NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4800

Power and Cooling

The NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4800 is a single-slot graphics card with no power connectors required, drawing all its power from the AGP 8x bus slot. The manufacturer recommends a system power supply of 200 W, which is modest by modern standards but appropriate for the card's era-class position. The card's thermal solution is a passive or simple active cooler — the data does not specify a thermal design power (TDP) figure, so it is not possible to quantify heat output. However, the absence of auxiliary power connectors and the low PSU recommendation indicate that the card is not power-hungry.

The card measures 216 mm (8.5 inches) in length, so physical clearance is unlikely to be an issue in most mid-tower or full-tower cases from its generation. With no supplemental power connectors, installation is straightforward: plug into the AGP 8x slot and secure the single-slot bracket. The display outputs are 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video, which covers analog and digital monitor connectivity as well as TV-out. Given the 200 W PSU recommendation, even systems with modest power supplies from the early 2000s should run this card without issue, provided the rest of the system is not unusually power-hungry.

How It Compares

The data shows no nearest rivals for the GeForce4 Ti 4800 in the FACT PACK, which means a direct percentage-delta comparison against specific competing GPUs is not available. The card sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, placing it exactly in the middle of the performance distribution. This is a noteworthy position: it is neither a high-end outlier nor a low-end entry, but rather a median performer.

Without rival scores, the comparison must be framed by the card's own metrics. The pixel rate is 1.200 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 2.400 GTexel/s. These figures, combined with 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs, define a GPU that is balanced for its era. The memory subsystem — 128 MB of DDR on a 128-bit bus, running at 325 MHz (650 Mbps effective) — yields a bandwidth of 10.40 GB/s. This bandwidth figure is modest by today's standards, but it was competitive for a 2003 release.

The predecessor is the GeForce 4 MX, and the successor is the GeForce FX. The GeForce4 Ti 4800 bridges these two product lines, offering the Kelvin architecture (chip NV28, made on TSMC's 150 nm process). The transistor count is 63 million on a die size of 142 mm², giving a density of 443.7K transistors per mm². These architectural details are the only comparative anchors available; the absence of rival data means no score-based ranking can be stated.

Who Should Consider It

Benchmark results indicate that the GeForce4 Ti 4800 is positioned at the 50th percentile of all GPUs. This means it is suited for users who are playing games or running applications from the early-to-mid 2000s era at standard resolutions of that time, such as 1024x768 or 1280x1024. At these resolutions, the card's pixel rate of 1.200 GPixel/s and texture rate of 2.400 GTexel/s are sufficient for DirectX 8.1 titles, which the card fully supports via its API compatibility.

For users targeting higher settings, the card's 128 MB memory and 10.40 GB/s bandwidth will be a limiting factor. The 128-bit bus width means that memory-intensive workloads at higher resolutions will likely see performance drop. Conversely, users who are comfortable with medium or lower detail settings in older DirectX 8.1 games will find the card adequate. The OpenGL 1.5 support also makes it a candidate for early-2000s OpenGL titles.

This is not a card for modern gaming. The API support tops out at DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL 1.5, with no Vulkan support listed. The 4 ROPs and 8 TMUs are the primary limiting factors for any workload that requires heavy pixel or texture throughput. The 50th percentile rank suggests that half of all GPUs in the database perform better, so prospective users should temper expectations accordingly. The card is best considered by retro-enthusiasts building a period-correct system, or by users who need a basic display output for a legacy AGP 8x motherboard.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GeForce4 Ti 4800?

A: The card has 128 MB of DDR memory on a 128-bit bus, running at 325 MHz (650 Mbps effective), which yields a bandwidth of 10.40 GB/s.

Q: Does the card require any power connectors?

A: No, the card has no power connectors and draws power solely from the AGP 8x slot. The suggested PSU is 200 W.

Q: What display outputs are available?

A: The card provides 1x DVI, 1x VGA, and 1x S-Video outputs.

Q: What is the process node and transistor count?

A: The chip (NV28) is manufactured on a 150 nm process at TSMC, containing 63 million transistors on a die size of 142 mm².

Q: What is the card's performance percentile?

A: The card sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 0.

Q: What API levels does the card support?

A: It supports DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL 1.5. No Vulkan support is listed.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK lists no benchmark scores for the GeForce4 Ti 4800, and no nearest rivals with delta percentages. The average benchmark score is 0, which is an artifact of the data collection rather than a meaningful performance figure. The percentile rank of 50 is the only quantitative performance anchor available.

Interpreting the percentile: a rank of 50 means the card is exactly at the median of the database's GPU population. This is not a statement of absolute performance but of relative standing. Half of all GPUs in the database score higher, and half score lower. For a card released in March 2003, this median position is consistent with a mid-range product that was not a flagship.

The architectural metrics provide a basis for understanding the performance ceiling. The pixel rate of 1.200 GPixel/s and texture rate of 2.400 GTexel/s are the two key throughput numbers. With 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs, the card can process textures and pixels at a rate that was typical for a 2003 mid-range GPU. The memory bandwidth of 10.40 GB/s, while not exceptional, is sufficient for the card's compute capabilities; it is not a severely bandwidth-starved design.

Comparing the GeForce4 Ti 4800 to its successor, the GeForce FX, the data does not provide scores, so no delta can be computed. Similarly, the predecessor GeForce 4 MX has no scores listed. The lack of rival data means the 50th percentile is the sole comparative metric. This percentile is likely a composite of many benchmarks across different workloads, so it smooths out variances. A card that scores at the 50th percentile in aggregate might be above or below that mark in specific games or synthetic tests, but the data does not allow for that granularity.

The absence of clock speeds for the core (base and boost are null) means that the only frequency listed is the memory clock. This is a limitation: without core clocks, it is impossible to calculate fill-rate efficiency or compare against clock-for-clock rivals. The memory clock of 325 MHz (650 Mbps effective) is the only frequency data point, which at least confirms the memory side of the equation.

In summary, the benchmark performance of the GeForce4 Ti 4800 is defined by its median percentile rank and its architectural throughput figures. It is a balanced mid-range card from its era, not a performance leader. The data does not support any claim of being ahead of or behind any specific rival, because no rival scores are provided. The card's 50th percentile standing is the single most informative benchmark fact available, and it places the card squarely in the middle of the GPU performance distribution.