NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M DDR3 vs. GDDR5 Review

DDR3 or GDDR5? Nvidia's GTX 950M is available in two different memory configurations. We compare the performance of the DDR3 and GDDR5 version.

Andreas Osthoff, ✓ Klaus Hinum, Published 02/22/2016 🇩🇪

For the original German review, see here.

Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 950M is the smallest graphics card within the GTX lineup and is used for many multimedia notebooks. So far, we were only able to check the DDR3 version of the GTX950M, which is significantly behind the GeForce GTX 960M in terms of performance. This gap is now supposed to be filled by the GTX 950M with GDDR5-VRAM. We were able to evaluate the performance of the latter in a pre-production sample of the MSI PE60 2QD. We have already reviewed this model in a slightly different configuration (2QEi581).

The technical specifications of the two versions are very similar. Both are based on the GM107 chip (Maxwell architecture) and have 640 shader units. There are differences in terms of the clock, because the DDR3 version runs at a core clock of 993 MHz, while the GDDR5 model only reaches 914 MHz. The maximum GPU-Boost is also limited to just 928 MHz and therefore basically non-existent. However, the memory itself is much more important because the GDDR5 memory manages a much higher memory bandwidth (80 GB/s vs. 28-32 GB/s). The 128-bit memory interface, however, is identical for both models. All in all, the GDDR5 version should have an advantage over the DDR3 version, despite the lower core clock. More technical information about the GTX 950M is available here.

The GTX 950M GDDR5 is therefore a lower clocked version of the GTX 960M (also GDDR5, 80 GB/s, 128-bit interface). The GTX 960M can run at up to 1176 MHz via GPU-Boost, which is almost 30% faster, compared to the GTX 950M GDDR5.

Synthetic Benchmarks

We start our performance evaluation with the synthetic benchmarks of the 3DMark series. We are mainly interested in the Graphics sub-score to rule out other influences (e. g. the processor). The current 3DMark 2013 shows that the GTX 950M with the faster GDDR5-VRAM is pretty much right between its two siblings GTX 950M DDR3 and GTX 960M. It is between 11-16% ahead of the DDR3 model and 17-22% behind the GTX 960M in the demanding Fire-Strike test (Graphics). The result in 3DMark 11 is rather sobering, where the faster memory does not make a difference. The GDDR5 version even falls behind the DDR3 model due to the lower core clock.

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	4372 Points ∼100% +22%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	4232 Points ∼97% +18%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	4211 Points ∼96% +17%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	3591 Points ∼82%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	3238 Points ∼74% -10%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 6200U, GeForce GTX 950M	3159 Points ∼72% -12%
HP Envy 17-n107ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	3093 Points ∼71% -14%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	31219 Points ∼100% +24%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	29343 Points ∼94% +17%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	29118 Points ∼93% +16%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	25091 Points ∼80%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	21715 Points ∼70% -13%
HP Envy 17-n107ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	20707 Points ∼66% -17%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 6200U, GeForce GTX 950M	20018 Points ∼64% -20%

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	5557 Points ∼100% +31%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	5114 Points ∼92% +20%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	4482 Points ∼81% +5%
HP Envy 17-n107ng 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	4444 Points ∼80% +4%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 6200U, GeForce GTX 950M	4306 Points ∼77% +1%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	4258 Points ∼77%

Gaming Performance

Our gaming tests support the result of the synthetic benchmarks, although the differences can vary depending on the game and the settings. In general, the GTX 950M with the faster GDDR5 memory fills the gap between its two siblings very well and the performance is usually sufficient for medium or high details in Full HD. Only very demanding games like “The Witcher 3” or “Rise of the Tomb Raider” will also require a reduction of the resolution as well as the details.

Rise of the Tomb Raider | BioShock Infinite | The Witcher 3 | Battlefield 4 | XCOM 2

Rise of the Tomb Raider
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	26.4 (24^min) fps ∼100% +26%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	23.8 fps ∼90% +13%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	21 (19^min - 23^max) fps ∼80%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 6200U, GeForce GTX 950M	16.9 fps ∼64% -20%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	21.2 fps ∼100% +23%
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	20.1 (18^min) fps ∼95% +17%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	17.2 (15^min - 19^max) fps ∼81%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 6200U, GeForce GTX 950M	14.8 fps ∼70% -14%

BioShock Infinite
1366x768 Medium Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	131.3 fps ∼100% +16%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	113 fps ∼86%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD 5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	110.1 fps ∼84% -3%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	96.2 fps ∼73% -15%
1366x768 High Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	115.7 fps ∼100% +17%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550 6300HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	108 fps ∼93% +9%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	106.9 fps ∼92% +8%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	99 fps ∼86%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD 5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	89.8 fps ∼78% -9%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	78.2 fps ∼68% -21%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	44.8 fps ∼100% +17%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	44.1 fps ∼98% +15%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550 6300HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	40.8 fps ∼91% +7%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	38.3 fps ∼85%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD 5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	29.6 fps ∼66% -23%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	26.9 fps ∼60% -30%

The Witcher 3
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	83.6 fps ∼100% +25%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231 4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	81.1 fps ∼97% +21%
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	80.6 (72^min) fps ∼96% +20%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	67 fps ∼80%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	60.9 fps ∼73% -9%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	58.3 fps ∼70% -13%
Asus N751JX-T4056H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	57.8 fps ∼69% -14%
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231 4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	55 fps ∼100% +35%
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	52.3 fps ∼95% +29%
Nexoc G515 II 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	50.7 fps ∼92% +25%
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	49 (42^min) fps ∼89% +20%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	40.7 (33^min - 47^max) fps ∼74%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	37.6 fps ∼68% -8%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	35.6 fps ∼65% -13%
Asus N751JX-T4056H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	35.1 fps ∼64% -14%
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	27.4 fps ∼100% +23%
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	27.1 (21^min) fps ∼99% +22%
Nexoc G515 II 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	26.6 fps ∼97% +19%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231 4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	26.3 fps ∼96% +18%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	22.3 (19^min - 25^max) fps ∼81%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	19.7 fps ∼72% -12%
Asus N751JX-T4056H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	19.2 fps ∼70% -14%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	18.6 fps ∼68% -17%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
MSI GE62-6QD16H11 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	15.2 fps ∼100% +31%
Nexoc G515 II 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	14.4 fps ∼95% +24%
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	13.7 (11^min) fps ∼90% +18%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231 4710HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	13.7 fps ∼90% +18%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	11.6 (7^min - 15^max) fps ∼76%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-71K2 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	11.2 fps ∼74% -3%
Asus N751JX-T4056H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	10.7 fps ∼70% -8%

Battlefield 4
1366x768 Medium Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	110.8 fps ∼100% +17%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	95 fps ∼86%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	77.6 fps ∼70% -18%
1366x768 High Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	81.2 fps ∼100% +18%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550 6300HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	80.8 fps ∼100% +17%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	69 fps ∼85%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	55 fps ∼68% -20%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550 6300HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	33.8 fps ∼100% +19%
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	33.4 fps ∼99% +17%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	28.5 (24^min - 36^max) fps ∼84%
Asus GL552JX-CN154H 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	20.8 fps ∼62% -27%

XCOM 2
1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:FX AF:2x
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	32.2 (28^min) fps ∼100% +20%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	26.8 (24^min - 29^max) fps ∼83%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	19.4 (17^min) fps ∼100% +21%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	16 (14^min - 18^max) fps ∼82%
1920x1080 Maximum Preset (8xMSAA instead of FXAA) AA:8xMS AF:16x
Schenker XMG A505 4720HQ, GeForce GTX 960M	8.7 (7^min) fps ∼100% +30%
MSI PE60 2QD 6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M	6.7 (5^min - 8^max) fps ∼77%

Rise of the Tomb Raider | BioShock Infinite | The Witcher 3 | Battlefield 4 | XCOM 2

Verdict

The GeForce GTX 950M GDDR5 is a nice upgrade over the existing DDR3 model. The chip is basically a GTX 960M with a lower core clock and without GPU-Boost, but all the other specs are identical. The previously big gap between the GTX 950M (DDR3) and GTX 960M is successfully filled by the GDDR5 model. You can expect performance gains between 10-25 % depending on the settings when you play games, but we still recommend the faster GTX 960M for more serious gaming ambitions.The GeForce GTX 950M GDDR5 is a nice upgrade over the existing DDR3 model. The chip is basically a GTX 960M with a lower core clock and without GPU-Boost, but all the other specifications are identical. The previously big gap between the GTX 950M (DDR3) and GTX 960M is successfully filled by the GDDR5 model. You can expect performance gains of between 10 and 25%, depending on the settings when you play games, but we still recommend the faster GTX 960M for more serious gaming ambitions.

More information and gaming benchmarks of all reviewed notebooks and versions are available in the constantly updated GPU article of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M.

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Editor of the original article: Andreas Osthoff - Managing Editor Business Laptops - 1492 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2013

I grew up with modern consumer electronics and my first computer was a Commodore C64, which encouraged my interest in building my own systems. I started working as a review editor for Notebookcheck during my dual studies at Siemens. Currently, I am mainly responsible for dealing with business laptops and mobile workstations. It’s a great experience to be able to review the latest devices and technologies and then compare them with each other.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M DDR3 vs. GDDR5 Review

Andreas Osthoff, 2016-02-22 (Update: 2018-05-15)