 Mbps effective data rate.
Q: What APIs does the GeForce 305M support?
A: It supports DirectX 11.1 with a feature level of 10_1, and OpenGL 3.3. The Vulkan API is not supported by this GPU.
Q: Does the GeForce 305M have ray tracing or tensor cores?
A: No, the FACT PACK shows null values for both rtCores and tensorCores, indicating that neither dedicated ray tracing hardware nor tensor processing units are present.
Q: What is the power consumption of this GPU?
A: The thermal design power (TDP) is 14 W, and it requires no power connectors. The slot width is classified as IGP (integrated graphics processor).
Q: What is the production status and release timeframe?
A: The GeForce 305M is marked as "End-of-life" in production status. Its release date is recorded as January 9, 2010, with the GeForce 200M as predecessor and GeForce 400M as successor.
Q: What is the transistor count and die size?
A: The chip contains 260 million transistors on a 57 mm² die, fabricated on TSMC's 40 nm process node, yielding a transistor density of 4.6 million transistors per square millimeter.
Memory Subsystem
The memory subsystem of the GeForce 305M is characterized by its 512 MB GDDR3 capacity, which was standard for entry-level mobile GPUs at launch. The 64-bit memory bus width is the primary limitation here, as it directly controls how much data can be transferred between the GPU cores and video memory per clock cycle. With a memory clock of 700 MHz and an effective data rate of 1400 Mbps, the resulting bandwidth of 11.20 GB/s is modest by any measure.
For high-resolution workloads, this memory configuration presents a significant bottleneck. At 1080p, modern games can require more than 11.20 GB/s of bandwidth just for texture streaming and framebuffer updates, causing the 305M to become memory-bound rather than compute-bound. The 512 MB capacity also limits the number of textures that can reside in VRAM simultaneously, forcing frequent swaps from system memory over the PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, which adds latency and reduces effective throughput.
The pixel rate of 2.100 GPixel/s and texture rate of 4.200 GTexel/s illustrate the fill-rate constraints imposed by the memory subsystem. Even if the 16 shading units could process more data, the narrow bus and limited bandwidth would prevent the GPU from delivering higher resolution output at acceptable frame rates. Users planning to drive external displays at high resolutions would find the 305M inadequate, as the display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning connectivity options vary by laptop model.
Power and Cooling
The GeForce 305M operates at a thermal design power of just 14 W, making it one of the more power-efficient GPUs in its class. This low TDP enables a slot width of IGP (integrated graphics processor), meaning the GPU is designed to be soldered onto the motherboard rather than installed as a discrete card. The power connectors field is listed as "None," confirming that the 305M draws all its power from the motherboard's standard power delivery circuits.
No suggested PSU is provided in the FACT PACK, which is consistent with an integrated GPU solution that does not require a separate power supply connection. The 14 W TDP is low enough that system designers could pair this GPU with small, efficient power adapters typical of ultraportable laptops. The absence of a dedicated cooling solution requirement suggests that passive cooling or a small heatsink would suffice for thermal management, though the exact cooling implementation depends on the portable device manufacturer.
The 40 nm fabrication process contributes to the low power draw, as smaller process nodes generally reduce leakage current and switching power. With 260 million transistors spread across 57 mm², the transistor density of 4.6 million per square millimeter indicates a relatively simple chip that does not push the limits of thermal dissipation. For users, this means longer battery life in portable devices, but also reflects the GPU's limited performance ceiling.
Benchmark Performance
The benchmark data for the GeForce 305M is notably sparse, with an average benchmark score of 0 and an empty benchmarks array in the FACT PACK. This absence of quantitative performance metrics makes direct performance analysis challenging. However, the percentile versus all GPUs of 50 provides a contextual anchor, indicating that this GPU performs at the median level when compared to every GPU that has ever been benchmarked in the database.
The theoretical compute metrics offer some insight into expected performance. The FP32 performance of 36.80 GFLOPS represents the peak single-precision floating-point throughput, which is quite low for modern standards. The 16 shading units operating in parallel can handle basic vertex and pixel shader workloads, but complex shader programs with high arithmetic intensity would quickly saturate the available compute resources.
Given the absence of nearest rivals, the performance position of the 305M must be inferred from its architectural specifications. The Tesla 2.0 architecture, which also powers many discrete desktop GPUs of the 2008-2009 era, is known for its reliable but unspectacular performance profile. The 305M appears to be a cut-down version of this architecture, optimized for low power consumption and compact size rather than raw speed. The FP32 figure of 36.80 GFLOPS would place it in the entry-level segment of mobile GPUs, suitable for casual gaming at reduced resolutions and basic multimedia tasks. The 50th percentile ranking suggests that despite its age and limited specifications, the 305M still outperforms half of all GPUs in the database, which includes many older and lower-end parts.
Detailed benchmark scores and charts for the NVIDIA GeForce 305M are below.
Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
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