The GeForce GTX 960 has 282% better performance than the Radeon HD 6970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
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.
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 HD 6970M GPU
The AMD Radeon HD 6970M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q1 2011. It is built on the TeraScale 2 GPU microarchitecture (codename Blackcomb) and is manufactured on a 40 nm process.
Memory
The HD 6970M has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 memory, with a 900 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 115.2 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 HD 6970M includes 960 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 680 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 48 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 75 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance
The HD 6970M has the 310th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 2.69% 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.
Info | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Manufacturer | NVIDIA | AMD |
Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | TeraScale 2 |
Market Segment | Desktop | Mobile |
Release Date | Q1 2015 | Q1 2011 |
Launch Price (MSRP) | $199 | -- |
Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |
Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
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
Rise of the Tomb Raider | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Low - 768p | 113 FPS | -- |
Medium - 768p | 71 FPS | -- |
High - 1080p | 44 FPS | -- |
Ultra - 1080p | 36 FPS | -- |
QHD - 1440p | -- | -- |
4K UHD | 17 FPS | -- |
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.
GPU | Frames Per Second | |
---|---|---|
GeForce GTX 970 | 25.3 | +49% |
Radeon RX 470 | 25.3 | +49% |
GeForce GTX 1650 | 22 | +29% |
Radeon R9 280X | 21.1 | +24% |
GeForce GTX 680 | 17.2 | +1% |
GeForce GTX 960 | 17 | |
GeForce GTX 1050 | 15.6 | -8% |
Radeon R7 370 | 13.3 | -22% |
GeForce GTX 950 | 13 | -24% |
GeForce GT 1030 | 8 | -53% |
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.
GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
---|---|---|
GeForce RTX 2060 | 7.38 | -37% |
Radeon RX 480 | 8.81 | -25% |
GeForce GT 1030 | 9.88 | -16% |
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 10.68 | -9% |
Radeon R7 370 | 11.2 | -4% |
GeForce GTX 960 | 11.71 | |
GeForce GTX 950 | 12.23 | +4% |
GeForce GTX 970 | 13 | +11% |
Radeon R9 280X | 14.17 | +21% |
Radeon R9 FURY | 16.94 | +45% |
Benchmark Performance
The GeForce GTX 960 has 282% better performance than the Radeon HD 6970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 960 is ranked 172nd with a score of 10,767.5, and the Radeon HD 6970M is ranked 310th with a score of 2,818.5.
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.
GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
---|---|---|
Radeon R9 380 | 12,191 | +13% |
Radeon R9 280X | 10,792 | +0% |
GeForce GTX 960 | 10,767.5 | |
GeForce GTX 680 | 10,216.5 | -5% |
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 9,453 | -12% |
GeForce MX130 | 2,875 | -73% |
Radeon 610M | 2,863 | -73% |
Radeon HD 6970M | 2,818.5 | -74% |
GeForce GT 755M | 2,800.5 | -74% |
GeForce GTX 485M | 2,709 | -75% |
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.
GPU | Performance Per Dollar | |
---|---|---|
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 68.01 | +26% |
Radeon R9 380 | 61.26 | +13% |
GeForce GT 1030 | 59.84 | +11% |
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 58.2 | +8% |
Radeon R7 370 | 57.17 | +6% |
GeForce GTX 960 | 54.11 | |
GeForce GTX 950 | 52.52 | -3% |
GeForce GTX 970 | 48.73 | -10% |
Radeon R9 390X | 41.83 | -23% |
GeForce GTX 750 Ti | 36.09 | -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
Benchmark | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 49,917.5 | -- |
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 7,915.5 | -- |
3DMark 11 Performance Score | 9,875.5 (+223.36%) | 3,054 |
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 120 | -- |
PassMark G3D Mark | 6,079 (+167.8%) | 2,270 |
PassMark G2D Mark | 682 (+4.76%) | 651 |
Technical Specs
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.
Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Codename | GM206 | Blackcomb |
Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | TeraScale 2 |
Process Size | 28 nm | 40 nm |
Transistors | 2,940 million | 1,700 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.
Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Memory Size | 2 GB | 1,024 MB |
Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
Memory Bandwidth | 112.2 Gb/s | 115.2 Gb/s |
Memory Clock | 1,753 MHz | 900 MHz |
Memory Interface | 128 bit | 256 bit |
L1 Cache | 48 KB | 8 KB |
L2 Cache | 1,024 KB | 512 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.
Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Slots | 2 slots | -- |
Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |
Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 120 W | 75 W |
Suggested PSU | 300 W | -- |
Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | -- |
Outputs | DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 | Device Dependent |
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.
Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Stream Processors (SP) | -- | 960 |
CUDA Cores | 1,024 | -- |
Compute Units (CU) | -- | 12 |
Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 64 | 48 |
Render Output Units (ROP) | 32 | 32 |
Core Clock Speed | 1,127 MHz | 680 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.
Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
Pixel Fill Rate | 37.7 GPixel/s | 21.76 GPixel/s |
Texture Fill Rate | 75.39 GTexel/s | 32.64 GTexel/s |
FP32 Performance | 2.41 TFLOPS | 1,306 GFLOPS |
FP64 Performance | 75.39 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.
Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon HD 6970M |
---|---|---|
DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 11.2 (11_0) |
OpenCL | 3.0 | 1.2 |
OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.4 |
Shader Model | 6.8 | 5.0 |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.