NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 vs AMD Radeon 520

VS
Performance
GeForce GTX 960434% better
10,767.510% of 104,598
Radeon 520
2,016.52% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 960 has 434% better performance than the Radeon 520 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 960
54.1134% of 161.45
Radeon 520
No data available

The GeForce GTX 960 has 34% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.

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Summary

#

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q1 2015 with a MSRP of $199. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM206) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 960 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,753 MHz memory clock and a 128 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 112.2 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The GTX 960 includes 1,024 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,127 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,178 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 64 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GTX 960 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 300 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 120 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GTX 960 has the 172nd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 10.29% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 10,767.5 score and $199 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 54.11. This is the 61st best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the AMD Radeon 520 GPU

The AMD Radeon 520 is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q2 2017. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Banks) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The 520 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,125 MHz memory clock and a 64 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 36 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The 520 includes 320 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,030 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 20 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 8 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

AMD recommends a power supply of at least 250 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 50 W.

Benchmark Performance

The 520 has the 361st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 1.93% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
ManufacturerNVIDIAAMD
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0GCN 1.0
Market SegmentDesktopMobile
Release DateQ1 2015Q2 2017
Launch Price (MSRP)$199--
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Destiny 2
Destiny 2
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Rise of the Tomb Raider
Display FPS for Dota 2 - Reborn
Dota 2 - Reborn
Display FPS for Rocket League
Rocket League
Display FPS for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3
Display FPS for Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V
Display FPS for BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Destiny 2
Destiny 2
GeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
Low - 720p
--
18 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
9 FPS
High - 1080p
--
--
Ultra - 1080p
--
--
QHD - 1440p
--
--
4K UHD - 2160p
--
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 960 orRadeon 520
GPUFrames Per Second
Radeon R9 M37520.2+115%
Radeon RX 540 Mobile18.8+100%
GeForce MX11017.7+88%
GeForce 930MX13.1+39%
Radeon 53011.6+23%
Radeon 5209.4

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 960 orRadeon 520
GPUCost Per Frame
Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs.

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce GTX 960434% better
10,767.510% of 104,598
Radeon 520
2,016.52% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 960 has 434% better performance than the Radeon 520 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 960 is ranked 172nd with a score of 10,767.5, and the Radeon 520 is ranked 361st with a score of 2,016.5.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 960
54.1134% of 161.45
Radeon 520
No data available

The GeForce GTX 960 has 83% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

GeForce GTX 960's 54.11 performance per dollar ranks it 61st among the other benchmarked GPUs in our database.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 960 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon R9 38012,191+13%
Radeon R9 280X10,792+0%
GeForce GTX 96010,767.5
GeForce GTX 68010,216.5-5%
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti9,453-12%
Radeon HD 7750M2,085-81%
Radeon R7 M3602,029-81%
Radeon 5202,016.5-81%
GeForce GTX 470M2,002.5-81%
FirePro M40001,981-82%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:GeForce GTX 960 orRadeon 520
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti68.01+26%
Radeon R9 38061.26+13%
GeForce GT 103059.84+11%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)58.2+8%
Radeon R7 37057.17+6%
GeForce GTX 96054.11
GeForce GTX 95052.52-3%
GeForce GTX 97048.73-10%
Radeon R9 390X41.83-23%
GeForce GTX 750 Ti36.09-33%

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
397
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
454.5
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
49,917.5
(+493.37%)
8,412.5
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
7,915.5
(+500.11%)
1,319
3DMark 11 Performance Score
9,875.5
(+342.45%)
2,232
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
120
(+237.08%)
35.6
PassMark G3D Mark
6,079
(+602.77%)
865
PassMark G2D Mark
682
(+229.47%)
207
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
--
12
Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL
--
9.2
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
CodenameGM206Banks
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0GCN 1.0
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors2,940 million690 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
Memory Size2 GB2 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth112.2 Gb/s36 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,753 MHz1,125 MHz
Memory Interface128 bit64 bit
L1 Cache48 KB16 KB
L2 Cache1,024 KB128 KB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
Slots2 slots--
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x8
Thermal Design Power (TDP)120 W50 W
Suggested PSU300 W250 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin--
OutputsDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2No outputs

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
Stream Processors (SP)--320
CUDA Cores1,024--
Compute Units (CU)--5
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)6420
Render Output Units (ROP)328
Core Clock Speed1,127 MHz1,030 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,178 MHz--

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
Pixel Fill Rate37.7 GPixel/s8.24 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate75.39 GTexel/s20.6 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance2.41 TFLOPS659.2 GFLOPS
FP64 Performance75.39 GFLOPS41.2 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecGeForce GTX 960Radeon 520
DirectX12 (12_1)12 (11_1)
OpenCL3.02.1 (1.2)
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.5 (5.1)

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.