NVIDIA GeForce GT 720
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA GeForce GT 720 Specifications
GeForce GT 720 GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 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.
GT 720 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the GeForce GT 720'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 GT 720 by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's GeForce GT 720 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The GeForce GT 720'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 GT 720 by NVIDIA Cache
On-chip cache hierarchy
On-chip cache provides ultra-fast data access for the GT 720, 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.
GT 720 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 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.
Kepler 2.0 Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 is built on NVIDIA's Kepler 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 GT 720 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
NVIDIA's GeForce GT 720 Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 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 GT 720 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
GeForce GT 720 by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 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 GT 720. 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 GT 720 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 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 GT 720 by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
GeForce GT 720 Benchmark Scores
geekbench_metalSource
Geekbench Metal tests GPU compute using Apple's Metal API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 performs in macOS and iOS applications that leverage GPU acceleration. Metal provides low-overhead access to Apple silicon GPUs.
Top 5 Performers
Top 5 PerformersNearby Performers
Nearby Performersgeekbench_openclSource
Geekbench OpenCL tests GPU compute performance using the cross-platform OpenCL API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 handles parallel computing tasks like video encoding and scientific simulations.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
geekbench_vulkanSource
Geekbench Vulkan tests GPU compute using the modern low-overhead Vulkan API. This shows how NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 performs with next-generation graphics and compute workloads. Vulkan offers better CPU efficiency than older APIs like OpenGL.
Top 5 Performers
Nearby Performers
About NVIDIA GeForce GT 720
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 720 is an end-of-life entry-level graphics card from the Kepler 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It is positioned at the very bottom of the performance spectrum, with benchmark results placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating that it is designed for basic display output rather than demanding graphical workloads.
Benchmark Performance
The GT 720's aggregate benchmark data shows an average score of 1781 across three tests: Geekbench Metal (1035), Geekbench OpenCL (2195), and Geekbench Vulkan (2114). This wide spread between API tests is notable, the Metal score is roughly half of the OpenCL and Vulkan results, suggesting that the card's compute capabilities are heavily dependent on the specific driver and API path used. The OpenCL and Vulkan figures are nearly identical, differing by only 81 points, which indicates consistent performance under those interfaces.
Compared to its nearest rivals, the GT 720 sits in a tight cluster where the differences are minimal. It is 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA NVS 510, a difference of just 14 points in average score. Against the Intel UHD Graphics 630 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 12 GB, it trails by 1% in both cases, with a 18-point deficit to each. The largest gap among its listed rivals is to the NVIDIA Quadro K420, where the GT 720 is 3.5% behind, a 65-point shortfall. These deltas are all within a narrow band of roughly 4 percentage points, meaning that in practical terms, the GT 720 and its immediate competitors deliver nearly identical compute throughput in synthetic benchmarks.
The 742.7 GFLOPS FP32 rate and 30.94 GTexel/s texture fill rate are consistent with a card that has 384 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 8 ROPs. The pixel rate of 7.736 GPixel/s reflects the limited 8 ROPs, which will constrain fill-rate-bound workloads. For reference, the data shows that a 3.5% gap to the Quadro K420 is the largest separation in this group, underscoring how tightly packed these low-end parts are in raw compute terms. The GT 720's average score of 1781 places it just below the 1799 score shared by both the Intel UHD Graphics 630 and the RTX 2060 12 GB, making it statistically indistinguishable from those parts in this benchmark suite.
How It Compares
Against the NVIDIA NVS 510, the GT 720 holds a marginal 0.8% advantage in average benchmark score. This is a negligible lead, a 14-point difference out of roughly 1770 to 1780, meaning the two cards are effectively equal in synthetic compute tests. The NVS 510 is a workstation-oriented part, yet the data shows no meaningful performance separation between them.
The Intel UHD Graphics 630 is the integrated graphics competitor here, and it edges out the GT 720 by 1%. With an average score of 1799 versus 1781, the delta is 18 points. This is a significant finding because it demonstrates that a modern integrated GPU can match or slightly exceed a discrete card from the Kepler era in these particular benchmarks, despite the GT 720 having dedicated memory and its own cooling solution.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 12 GB also shows an average score of 1799, which is 1% higher than the GT 720. This comparison is stark given the enormous architectural gap between the two products, the RTX 2060 12 GB is a much newer, higher-tier card, yet the benchmark data places them within 18 points of each other. This likely reflects the nature of the Geekbench compute tests, which may not fully exercise the RTX 2060's advanced features, but the numbers are what they are: a 1% delta.
The NVIDIA Quadro K420 is the strongest rival in this group, leading the GT 720 by 3.5% with an average score of 1846. This 65-point gap is the largest among the nearest rivals, but in absolute terms it remains small. The K420's advantage suggests slightly better optimization in these workloads, but the GT 720 remains within striking distance, trailing by less than 4% across the board.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The GT 720 has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, as these are features reserved for much later architectures. The card is built on the Kepler 2.0 design, which predates hardware-accelerated ray tracing entirely. Consequently, any ray tracing workloads would be handled in software, if at all, and the data provides no indication of ray tracing performance.
The API support is nevertheless broader than one might expect for a card of this era. The GT 720 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which is the feature level 11_0 implementation rather than full DirectX 12. OpenGL 4.6 is supported, and Vulkan 1.2.175 is also listed. These API capabilities mean the card can run modern applications that require these interfaces, but the underlying hardware limits actual performance. The 384 shading units are the primary compute resource, and they operate at a memory clock of 900 MHz with an effective data rate of 1800 Mbps. This feature set, or lack thereof, places the GT 720 firmly as a display adapter for legacy systems or basic office tasks, not a gaming or content-creation card.
FAQ
Q: What is the average benchmark score of the GT 720?
A: The average benchmark score is 1781, based on Geekbench Metal (1035), OpenCL (2195), and Vulkan (2114) tests.
Q: How does the GT 720 compare to the NVIDIA NVS 510?
A: The GT 720 is 0.8% ahead of the NVS 510 in average score, with a 14-point difference (1781 vs 1767).
Q: Does the GT 720 support DirectX 12?
A: Yes, it supports DirectX 12 (11_0), which is the feature level 11_0 implementation, not full DirectX 12 Ultimate.
Q: What is the memory configuration of the GT 720?
A: It has 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth.
Q: Is the GT 720 faster than the Intel UHD Graphics 630?
A: No, the Intel UHD Graphics 630 is 1% faster, with an average score of 1799 versus 1781 for the GT 720.
Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GT 720?
A: The launch MSRP is 49 USD.
Memory Subsystem
The GT 720 is equipped with 2 GB of DDR3 memory, connected via a 64-bit memory bus. The memory operates at 900 MHz, which translates to 1800 Mbps effective data rate. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s, a figure that is extremely low by modern standards and even modest for its own era. The 64-bit bus width is the primary bottleneck; with only 64 bits of data transferred per clock cycle, the bandwidth is severely constrained regardless of the memory clock speed.
For high-resolution workloads, this memory subsystem is a significant limitation. At 1080p or higher, the 14.40 GB/s bandwidth would struggle to feed the 384 shading units, leading to texture thrashing and reduced fill rates. The 2 GB capacity is sufficient for framebuffer storage at moderate resolutions, but the bandwidth makes it impractical for anything beyond basic desktop compositing or very old games at low settings. The pixel rate of 7.736 GPixel/s further compounds this issue, as the 8 ROPs cannot output pixels quickly enough for high-resolution rendering. The data shows no memory-specific benchmarks, but the raw specifications alone indicate that this card is not designed for high-resolution gaming or GPU-accelerated compute tasks that require large data transfers.
Power and Cooling
The GT 720 has a thermal design power (TDP) of just 19 W, making it one of the most power-efficient discrete GPUs in the database. This low power draw means that the card requires no external power connectors, the powerConnectors field is listed as "None", and it draws all its power from the PCIe slot. The suggested power supply is 200 W, which is a modest recommendation that any standard desktop PSU can meet, even one with limited capacity.
Cooling is handled by a single-slot design, and the card's physical dimensions are 145 mm in length, or 5.7 inches. This compact size, combined with the single-slot form factor, makes the GT 720 suitable for small form factor cases or as a secondary display adapter in systems where space is at a premium. The lack of power connectors simplifies installation, as there are no additional cables to route. The 19 W TDP also means that heat dissipation is minimal, so even a basic passive or low-profile active cooler would suffice in most chassis configurations. The PCIe 2.0 x8 bus interface is sufficient for this card's bandwidth needs, as the 14.40 GB/s memory bandwidth is well below what even PCIe 2.0 x8 can provide, ensuring that the bus is not a bottleneck.
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