NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
► remove from comparison
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is an upper mid-range, DirectX 11-compatible graphics card for laptops unveiled in March 2015. It is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture (GM107 chip) and manufactured in 28 nm. The GTX 960M offers 640 shader units clocked at 1097 - 1202 MHz (Boost) as well as fast GDDR5 memory (128 bit, 5000 MHz effective, 80 GB/s).
Compared to the previous and technically very similar GTX 860M, the GTX 960M is clocked slightly higher.
Architecture
Compared to Kepler, Maxwell has been optimized in several details to increase power efficiency. Smaller Streaming Multiprocessors (SMM) with only 128 ALUs (Kepler: 192) and an optimized scheduler should lead to better utilization of the shaders. Nvidia promises that a Maxwell SMM with 128 ALUs can offer 90 percent of the performance of a Kepler SMX with 192 ALUs. GM107 features 5 SMMs and thus 640 shader cores, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs (128-bit interface).
Another optimization is the massively enlarged L2 cache (GM107: 2 MB). The increased size can handle some of the memory traffic to allow for a relatively narrow memory interface without significantly reducing the performance.
GM107 supports DirectX 12 with feature level 11_0 only.
Performance
Although the GTX 960M has the same memory bandwidth as the previous GTX 860M, its higher core clock leads to a slightly better performance. Overall, the 960M is almost 10 percent faster and similar to the desktop GTX 750 Ti.
Many games of 2014/2015 can be played fluently in FullHD resolution and high detail settings. However, very demanding games such as Assassin's Creed Unity will require lower resolutions and/or details.
Features
GM107 integrates the sixth generation of the PureVideo HD video engine (VP6), offering a better decoding performance for H.264 and MPEG-2 videos. Of course, VP6 supports all features of previous generations (4K support, PIP, video encoding via NVENC API). Unfortunately, HDMI 2.0 is still not supported.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of the GeForce GTX 960M should be similar to the old GTX 860M (about 60 watts). Therefore, the GPU is best suited for 15-inch laptops or larger. The 900M series also supports Optimus to automatically switch between an integrated graphics card and the Nvidia GPU.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI
► remove from comparison
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 965M. Each card has a 28 nm GM204 GPU based on the Maxwell architecture, which is the same chip as found on the GTX 980M, GTX 970M as well as several desktop cards. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 965M (924 MHz GPU, 1250 MHz memory).
With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30 fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).
Architecture
GM204 is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture, which replaces the previous Kepler generation. Among other changes, Nvidia have restructured the streaming multi processors (SMM) in order to increase workload and efficiency. Now each SMM contains only 128 shader units and 8 TMUs, which is noticeably less than an equivalent Kepler GPU. The GM204 features four GPCs, and each consists of four SMMs. But, in the GeForce GTX 965M, Nvidia have deactivated 8 of 16 SMMs. As a result, only 1024 shader ALUs and 64 TMUs are active. In addition, there are 32 ROPs in two clusters with 16 units each.
The memory interface has a bandwidth of 128-bits (2x 64 bit) for each of the two GPUs. Thanks to an improved compression algorithm, the connection to the GDDR5 memory should be significantly more efficient per MHz. Furthermore, the L1 (96 KB per SMM) and L2 caches (2 MB) have been significantly increased to lower the needed bandwidth. Compared to the mid-range GM107, the newer and larger GM204 has several additional features and changes. Aside from the improved polymorphic engine in the SSMs, it is also the first Nvidia chip to support DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_1.
Performance
With good driver support, SLI almost doubles the performance of a single card. In this case, the GTX 965M SLI beats a single GeForce GTX 980M by about 10 percent. Therefore, the GTX 965M SLI is powerful enough to run even the most demanding games with highest details, AA/AF and/or resolutions exceeding FullHD.
Features
Most of the features are identical to the GeForce GTX 800M series. With the GTX 965M, there can be up to 4 active displays, but this will likely decrease due to Optimus. Displays can be connected with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 (no HDCP @ 4K). HD audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS HD can be sent to a compatible receiver as bitstream. As with previous models, 3D Vision is not supported with Optimus.
The video processor VP6 supports the usual formats like H.264 and can also decode and encode H.265 with a resolution of up to 4K via the NVENC API (hybrid H.265 decoder, not fully fixed function). Several parallel streams, such as picture-in-picture in a Blu-Ray movie, are also possible.
Further features of the GTX 900M series, which are also partly supported by older cards, include Battery Boost (longer battery life during gaming), Shadowplay (recording of gaming videos up to 4K60p and 130 Mbit/s) and Gamestream (game streaming on Shield console). More information on these features are available here.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of each GeForce GTX 965M including its MXM board and memory should be around 70 W, leading to a total TDP of about 140 W. Therefore, the SLI setup can only be used in very large and heavy gaming notebooks with powerful cooling systems. Under low load, dynamic clock rates help the GPUs to save energy.
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GeForce GTX 900M Series |
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| Codename | N16P-GX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pipelines | 640 - unified | 2048 - unified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Core Speed | 1096 - 1202 (Boost) MHz | 924 - 950 (Boost) MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Speed | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Bus Width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max. Amount of Memory | 4 GB | 2x 4096 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shared Memory | no | no | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| API | DirectX 12 (FL 11_0), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.5 | DirectX 12_1, Shader 5.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transistors | 1.9 Billion | 0 Billion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| technology | 28 nm | 28 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience, GameWorks, Adaptive VSync, DSR, Ansel | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notebook Size | medium sized | large | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of Announcement | 12.03.2015 | 05.01.2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Link to Manufacturer Page | www.geforce.com |
Benchmarks
specvp11 snx-01 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
specvp12 sw-03 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M → 100% n=16
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI → 152% n=16
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
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.
Rage 2
2019
Anno 1800
2019
The Division 2
2019
Dirt Rally 2.0
2019
Anthem
2019
Far Cry New Dawn
2019
Metro Exodus
2019
Apex Legends
2019
Just Cause 4
2018
Darksiders III
2018
Battlefield V
2018
Farming Simulator 19
2018
Fallout 76
2018
Hitman 2
2018
Forza Horizon 4
2018
FIFA 19
2018
F1 2018
2018
Monster Hunter World
2018
The Crew 2
2018
Far Cry 5
2018
Fortnite
2018
Call of Duty WWII
2017
Destiny 2
2017
ELEX
2017
The Evil Within 2
2017
FIFA 18
2017
F1 2017
2017
Dirt 4
2017
Rocket League
2017
Prey
2017
For Honor
2017
Resident Evil 7
2017
Watch Dogs 2
2016
Dishonored 2
2016
Titanfall 2
2016
Farming Simulator 17
2016
Battlefield 1
2016
Civilization 6
2016
Mafia 3
2016
FIFA 17
2016
No Man's Sky
2016
Overwatch
2016
Doom
2016
Need for Speed 2016
2016
Hitman 2016
2016
The Division
2016
Far Cry Primal
2016
XCOM 2
2016
Rainbow Six Siege
2015
Just Cause 3
2015
Fallout 4
2015
Anno 2205
2015
FIFA 16
2015
World of Warships
2015
Metal Gear Solid V
2015
Mad Max
2015
The Witcher 3
2015
Dirt Rally
2015
GTA V
2015
Battlefield Hardline
2015
Evolve
2015
The Crew
2014
Far Cry 4
2014
F1 2014
2014
The Evil Within
2014
Ryse: Son of Rome
2014
Alien: Isolation
2014
Fifa 15
2014
Sims 4
2014
Risen 3: Titan Lords
2014
GRID: Autosport
2014
Watch Dogs
2014
Thief
2014
X-Plane 10.25
2013
Battlefield 4
2013
Total War: Rome II
2013
Saints Row IV
2013
Dota 2
2013
Company of Heroes 2
2013
Metro: Last Light
2013
BioShock Infinite
2013
Tomb Raider
2013
Crysis 3
2013
Dead Space 3
2013
Hitman: Absolution
2012
Guild Wars 2
2012
Sleeping Dogs
2012
Diablo III
2012
Alan Wake
2012
Anno 2070
2011
Mafia 2
2010
Metro 2033
2010Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M → 100%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%
Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI → 178%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 187%
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |||
| Rage 2 | 32.8 | 15.9 | 13.8 | 13.3 | ||||||||||
| Anno 1800 | 55.8 | 25.8 | 15.8 | 7.8 | 5.6 | 2 | ||||||||
| The Division 2 | 62 | 28 | 22 | 14 | 9 | 3 | ||||||||
| Dirt Rally 2.0 | 82.9 | 38.8 | 28 | 15.2 | 10.2 | |||||||||
| Anthem | 40.8 | 23.2 | 18.5 | 17.2 | 10 | 3.2 | ||||||||
| Far Cry New Dawn | 51 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 6 | ||||||||
| Metro Exodus | 35.1 | 13.9 | 12.1 | 9.3 | ||||||||||
| Apex Legends | 71 | 30.9 | 26.7 | 24.8 | 16.3 | 7.6 | ||||||||
| Just Cause 4 | 49.8 | 31.2 | 24 | 22.2 | 14.9 | 6.5 | ||||||||
| Darksiders III | 101 | 36.8 | 28.5 | 24.5 | 16 | 7.4 | ||||||||
| Battlefield V | 74.8 | 37.7 | 30.7 | 25.6 | 17 | 2.7 | ||||||||
| Farming Simulator 19 | 133 | 68.4 | 43.3 | 31.4 | 20.6 | |||||||||
| Fallout 76 | 59.6 | 35 | 28.5 | 27.1 | 18.2 | 8.1 | ||||||||
| Hitman 2 | 39.7 | 22.6 | 21.2 | 20 | 13.9 | 5.5 | ||||||||
| Call of Duty Black Ops 4 | 70 | 30.3 | 25.3 | 21.3 | 13.8 | 6.4 | ||||||||
| Assassin´s Creed Odyssey | 47 | 25 | 19 | 11 | 8 | |||||||||
| Forza Horizon 4 | 70 | 35 | 31 | 25 | 18 | |||||||||
| FIFA 19 | 135 | 83.5 | 71 | 62.3 | 44.5 | 24.1 | ||||||||
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 60 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 11 | |||||||||
| F1 2018 | 87 | 48 | 37 | 21 | 17 | |||||||||
| Monster Hunter World | 62.8 | 23.6 | 19.6 | 15.5 | 9.8 | |||||||||
| The Crew 2 | 60 | 32.1 | 29.6 | 27.1 | 16.7 | 8 | ||||||||
| Far Cry 5 | 56 | 28 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 7 | ||||||||
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance | 68.4 | 28.4 | 24 | 17.5 | 10.3 | 4.2 | ||||||||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark | 44.7 | 22.6 | 13.8 | 3.9 | ||||||||||
| Fortnite | 160 | 99.1 | 39.8 | 30.5 | 17.8 | 5.1 | ||||||||
| Star Wars Battlefront 2 | 86.6 | 42.4 | 34.9 | 24.5 | 9.7 | |||||||||
| Need for Speed Payback | 73.2 | 39.1 | 32.7 | 30.9 | 17.6 | |||||||||
| Call of Duty WWII | 118 | 78.7 | 35.5 | 25.8 | 17 | |||||||||
| Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | 59.7 | 30.7 | 26 | 22.7 | ||||||||||
| Assassin´s Creed Origins | 51 | 29 | 23 | 18 | 13 | |||||||||
| Destiny 2 | 71.1 | 42.5 | 36.7 | 29.2 | 20.3 | |||||||||
| ELEX | 63.1 | 32.1 | 25.4 | 18.8 | 11.5 | |||||||||
| The Evil Within 2 | 38.1 | 22.2 | 19.3 | 17.8 | ||||||||||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of War | 83 | 37 | 25 | 19 | ||||||||||
| FIFA 18 | 154 | 114 | 107 | 104 | 42.3 | |||||||||
| F1 2017 | 102 | 53 | 40 | 25 | ||||||||||
| Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) | 64 | 35 | 29 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Dirt 4 | 166 | 53.8 | 40.4 | 20.3 | ||||||||||
| Rocket League | 248 | 121 | 76.8 | 23.7 | ||||||||||
| Prey | 134 | 57.9 | 48 | 45.9 | 13.8 | |||||||||
| Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War III | 92.8 | 25.3 | 16.2 | 14 | 2.5 | |||||||||
| Mass Effect Andromeda | 68.7 | 31.9 | 19 | 15.2 | 3.7 | |||||||||
| Ghost Recon Wildlands | 59.9 | 27.3 | 24.9 | 12.3 | 7.1 | |||||||||
| For Honor | 111 | 41.1 | 38.6 | 27.1 | 10.8 | |||||||||
| Resident Evil 7 | 124 | 59.3 | 38.8 | 18.8 | 9.9 | |||||||||
| Watch Dogs 2 | 63.6 | 53.2 | 25.6 | 14.8 | ||||||||||
| Dishonored 2 | 41.1 | 36 | 27.3 | 24.7 | 12.1 | |||||||||
| Call of Duty Infinite Warfare | 78.4 | 72.1 | 40.7 | 33.4 | 14.4 | |||||||||
| Titanfall 2 | 115 | 80.6 | 36.2 | 30.8 | 10.6 | |||||||||
| Farming Simulator 17 | 191 | 165 | 87.2 | 60.1 | 28.3 | |||||||||
| Battlefield 1 | 129 | 84.4 | 37.4 | 33.9 | 12.8 | |||||||||
| Civilization 6 | 82.4 | 60.1 | 32.7 | 24.6 | 20.8 | |||||||||
| Mafia 3 | 35 | 21 | 12 | |||||||||||
| FIFA 17 | 181 | 161 | 103 | 98 | 41.9 | |||||||||
| Deus Ex Mankind Divided | 36 | 28 | 16 | 10 | ||||||||||
| No Man's Sky | 48 | 41 | 24 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Mirror's Edge Catalyst | 88 | 58 | 29 | 25 | ||||||||||
| Overwatch | 190 | 144 | 68 | 40 | 20 | |||||||||
| Doom | 71 | 58 | 34 | 30 | ||||||||||
| Ashes of the Singularity | 31.2 | 23.1 | 20.5 | |||||||||||
| Need for Speed 2016 | 75 | 70 | 39 | 29 | 11 | |||||||||
| Hitman 2016 | 49 | 45 | 22 | 21 | ||||||||||
| The Division | 71 | 52 | 25 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Far Cry Primal | 71 | 33 | 29 | 22 | 9 | |||||||||
| XCOM 2 | 71 | 32 | 20 | 10 | 5.5 | |||||||||
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | 66 | 49 | 28 | 22 | 9 | |||||||||
| Rainbow Six Siege | 159 | 106 | 56 | 44 | 15 | |||||||||
| Just Cause 3 | 71.8 | 66 | 35 | 30 | 12 | |||||||||
| Star Wars Battlefront | 90 | 66 | 34 | 33 | 12 | |||||||||
| Assassin's Creed Syndicate | 58 | 48 | 30 | 5 | 8.5 | |||||||||
| Fallout 4 | 89 | 58 | 31 | 25 | 13 | |||||||||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 | 113 | 57 | 35 | 28 | 11 | |||||||||
| Anno 2205 | 108 | 60 | 26 | 11 | 10 | |||||||||
| FIFA 16 | 150 | 113 | 83 | 44.5 | ||||||||||
| World of Warships | 135.2 | 119.4 | 98.1 | 69 | ||||||||||
| Metal Gear Solid V | 60 | 60 | 55 | 37 | 15 | |||||||||
| Mad Max | 86 | 49 | 45 | 14.9 | ||||||||||
| Batman: Arkham Knight | 70 | 61 | 33 | 21 | 9 | 69 | 40 | 27 | ||||||
| The Witcher 3 | 78 | 51 | 24 | 15 | 10 | |||||||||
| Dirt Rally | 218 | 105 | 68 | 33 | 20 | |||||||||
| GTA V | 121 | 108 | 43 | 18 | 20.4 | |||||||||
| Battlefield Hardline | 128 | 103 | 47 | 32 | 105.2 | 71.9 | ||||||||
| Evolve | 75 | 60 | 36 | 31 | ||||||||||
| The Crew | 60 | 60 | 51 | 32 | ||||||||||
| Dragon Age: Inquisition | 82 | 69 | 42 | 28 | 72 | 49.8 | ||||||||
| Far Cry 4 | 85 | 73 | 36 | 30 | ||||||||||
| Assassin's Creed Unity | 51 | 39 | 26 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | 109 | 76 | 50 | 28 | ||||||||||
| Civilization: Beyond Earth | 104 | 67 | 45 | 40 | ||||||||||
| F1 2014 | 119 | 105 | 100 | 80 | 115 | 90 | ||||||||
| The Evil Within | 94 | 68 | 40 | |||||||||||
| Ryse: Son of Rome | 62.5 | 61 | 29 | 26 | 61.2 | 58.8 | ||||||||
| Alien: Isolation | 155 | 118 | 63 | 47 | ||||||||||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | 125 | 75 | 40 | 29 | 89.5 | 69.2 | ||||||||
| Fifa 15 | 200 | 172 | 122 | 63.1 | ||||||||||
| Sims 4 | 184 | 116 | 72 | 63 | ||||||||||
| Risen 3: Titan Lords | 36 | 36 | 44 | 37 | ||||||||||
| GRID: Autosport | 205 | 109 | 80 | 50 | ||||||||||
| Watch Dogs | 75 | 61 | 29 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Wolfenstein: The New Order | 60 | 60 | 46 | |||||||||||
| Thief | 69 | 58 | 50 | 27 | 84.7 | 60.1 | ||||||||
| X-Plane 10.25 | 105.4 | 54.3 | 28.5 | 16.8 | ||||||||||
| Battlefield 4 | 126 | 95 | 71 | 31 | 16 | |||||||||
| Batman: Arkham Origins | 228 | 186 | 98 | 48 | ||||||||||
| Total War: Rome II | 216 | 162 | 127 | 26 | ||||||||||
| Saints Row IV | 88.1 | 77.1 | 57.6 | 36.3 | ||||||||||
| The Bureau: XCOM Declassified | 122 | 111.4 | 72.3 | 45 | ||||||||||
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist | 106.5 | 120.3 | 58.3 | 27.4 | ||||||||||
| Dota 2 | 117.5 | 113 | 101 | |||||||||||
| Company of Heroes 2 | 58.5 | 57.8 | 39.7 | 16.2 | ||||||||||
| Metro: Last Light | 93 | 92 | 58 | 30 | 85.8 | 56.9 | ||||||||
| BioShock Infinite | 158 | 123 | 113 | 44 | 165.3 | 93.1 | ||||||||
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | 142 | 128 | 61 | 145 | 76.2 | |||||||||
| Tomb Raider | 276 | 170 | 111 | 52 | 244.5 | 117.6 | ||||||||
| Crysis 3 | 119 | 63 | 43 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Dead Space 3 | 308.9 | 205.4 | 157.4 | 92.8 | ||||||||||
| Hitman: Absolution | 63 | 60 | 45 | 27 | ||||||||||
| Guild Wars 2 | 100 | 57 | 31 | 64.5 | 57.3 | |||||||||
| Sleeping Dogs | 179 | 144 | 92 | 24 | 159.9 | 62.8 | ||||||||
| Diablo III | 292.8 | 224 | 201.9 | 121.3 | ||||||||||
| Alan Wake | 121.9 | 77.5 | 38.1 | |||||||||||
| Anno 2070 | 196.4 | 143.2 | 109 | 55 | ||||||||||
| Mafia 2 | 159 | 139 | 123 | 79 | ||||||||||
| Metro 2033 | 96 | 31 | ||||||||||||
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI | |||||||||||||
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 25 62 35 | 20 42 44 15 | 47 49 21 6 | 71 34 12 2 | 28 1 | 49 3 1 | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | | 1 | 1 8 4 | 1 4 8 | | |
For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List
