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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 is a desktop graphics card of the upper middle class. It is based on the GM206 Maxwell chip that is produced in 28nm. The GTX960 offers 1024 shader cores, 64 TMUs and 32 ROPs (no deactivated units of the chip). The graphics memory is usually 2 or 4 GB GDDR5 (7 GHz effective clock) connected with a 128 Bit interface. 

On average the gaming performance is on a level with the AMD Radeon R9 280 and R9 285. Compared to laptop graphics cards, the 960 is slightly faster than a mobile Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M. The 970M offers more shader cores, but at a lower clock speed. The similar named GeForce GTX 960M for notebooks offers only 640 shader cores and a slightly lower core clock. The performance of the GTX 960 should be suffice for most games in full HD resolution. In our benchmarks only GTA 5 and The Witcher 3 achieved below 30 fps on average (see below for detailed benchmarks).

The GM206 supports CUDA, 3D Vision, PhysX, GeForce Experience, Surround, GameStream, GPU Boost 2.0, Adaptive Vertical Sync / G-SYNC, SLI, DSR, MFAA and Virtual Reality latency improvements. The GTX 960 also includes a H.265 capable de- and encoder as a first.

The power consumption of the GTX 960 on the desktop without load is around 10 Watt and on a similar level to the AMD counterparts. During gaming the 960 reaches around 85-100 Watt (depending on the model) which is a lot less than e.g. the Radeon R9 285 (around 170 Watt) - source tomshardware.com

GeForce GTX 900 Series

GeForce GTX 980 SLI (Laptop) compare 4096 @ 1.13 - 1.23 GHz256 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 980 Ti compare 2816 @ 1 - 1.2 GHz256 Bit @ 7000 MHz
GeForce GTX 980 compare 2048 @ 1.13 - 1.22 GHz256 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop) compare 2048 @ 1.13 - 1.23 GHz256 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 970 compare 1664 @ 1.05 - 1.18 GHz224 + 32 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 960 1024 @ 1.13 - 1.18 GHz128 Bit @ 3500 MHz
GeForce GTX 950 compare 768 @ 1.02 - 1.19 GHz128 Bit @ 3300 MHz
CodenameGM206
ArchitectureMaxwell
Pipelines1024 - unified
Core Speed1127 - 1178 (Boost) MHz
Memory Speed3500 MHz
Memory Bus Width128 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory4 GB
Shared Memoryno
APIDirectX 12, OpenGL 4.4
Power Consumption120 Watt
Transistor Count2.9 Billion
technology28 nm
FeaturesCUDA, 3D Vision, PhysX, GeForce Experience, Surround, GameStream, GPU Boost 2.0, Adaptive Vertical Sync, G-SYNC, SLI, H.265 Decoder/Encoder
Date of Announcement22.01.2015
Link to Manufacturer Pagewww.geforce.com

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - 3DMark 11 + Fire Strike + Time Spy
3.6 pt (11%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
min: 49088     avg: 49918     median: 49917.5 (13%)     max: 50747 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Score
min: 6547     avg: 6699     median: 6698.5 (12%)     max: 6850 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
min: 7912     avg: 7916     median: 7915.5 (9%)     max: 7919 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Graphics
min: 284250     avg: 305784     median: 305784 (37%)     max: 327317 Points
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Score
min: 9571     avg: 9876     median: 9875.5 (14%)     max: 10180 Points
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance GPU
min: 10683     avg: 10768     median: 10767.5 (9%)     max: 10852 Points
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 +
SPECviewperf 12
specvp12 sw-03 +
specvp12 snx-02 +
specvp12 showcase-01 +
specvp12 mediacal-01 +
specvp12 maya-04 +
specvp12 energy-01 +
specvp12 creo-01 +
specvp12 catia-04 +
Cinebench R10 Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) +
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit)
min: 6776     avg: 6784     median: 6783.5 (5%)     max: 6791 points
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit +
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit +
Cinebench R15 OpenGL Ref. Match 64 Bit +
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
GFXBench T-Rex HD Offscreen C24Z16 +
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

low 1280x720
159.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
111.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
55.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
50  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
17.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Overwatch

Overwatch

2016
low 1280x720
266.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
206.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
115.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
66.9  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
38.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Doom

Doom

2016
low 1280x720
142.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
126.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
74  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
68  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
21.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
118.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
104.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
68.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
51.6  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
21.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
73.3  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
71.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
37.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
36  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
18.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
122.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
91.7  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
45  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
33.9  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
16.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1280x720
115  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
60  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
53  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
37  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
16  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
XCOM 2

XCOM 2

2016
low 1280x720
90  fps    + Compare
med. 1920x1080
56.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
35.6  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
16.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
112.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
71.3  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
43.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
36.1  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
17  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
248.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
163.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
90.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
64.5  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
27.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
98  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
94.1  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
60.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
52.6  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
21.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
196.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
144.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
70.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
60.8  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
21.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
82.3  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
70.3  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
47.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
18.9  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
16.5  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Fallout 4

Fallout 4

2015
low 1280x720
163.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
103.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
56.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
44.8  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
18.5  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
146.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
117.3  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
63.6  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
55.8  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
20.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Anno 2205

Anno 2205

2015
low 1024x768
175.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
124.7  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
57  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
20.6  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
20.9  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1366x768
183.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
147.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
125.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
110.8  fps    + Compare
4K 3840 x 2160
36.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
59.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
59.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
59.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
59.9  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
28.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Mad Max

Mad Max

2015
med. 1366x768
172.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
89.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
80.5  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
27.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
97  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
88  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
56  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
37  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
18  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
142.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
86.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
49.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
27.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
441.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
180.3  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
130.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
61.3  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
47.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
GTA V

GTA V

2015
low 1024x768
147.3  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
146.1  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
69.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
28.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
163.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
157.2  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
95.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
58.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Evolve

Evolve

2015
low 1024x768
159.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
117.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
65.6  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
57.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
125.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
109.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
58.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
38.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4

2014
low 1024x768
113.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
112.2  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
65.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
50.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
97.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
75.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
47.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
21.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
229.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
139.3  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
94.6  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
55.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
167.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
131  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
90.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
77.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
F1 2014

F1 2014

2014
low 1024x768
117  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
118  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
118  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
114  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
67.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
64.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
54  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
49.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
275  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
217  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
113.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
80.9  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
194.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1344x756
131.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
71.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
48.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Fifa 15

Fifa 15

2014
low 1280x720
332.8  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
259.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
210.6  fps    + Compare
4K 3840x2160
103.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Sims 4

Sims 4

2014
low 1024x768
178.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
141.3  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
107  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
98.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
327.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
173.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
149.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
85.5  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
89.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
76.4  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
52.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
34.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Thief

Thief

2014
low 1024x768
108.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
100.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
91  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
50.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
198.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
193.2  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
147.5  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
58  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Dota 2

Dota 2

2013
low 1024x768
118.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
117.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
116.9  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
111.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
106.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
95.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
56.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
279.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
208.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
185.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
75.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
484.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
301.2  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
187.5  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
89.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Crysis 3

Crysis 3

2013
low 1024x768
139.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
123.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
91.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
36.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
lowmed.highultraQHD4K
Mirror's Edge Catalyst159.9111.855.75017.1
Overwatch266.7206.6115.766.938.6
Doom142.8126.8746821.6
Need for Speed 2016118.2104.668.851.621.4
Hitman 201673.371.637.13618.7
The Division122.691.74533.916.6
Far Cry Primal11560533716
XCOM 29056.935.616.7
Rise of the Tomb Raider112.671.343.736.117
Rainbow Six Siege248.5163.690.264.527.2
Just Cause 39894.160.352.621.6
Star Wars Battlefront196.9144.970.160.821.2
Assassin's Creed Syndicate82.370.347.318.916.5
Fallout 4163.6103.456.744.818.5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3146.2117.363.655.820.4
Anno 2205175.2124.75720.620.9
FIFA 1672
World of Warships183.9147.9125.3110.836.4
Metal Gear Solid V59.959.959.959.928.2
Mad Max172.489.280.527.6
Batman: Arkham Knight9788563718
The Witcher 3142.886.649.827.7
Dirt Rally441.4180.3130.961.347.1
GTA V147.3146.169.828.3
Battlefield Hardline163.1157.295.858.3
Evolve159.4117.965.657.1
Dragon Age: Inquisition125.7109.458.438.6
Far Cry 4113.6112.265.850.4
Assassin's Creed Unity97.175.847.421.3
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare229.9139.394.655.3
Civilization: Beyond Earth167.813190.977.1
F1 2014117118118114
Ryse: Son of Rome67.164.95449.2
Alien: Isolation275217113.380.9
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor194.7131.871.848.6
Fifa 15332.8259.7210.6103.3
Sims 4178.8141.310798.3
GRID: Autosport327.5173.4149.185.5
Watch Dogs89.776.452.834.4
Thief108.6100.99150.6
Battlefield 4198.8193.2147.558
Dota 2118.4117.9116.9
Metro: Last Light111.2106.495.956.8
BioShock Infinite279.2208.9185.475.8
Tomb Raider484.4301.2187.589.1
Crysis 3139.7123.991.736.1
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps

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v1.26
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#14 benchmarks composed for output. +1.639s ... 2.329s

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» Comparison of GPUs
Detailed list of all laptop GPUs sorted by class and performance.

» Benchmark List
Sort and restrict laptop GPUs based on performance in synthetic benchmarks.

» Notebook Gaming List
Playable games for each graphics card and their average FPS results.

Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

UHD Graphics 32EUs
UHD Graphics 750

Class 4

* Approximate position of the graphics adapter