NVIDIA GeForce 800A

The NVIDIA GeForce 800A is a legacy mobile integrated graphics processor built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, utilizing the GF119S chip manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. With a transistor count of 292 million on a 79 mm² die, this part represents an entry-level solution from its 2014 release window, now designated as end-of-life. The benchmark data indicates a percentile rank of 50 against all GPUs, though the average benchmark score is listed as zero, making direct numerical comparisons impossible without rival data.

Benchmark Performance

The GeForce 800A's raw compute specifications reveal its position at the very bottom of the performance stack. The GPU delivers 91.20 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, a figure that places it firmly in the territory of basic desktop integration and low-power mobile devices. The pixel rate of 950.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 3.800 GTexel/s further underscore its limitations, suggesting that even 720p gaming would challenge this silicon. The 48 shading units, 8 texture mapping units, and 4 ROPs form a minimal configuration that was designed for productivity and media playback rather than interactive 3D workloads.

The absence of benchmark scores in the data means the percentile rank of 50 must be interpreted cautiously. This percentile suggests that in a historical database spanning all GPUs, the 800A sits exactly at the midpoint — but given the vast number of low-end integrated parts included in such rankings, this does not imply mainstream competence. The FP32 throughput of 91.20 GFLOPS is roughly one-tenth of what contemporary entry-level discrete GPUs offered at the time, indicating that any gaming scenario would require substantial resolution and detail reductions. The memory clock of 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective data rate, combined with the narrow 64-bit bus, creates a severe bandwidth bottleneck that will cap performance even in lightly threaded applications.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GeForce 800A contains no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, as these hardware units were not part of the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The feature set relies entirely on traditional rasterization techniques, with the API support listing DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The DirectX 12 support is feature-limited to the 11_0 level, meaning that while the driver exposes the DX12 API, the hardware cannot utilize the full DirectX 12 feature set such as mesh shaders, variable rate shading, or enhanced bindless resources. Vulkan support is not listed, which limits cross-platform compatibility to OpenGL 4.6 for non-DirectX workloads.

The absence of dedicated hardware acceleration for ray tracing means any such effects must be computed via shader-based approximations, which would be prohibitively slow on this GPU's 48 shading units. The 91.20 GFLOPS FP32 performance provides insufficient compute headroom for even software-based ray tracing at playable frame rates. The feature set is further constrained by the display outputs being listed as "Portable Device Dependent," indicating that this IGP relies entirely on the host laptop's display panel and has no fixed output configuration. The PCIe 2.0 x16 bus interface provides adequate bandwidth for the 14.40 GB/s memory subsystem, but the architecture's age limits modern API utilization.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field is empty in the data, which precludes any direct percentage-based comparisons to competing products. This absence is notable — it suggests that the 800A occupies such a unique position in the database that no statistically significant performance neighbor exists, or that the GPU was never benchmarked under the standardized testing methodology. Without rival scores and deltaPct values, the analysis must rely on absolute specifications to contextualize the part.

The predecessor and successor designations provide some relational context. The GeForce 700A preceded this part, and the GeForce 900A followed it, both presumably in the same ultra-low-power integrated segment. The 40 nm process node, while mature for 2014, was already being supplanted by 28 nm parts from competitors, which typically offered double the transistor density and significantly higher clock speeds at similar power envelopes. The 15 W TDP class places the 800A in direct competition with Intel's HD Graphics solutions of the same era, though the lack of benchmark data prevents quantification of any performance gap. The 50th percentile rank, when viewed against the absence of rival data, likely reflects the large population of similarly weak IGP parts in the database rather than any meaningful competitive standing.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GeForce 800A?

A: The GPU features 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory runs at 900 MHz, with 1800 Mbps effective data rate.

Q: Does the GeForce 800A support DirectX 12 Ultimate features like ray tracing?

A: No. The GPU lists DirectX 12 (11_0) support, which means only the baseline DirectX 11 feature set is available. There are no ray tracing cores or tensor cores, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing is not supported.

Q: What is the power consumption of this GPU?

A: The TDP is rated at 15 W, which is consistent with an integrated graphics processor. No power connectors are required, and the slot width is listed as IGP (integrated graphics processor).

Q: What is the production status and release timeframe?

A: The GeForce 800A is marked as end-of-life. It was released in March 2014, positioned between the GeForce 700A (predecessor) and GeForce 900A (successor).

Q: What display outputs does the 800A provide?

A: The display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the GPU does not have fixed display connectors and relies on the host portable device's integrated panel and its associated output routing.

Q: What is the FP32 compute performance of this chip?

A: The GPU delivers 91.20 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 950.0 MPixel/s and a texture rate of 3.800 GTexel/s.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem of the GeForce 800A is constrained by design, featuring 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus. The 14.40 GB/s bandwidth is a critical limitation — this figure is approximately one-tenth of what entry-level discrete GPUs of the era provided, and it severely restricts performance at higher resolutions. The memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) is modest, and the narrow bus width means that even this modest clock rate cannot translate into meaningful throughput.

For high-resolution workloads, the 14.40 GB/s bandwidth becomes the dominant bottleneck. At 1080p, the GPU would need to fetch texture data and geometry at rates that exceed this bandwidth, leading to texture thrashing and frame drops. The 1024 MB capacity is also limiting; modern games at 1080p typically require 2-4 GB of VRAM, and the 800A's capacity forces the driver to evict and reload textures frequently. The 64-bit bus width compounds this issue, as each memory access transfers half the data of a 128-bit bus at the same clock speed. The result is a memory subsystem that can sustain only the lightest 3D workloads — older titles at 720p with reduced texture quality, or 2D desktop compositing. The pixel rate of 950.0 MPixel/s further indicates that even simple fill-rate tasks will be constrained at resolutions above 1366x768.

Power and Cooling

The GeForce 800A consumes a maximum of 15 W TDP, placing it in the ultra-low-power category for integrated graphics. This power envelope allows for passive cooling solutions in most implementations, as the slot width is listed as IGP, indicating a chip soldered directly to the motherboard rather than a removable card. No power connectors are required — the GPU draws all power from the motherboard's PCIe 2.0 x16 slot or the system's power delivery for integrated parts.

The absence of a suggested PSU rating reflects the nature of this product: it is not a discrete add-in card, so there is no need for supplementary power supply guidance. The 15 W TDP is low enough that thermal management is straightforward, with most laptop chassis able to dissipate this heat through the main cooling system. The 40 nm process node, while older, contributes to the low power draw due to the small die size of 79 mm². The memory subsystem's power consumption is included in the 15 W TDP, and the DDR3 memory's modest 900 MHz clock keeps power requirements minimal. For system integrators, the 800A imposes virtually no thermal or power design constraints, which was likely a key selling point for its intended market of budget portable devices.

Who Should Consider It

Given the benchmark data — specifically the 91.20 GFLOPS FP32 performance and 50th percentile ranking — the GeForce 800A is suitable only for the most basic computing tasks. Users who primarily engage in web browsing, document editing, and video playback will find the GPU adequate, as these workloads place minimal demands on the shading units and memory bandwidth. The 14.40 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p video decode and 2D desktop compositing, and the 15 W power draw makes it ideal for ultra-portable devices where battery life is a priority.

For gaming, the data indicates that the 800A should be limited to esports titles from the early 2010s at 720p with low detail settings. The 950.0 MPixel/s pixel rate means that at 1280x720 (921,600 pixels), the GPU can theoretically achieve just over 1000 frames per second of fill-rate-limited performance, but this is a theoretical ceiling — the FP32 compute and texture rate will dominate actual frame times. Games requiring more than 91.20 GFLOPS of shader work per frame will drop below playable thresholds. Users with expectations of 1080p gaming, modern game compatibility, or any ray-traced effects should look elsewhere. The empty nearestRivals data suggests that even comparative positioning is unreliable, reinforcing that this GPU is a legacy part best suited for non-gaming portable devices. The DirectX 12 (11_0) API support means some modern titles may launch, but the hardware cannot meet their minimum requirements.