NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420
NVIDIA graphics card specifications and benchmark scores
At a Glance
NVIDIANVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 Specifications
GeForce4 MX 420 GPU Core
Shader units and compute resources
The NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 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.
GeForce4 MX 420 Clock Speeds
GPU and memory frequencies
Clock speeds directly impact the GeForce4 MX 420'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 GeForce4 MX 420 by NVIDIA dynamically adjusts frequencies based on workload, temperature, and power limits to maximize performance while maintaining stability.
NVIDIA's GeForce4 MX 420 Memory
VRAM capacity and bandwidth
VRAM (Video RAM) is dedicated memory for storing textures, frame buffers, and shader data. The GeForce4 MX 420'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.
GeForce4 MX 420 Theoretical Performance
Compute and fill rates
Theoretical performance metrics provide a baseline for comparing the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 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.
Celsius Architecture & Process
Manufacturing and design details
The NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 is built on NVIDIA's Celsius 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 GeForce4 MX 420 will perform in GPU benchmarks compared to previous generations.
NVIDIA's GeForce4 MX 420 Power & Thermal
TDP and power requirements
Power specifications for the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 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 GeForce4 MX 420 to maintain boost clocks without throttling.
GeForce4 MX 420 by NVIDIA Physical & Connectivity
Dimensions and outputs
Physical dimensions of the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 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 GeForce4 MX 420. 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.
GeForce4 MX 420 Product Information
Release and pricing details
The NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 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 GeForce4 MX 420 by NVIDIA represents good value at current market prices. Predecessor and successor information aids in tracking generational improvements and planning future upgrades.
GeForce4 MX 420 Benchmark Scores
No benchmark data available for this GPU.
About NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420
The NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 is an entry-level graphics card from the GeForce 4 MX generation, built on the Celsius architecture with the NV17 chip. It targets basic 3D acceleration and legacy system upgrades, with a 150 nm process from TSMC housing 29 million transistors on a 65 mm² die. The card offers 64 MB of SDR memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a modest 2.656 GB/s of bandwidth, and operates with a memory clock of 166 MHz. Its production status is end-of-life, and it was released on 2002-02-05, positioning it as a product from an older era of PC graphics.
Power and Cooling
The GeForce4 MX 420 carries no listed TDP in the available data, which is typical for a low-power part of its generation. The suggested PSU rating is 200 W, indicating that this card was designed for systems with modest power supplies, often found in office or entry-level desktops of the early 2000s. The card requires no auxiliary power connectors, the data explicitly lists "None" for power connectors, meaning it draws all power from the AGP 4x slot. This simplifies installation considerably; a user upgrading an older system does not need to manage extra cables or worry about PSU headroom beyond the basic 200 W recommendation.
Cooling is handled by a single-slot design, as the slot width is listed as "Single-slot." This implies a low-profile or standard-height card with a simple heatsink and possibly a small fan, though the fact pack does not specify the cooler type. Given the absence of a TDP figure and the low memory clock of 166 MHz, the thermal load is minimal, so a passive or basic active cooler would suffice. The card’s display outputs are limited to 1x VGA and 1x S-Video, which aligns with its role as a basic output device rather than a high-end gaming solution. For builders, the practical takeaway is that this card is exceptionally easy to power and cool, but it also means no upgrade path for modern high-wattage components.
Ray Tracing and Feature Set
The GeForce4 MX 420 does not include ray tracing cores or tensor cores, both fields are listed as null in the data. This is expected, as ray tracing hardware did not appear in consumer GPUs until much later. The card’s API support is limited to DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.5, with no Vulkan support listed. This restricts its compatibility to older games and applications designed for those APIs. The architecture includes 4 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 2 render output units (ROPs), which are the core fixed-function units for pixel processing. The pixel rate is 500.0 MPixel/s, and the texture rate is 1.000 GTexel/s, figures that reflect the card’s basic fill-rate capabilities.
For feature set, the absence of shading units (listed as null) means the card relies on fixed-function pipeline processing rather than programmable shaders. This is a crucial limitation: games requiring pixel or vertex shaders (common from the DirectX 8 era onward) will not run properly, if at all. The DirectX 7.0 support confirms this is a pre-shader architecture. The lack of tensor cores also means no AI-accelerated features like DLSS, which is irrelevant for a card of this vintage. In practical terms, the feature set is geared toward 2D desktop acceleration, DVD playback (via S-Video output), and very early 3D titles that used the fixed-function pipeline. Benchmark results indicate that the card’s capabilities are strictly limited by its API support and lack of programmable shading.
Benchmark Performance
The benchmark data for the GeForce4 MX 420 is sparse: the average benchmark score is 0, and the percentile versus all GPUs is 50, which is the midpoint of the database distribution. However, with no benchmarks listed and no nearest rivals provided in the fact pack, the score interpretation must rely on the architectural specifications. The pixel rate of 500.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 1.000 GTexel/s are the key performance indicators. Compared to a hypothetical modern entry-level card, these figures are minuscule, but within its era, they placed it at the bottom of the GeForce 4 stack, below the GeForce 4 Ti series.
The fact pack lists no nearest rivals with scores or deltaPct values, so no exact percentage comparisons can be made against specific competitors. What the data does show is that the card’s memory bandwidth of 2.656 GB/s, combined with SDR memory, severely limits fill-rate-bound scenarios. In games of its time, this would translate to playable frame rates at low resolutions (e.g., 800x600) and reduced detail settings, but not at higher settings. The lack of shading units further caps performance in any title using pixel shaders, which became common in 2001-2002. The 50th percentile ranking suggests it sits in the middle of the database’s historical GPU list, but that is an artifact of the database containing many older, low-power parts; it does not indicate mid-range performance for its generation. The data is clear: this is a low-end part, and the zero average benchmark score reflects that no standardized tests were run or recorded for it.
How It Compares
Since the nearestRivals array is empty in the fact pack, there are no direct rival comparisons with scores or deltaPct values to cite. The card’s predecessor is listed as the GeForce 3, but no performance figures are provided for that card. The successor is the GeForce 4 Ti, which is a distinct, higher-tier product line. Without rival data, the comparison must be qualitative: the GeForce4 MX 420 is a cut-down version of the GeForce 4 architecture, with fewer ROPs (2) and TMUs (4) than the Ti models, which typically had more. The 64 MB SDR memory is also a bottleneck compared to the DDR memory used in higher-end cards of the same generation. The bus interface is AGP 4x, which was standard for its time, but the memory bandwidth is the lowest among GeForce 4 variants.
In the absence of specific rival scores, the data indicates that this card is positioned at the entry level, likely outperforming integrated graphics of its era but falling far short of any discrete card with DDR memory or more texture units. The lack of any benchmark scores means no exact deltas can be stated, so the analysis must rest on the raw specs: 500.0 MPixel/s and 1.000 GTexel/s are the only quantitative performance anchors. For a builder, this card would be a step up from motherboard-integrated video, but not a meaningful gaming solution even for 2002 standards.
Who Should Consider It
Given the specifications, the GeForce4 MX 420 is only suitable for very specific use cases. The DirectX 7.0 support and lack of programmable shaders mean it can handle games from the late 1990s and very early 2000s that used fixed-function pipeline. For example, titles like Quake III Arena (released before the card) or older strategy games would run at low settings. The 64 MB memory is sufficient for 640x480 or 800x600 resolutions with reduced textures, but not for higher resolutions or modern (as of 2002) games with shader effects. The pixel rate of 500.0 MPixel/s caps fill-rate-heavy scenes, so any game with heavy particle effects or large textures will see slowdowns.
The card’s display outputs (1x VGA, 1x S-Video) make it a candidate for basic office use, 2D desktop work, or connecting to older TVs via S-Video for video playback. It is not a gaming card by any stretch, and the absence of a TDP further confirms it is a low-power, low-performance part. The 200 W PSU recommendation means it can slot into almost any existing system without upgrades. For a retro PC builder seeking an authentic early-2000s budget experience, this card fits that niche. For anyone else, the data strongly suggests avoiding it for anything beyond legacy 2D applications or very old games. The 50th percentile ranking is misleading; the zero average benchmark score and lack of rivals indicate it is not a competitive product in any measurable sense.
FAQ
Q: What is the memory configuration of the GeForce4 MX 420?
A: It has 64 MB of SDR memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory clock of 166 MHz and bandwidth of 2.656 GB/s.
Q: Does this card support ray tracing or tensor cores?
A: No, both ray tracing cores and tensor cores are listed as null in the data. The card uses a fixed-function pipeline without programmable shading.
Q: What power supply is recommended for this card?
A: The suggested PSU is 200 W, and it requires no auxiliary power connectors, drawing power solely from the AGP 4x slot.
Q: What APIs are supported?
A: The card supports DirectX 7.0 and OpenGL 1.5, with no Vulkan support listed.
Q: What is the production status and release date?
A: The production status is end-of-life, and it was released on 2002-02-05.
Q: How many texture mapping units and ROPs does it have?
A: It has 4 TMUs and 2 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 500.0 MPixel/s and texture rate of 1.000 GTexel/s.
Q: What display outputs are available?
A: The card has 1x VGA and 1x S-Video outputs.
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