NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO

The NVIDIA GeForce2 PRO is a single-slot graphics card from the GeForce 2 generation, built on the Celsius architecture with the NV15 chip. Fabricated on a 180 nm process at TSMC, it integrates 25 million transistors on an 88 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 284.1K per square millimeter. The card ships with 64 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 6.400 GB/s of bandwidth, and is positioned at the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its launch MSRP is 329 USD, and it was released on 2000-12-04, with end-of-life production status. The physical board measures 183 mm (7.2 inches) in length, uses an AGP 4x interface, and requires no power connectors beyond the slot.

Who Should Consider It

The performance envelope of the GeForce2 PRO is defined by its 800.0 MPixel/s pixel rate and 1.600 GTexel/s texture rate, alongside 6.400 GB/s of memory bandwidth. These figures indicate that the card is best suited for resolutions at or below 1024x768 in DirectX 7.0 titles, where the pixel rate can sustain reasonable fill rates. At 1280x1024, the 800.0 MPixel/s rate will become a bottleneck, particularly with any anisotropic filtering or multi-texturing enabled. The 64 MB DDR frame buffer is adequate for 1024x768 with 32-bit color, but higher resolutions will strain the memory capacity. The 128-bit memory bus provides balanced throughput for the 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs, meaning texture-heavy scenes will see less degradation than pixel-heavy ones. For users building a retro system with an AGP 4x slot, this card offers a median level of performance, as indicated by its 50th percentile rank. The single VGA output limits it to a single display, so multi-monitor setups are not feasible. The suggested PSU of 200 W and absence of power connectors make it easy to integrate into older power supplies. It is not suitable for any workload beyond DirectX 7.0 or OpenGL 1.5, as the API support stops there. The 4 ROPs cap the pixel fill rate at 800.0 MPixel/s, which is a hard limit for any resolution or setting combination. Consequently, the card is recommended for 800x600 or 1024x768 gaming with reduced texture detail, or for 2D applications that do not stress the 3D pipeline. The end-of-life status means it is only relevant for historical or compatibility purposes, and the 183 mm length fits standard ATX chassis from that era.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GeForce2 PRO has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, as the FACT PACK shows null values for both. This is a fixed-function DirectX 7.0 part, with API support limited to DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.5; Vulkan is not supported. The absence of RT and tensor cores means there is no hardware acceleration for ray-traced lighting or AI-based features such as DLSS. The card's feature set is therefore strictly limited to the fixed-function pixel and vertex pipelines of the Celsius architecture. The 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs handle texture mapping and rasterization, but there is no programmable shader model beyond the fixed-function capabilities. The 180 nm process node and 25 million transistors on an 88 mm² die give a transistor density of 284.1K per square millimeter, which is a measure of the design's compactness for its era. The memory clock runs at 200 MHz with 400 Mbps effective data rate, delivering 6.400 GB/s over the 128-bit bus. This bandwidth is sufficient for the texture rate of 1.600 GTexel/s, but it does not support any form of hardware-accelerated compute. The card relies entirely on the CPU for any geometry transformation or lighting calculations, as the fixed-function T&L unit is not specified in the data. For users evaluating the card today, the feature set is confined to legacy DirectX 7 and OpenGL 1.5 applications, with no path to modern APIs. The single-slot design and lack of power connectors further indicate a low-power, non-expandable feature profile. The absence of a Vulkan API entry confirms that it cannot run any Vulkan-based titles or engines.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK lists an average benchmark score of 0 for the GeForce2 PRO, with a percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs. The zero average score suggests that no performance runs have been recorded in the database for this part, so the percentile is likely derived from its specification-based classification. The theoretical peak rates are 800.0 MPixel/s for pixel fill and 1.600 GTexel/s for texture fill. These figures, combined with 6.400 GB/s of memory bandwidth, indicate a balanced configuration for the DirectX 7 era. The pixel rate is exactly half the texture rate, which is a typical ratio for the 8 TMU / 4 ROP configuration. The memory bandwidth of 6.400 GB/s is sufficient to feed the texture rate without major stalling, given the 128-bit bus. Without rival delta percentages available in the nearestRivals field, direct comparisons cannot be quantified. The 50th percentile placement implies it sits exactly at the median of the database's GPU population, meaning half of all recorded GPUs are faster and half are slower. This median position is consistent with a mid-generation product released on 2000-12-04, between the GeForce 2 MX and GeForce 3. The lack of recorded benchmark scores means that any performance interpretation must rely on the fill rates and memory bandwidth, which are the only measurable performance indicators in the data. The 800.0 MPixel/s pixel rate translates to a theoretical fill capability that is modest by modern standards but was competitive in its release window. The 1.600 GTexel/s texture rate suggests that texture-heavy scenes will be handled better than pixel-heavy ones, given the higher TMU count relative to ROPs. The 6.400 GB/s bandwidth is a hard ceiling for any texture streaming, and it aligns with the 128-bit bus width. The 4 ROPs limit the pixel throughput, which is the primary constraint for resolution scaling.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field in the FACT PACK is empty, so no direct rival names, scores, or delta percentages are available for analysis. Consequently, the data does not support any specific rival comparisons. The product's position in the GeForce 2 generation is defined by its predecessor, the GeForce 2 MX, and its successor, the GeForce 3. Released on 2000-12-04, it occupies a slot between these two parts in the product stack. The GeForce 2 MX is the predecessor, while the GeForce 3 is the successor, indicating a chronological progression within the same manufacturer's lineup. The 50th percentile rank provides a broad context: the card is neither a top-tier nor a bottom-tier part in the overall database. The 64 MB DDR memory and 128-bit bus are notable for the era, but without rival data, their relative advantage cannot be stated. The card's end-of-life status means it has been superseded by newer architectures. The lack of a series field and codename further limits contextual comparisons. In summary, the FACT PACK provides no quantitative rival deltas, so the comparison is limited to its own metrics and its position in the manufacturer's release sequence. The 50th percentile rank is the only comparative metric available, indicating a median standing among all GPUs in the database.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GeForce2 PRO?

A: It has 64 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 200 MHz (400 Mbps effective), yielding 6.400 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the GeForce2 PRO support ray tracing?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists null values for RT cores and tensor cores, and it supports only DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.5, with no Vulkan support.

Q: What is the process node and die size?

A: The chip is fabricated on a 180 nm process at TSMC, with 25 million transistors on an 88 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 284.1K per square millimeter.

Q: What is the launch MSRP?

A: The launch MSRP is 329 USD.

Q: What is the bus interface and power requirement?

A: It uses an AGP 4x interface, is single-slot, has no power connectors, and has a suggested PSU of 200 W.

Q: What is the production status and release date?

A: The production status is end-of-life, and it was released on 2000-12-04.