NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080

VS
Performance
GeForce GTX 960
10,767.510% of 104,598
GeForce RTX 2080274% better
40,27839% of 104,598

The GeForce RTX 2080 has 274% better performance than the GeForce GTX 960 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 960
54.1134% of 161.45
GeForce RTX 20806% better
57.6236% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 2080 has 6% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 960 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop GeForce GTX 960
Shop GeForce RTX 2080
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q3 2018 with a MSRP of $699. It is built on the Turing GPU microarchitecture (codename TU104) and is manufactured on a 12 nm process.

Memory

The RTX 2080 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 1,750 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 448 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 RTX 2080 includes 2,944 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,515 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,710 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 184 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 368 tensor cores optimized for AI-accelerated workloads and 46 RT cores dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RTX 2080 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-C display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 550 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 215 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RTX 2080 has the 40th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 38.51% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 40,278 score and $699 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 57.62. This is the 58th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

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

InfoGeForce GTX 960GeForce RTX 2080
ManufacturerNVIDIANVIDIA
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0Turing
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ1 2015Q3 2018
Launch Price (MSRP)$199$699
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeActive
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

#

Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Crysis Remastered
Crysis Remastered
Display FPS for F1 2021
F1 2021
Display FPS for Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village
Display FPS for Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Display FPS for Outriders
Outriders
Display FPS for Hitman 3
Hitman 3
Display FPS for Cyberpunk 2077 (1.0)
Cyberpunk 2077 (1.0)

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 Crysis Remastered
Crysis Remastered
GeForce GTX 960GeForce RTX 2080
Low - 720p
--
--
Medium - 1080p
--
166 FPS
High - 1080p
--
96 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
62 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
48 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
28 FPS
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 orGeForce RTX 2080

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 orGeForce RTX 2080
GPUCost Per Frame
Radeon RX Vega 6421.32-13%
GeForce RTX 207022.28-9%
Radeon VII22.77-7%
GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER22.84-7%
Radeon RX 6600 XT24.29-1%
GeForce RTX 208024.61
Radeon RX 660024.92+1%
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti26.57+8%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce GTX 960
10,767.510% of 104,598
GeForce RTX 2080274% better
40,27839% of 104,598

The GeForce RTX 2080 has 274% better performance than the GeForce GTX 960 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 960 is ranked 172nd with a score of 10,767.5, and the GeForce RTX 2080 is ranked 40th with a score of 40,278.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 960
54.1134% of 161.45
GeForce RTX 20806% better
57.6236% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 2080 has 6% better value for the money than the GeForce GTX 960 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 960 is ranked 61st with a performance per dollar of 54.11, and the GeForce RTX 2080 is ranked 58th with a performance per dollar of 57.62.

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
Arc A77041,303+284%
GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER40,963+280%
GeForce RTX 208040,278+274%
Radeon RX 6600 XT39,051+263%
GeForce RTX 406038,191+255%
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%

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 or

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 960GeForce RTX 2080
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
11,126
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
10,820
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
49,917.5
143,576
(+187.63%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
7,915.5
27,620
(+248.94%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
9,875.5
29,073.5
(+194.4%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
120
--
PassMark G3D Mark
6,079
18,798
(+209.23%)
PassMark G2D Mark
682
916
(+34.31%)
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

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.

SpecGeForce GTX 960GeForce RTX 2080
CodenameGM206TU104
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0Turing
Process Size28 nm12 nm
Transistors2,940 million13,600 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 960GeForce RTX 2080
Memory Size2 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth112.2 Gb/s448 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,753 MHz1,750 MHz
Memory Interface128 bit256 bit
L1 Cache48 KB64 KB
L2 Cache1,024 KB4 MB

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 960GeForce RTX 2080
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)120 W215 W
Suggested PSU300 W550 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-C

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 960GeForce RTX 2080
CUDA Cores1,0242,944
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)--46
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)64184
Render Output Units (ROP)3264
Tensor Cores--368
Ray Tracing Cores--46
Core Clock Speed1,127 MHz1,515 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,178 MHz1,710 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 960GeForce RTX 2080
Pixel Fill Rate37.7 GPixel/s109.4 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate75.39 GTexel/s314.6 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance2.41 TFLOPS10.07 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance75.39 GFLOPS314.6 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 960GeForce RTX 2080
DirectX12 (12_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
OpenCL3.03.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.8

Check out these comparisons for similar GPUs:

Looking for alternatives? Check out these similar GPUs:

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