NVIDIA GeForce PCX 4300

The NVIDIA GeForce PCX 4300 is an end-of-life graphics card from NVIDIA's GeForce PCX generation, built on the Celsius architecture with the NV18C chip. TSMC fabricated the GPU at the 150 nm process node, integrating 29 million transistors across a 65 mm² die, for a density of 446.2 K transistors per square millimetre. Released on 2004-02-18, the card sits in a clear lineage between the GeForce 4 Ti and the GeForce 6 PCIe. The host interface is PCIe 1.0 x16, and the output stage provides 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video. The database records an average benchmark score of 0 and a 50th percentile against all GPUs, with an empty nearestRivals list.

Memory Subsystem, VRAM size/type, bus width, bandwidth and what it means for high resolutions

The PCX 4300 is equipped with 64 MB of DDR memory on a 64-bit bus. The memory clock is 166 MHz, and the DDR transfer scheme produces an effective data rate of 332 Mbps. The combination of the 64-bit data path and the DDR signaling yields a total bandwidth of 2.656 GB/s. Every texture read and pixel write must travel across that narrow path.

The GPU side of the core is small: 2 TMUs and 2 ROPs, with a texture rate of 500.0 MTexel/s and a pixel rate of 500.0 MPixel/s. These two rates are equal, so the texturing and rasterization stages are balanced; neither stage is capable of outrunning the other in fill-rate-limited work. The memory bus, however, is shared by both stages, and 2.656 GB/s is the hard ceiling for all combined traffic.

The 64 MB capacity is the more immediate obstacle for high resolutions. Larger display buffers consume more of that 64 MB, which reduces the space left for texture storage. When textures no longer fit on-card, they must be re-fetched through the 2.656 GB/s interface, and the narrow 64-bit bus provides little headroom for that additional traffic. A 166 MHz memory clock and an effective 332 Mbps per-pin transfer rate are modest figures by themselves; the total bandwidth is therefore the limiting resource when both pixel writes and texture fetches are active.

At high resolutions, the subsystem shows its constraints clearly. Rendering a single frame at a large pixel count requires color and depth storage within the 64 MB buffer, and the 500.0 MPixel/s pixel rate determines how quickly that buffer can be rewritten. The memory interface then determines whether the pixels can be delivered and the textures fetched at that pace. The data shows a deliberately minimal memory design: 64 MB, 64-bit, 2.656 GB/s, with no surplus bandwidth to cushion demanding scenes.

Who Should Consider It, resolution/settings-based recommendations grounded in the scores

The PCX 4300 is a legacy product. Its API support is DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.5, and no Vulkan capability is recorded. Software that requires a newer graphics API will not be able to use this card for hardware-accelerated rendering. Users still running applications written for the DirectX 7.0 or OpenGL 1.5 feature level are the natural audience.

In performance terms, the 50th percentile places the card at the median of the database: 50% of all GPUs score below it, and 50% score above it. The average benchmark score of 0 anchors the entry at the database's zero reference point. Such a median position is consistent with the modest memory specification of 64 MB on a 64-bit bus. For resolution and settings, the data supports a low-to-moderate target: workloads that keep the working set within 64 MB and the memory traffic within 2.656 GB/s can run at this card's median level. Reducing texture detail is the practical way to fit within the buffer.

The physical design reinforces this positioning. The card uses a single slot, which suits space-constrained builds, and it requires no auxiliary power connectors. The suggested power supply is 200 W, so the card fits into systems with modest power budgets. The output complement of 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video covers digital panels, analog monitors, and television output. A host motherboard with the PCIe 1.0 x16 interface is required. The database marks the production status as end-of-life, so any purchase relies on existing inventory.

Benchmark Performance, analyze scores vs rivals with exact % deltas

The quantitative benchmark record is limited to an average benchmark score of 0 and a percentile of 50 against all GPUs. Because the nearestRivals array is empty, there are no exact delta percentages to report. No rival scores or rival names accompany this entry. The 50th percentile is therefore the only cross-GPU ranking figure available.

The internal pipeline data provides the performance context. Two TMUs deliver a texture rate of 500.0 MTexel/s, while two ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 500.0 MPixel/s. The equality of these two rates is notable: a texture-bound workload and a pixel-bound workload meet the same fill-rate ceiling. The design is symmetric in its rasterization and texturing capacity.

The memory bus is the next constraint. At 500.0 MPixel/s, the ROPs can fill the 64 MB frame buffer many times per second, and each fill consumes bandwidth. At 500.0 MTexel/s, the TMUs request texture data through the same 2.656 GB/s path. If both stages work at full rate, the 64-bit DDR interface at 166 MHz becomes the shared funnel. The bandwidth budget of 2.656 GB/s is small relative to the combined demand, so memory rather than fill rate is the first limit in heavy scenes.

The API ceiling is part of the performance story as well. DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.5 define the software boundary; only benchmark workloads written for that API generation can exercise this hardware at all. The PCIe 1.0 x16 host link connects the card to the system, but it does not widen the internal memory path. In the absence of rival deltas, the data shows a median-ranked card whose fill rates are balanced and whose memory subsystem caps performance before the fill-rate resources are exhausted.

How It Compares, position vs each nearest rival, one short paragraph per rival

There are no nearest rivals listed for the PCX 4300. The nearestRivals array is empty, so the database supplies no rival names, no rival benchmark scores, and no deltaPct values. No rival-by-rival comparison can be written from this record. The only comparative anchor is the global percentile of 50, which places the card exactly at the median of all GPUs in the database: it outperforms 50% of the field and trails the other 50%.

The lineage context substitutes for missing rival data. The predecessor is the GeForce 4 Ti, and the successor is the GeForce 6 PCIe. The PCX 4300 represents the PCIe 1.0 x16 step in that sequence, built on the Celsius architecture with the NV18C chip. These two generation boundaries bracket the card in NVIDIA's own product history, even though no performance scores are attached to those entries.

Power and Cooling, TDP, PSU recommendation, connector requirements

The TDP field for the PCX 4300 is not specified in the database, so no maximum power draw figure can be cited. The available power-related facts are the suggested power supply of 200 W and a power connector configuration of "None." The card uses no auxiliary power connectors. With no connectors present, the board's power delivery is confined to the host slot interface, and the 200 W recommendation is the system-level requirement.

The cooling solution occupies a single slot. This keeps the physical footprint small and avoids interfering with neighboring expansion positions. The only chip-level context for thermal behavior is the 150 nm process node and the 29 million transistor count; since TDP is absent, no further power estimate can be justified from this record.

The power and cooling profile is consistent with the rest of the card. A single-slot cooler, no power connectors, and a 200 W suggested supply point to a low-demand design. The 64-bit memory bus and 2.656 GB/s bandwidth further confirm that the card was never intended to sustain heavy loads. The display stage, 1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x S-Video, completes a legacy-oriented package whose end-of-life status and median performance ranking align with its minimal electrical requirements.