GeForce GTX 960M vs GTX 1060 3 GB

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GTX 1060 3 GB GTX 1060 3 GB GP104 GTX 1060 5 GB GTX 1060 6 GB
VS
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940MX GTX 850M GTX 860M GTX 950M GTX 960A GTX 960M

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB with GeForce GTX 960M, including specs and performance data.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
24.93
+184%

GTX 1060 3 GB outperforms GTX 960M by a whopping 184% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Contents

GTX 1060 3 GB GTX 1060 3 GB
GTX 960M GTX 960M

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking219492
Place by popularity23not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation22.66no data
Power efficiency14.338.07
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Maxwell (2014−2017)
GPU code nameGP106GM107
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date18 August 2016 (8 years ago)13 March 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores1152640
Core clock speed1506 MHz1096 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHz1176 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million1,870 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt75 Watt
Texture fill rate123.047.04
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS1.505 TFLOPS
ROPs4816
TMUs7240

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizeno datamedium sized
Bus supportno dataPCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16MXM-B (3.0)
Length250 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pinno data
SLI options-+

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3 GB4 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s80 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortNo outputs
VGA аnalog display supportno data+
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) supportno data+
HDMI++

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

GameStream-+
GeForce ShadowPlay-+
GPU Boostno data2.0
GameWorks-+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder-+
Optimus-+
BatteryBoost-+
Anselno data+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (11_0)
Shader Model6.45.1
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan+1.1.126
CUDA6.1+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1060 3 GB 24.93
+184%
GTX 960M 8.77

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1060 3 GB 9588
+184%
GTX 960M 3372

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p270−280
+184%
95
−184%
Full HD95−100
+171%
35
−171%
1440p40−45
+167%
15
−167%
4K35−40
+150%
14
−150%

Cost per frame, $

1080p2.09no data
1440p4.98no data
4K5.69no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Elden Ring 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 23
+0%
23
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Metro Exodus 27
+0%
27
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Valorant 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 25
+0%
25
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Dota 2 21
+0%
21
+0%
Elden Ring 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Fortnite 36
+0%
36
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 31
+0%
31
+0%
Metro Exodus 17
+0%
17
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 99
+0%
99
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 28
+0%
28
+0%
Valorant 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
World of Tanks 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 20
+0%
20
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Dota 2 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 20
+0%
20
+0%
Valorant 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Elden Ring 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
World of Tanks 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 14
+0%
14
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Far Cry 5 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Metro Exodus 15
+0%
15
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Valorant 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Dota 2 20
+0%
20
+0%
Elden Ring 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 20
+0%
20
+0%
Metro Exodus 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 24
+0%
24
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 20
+0%
20
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 6
+0%
6
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Dota 2 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Far Cry 5 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Fortnite 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Valorant 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and GTX 960M compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 184% faster in 900p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 171% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 167% faster in 1440p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 150% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score 24.93 8.77
Recency 18 August 2016 13 March 2015
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 4 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 75 Watt

GTX 1060 3 GB has a 184.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and a 75% more advanced lithography process.

GTX 960M, on the other hand, has a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount, and 60% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 960M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 960M is a notebook one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
GeForce GTX 960M
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Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.

4.1 8978 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.