260M SLI vs 960M

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Combined performance score

GTX 960M
8.77
+172%

960M outperforms 260M SLI by 172% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

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

Place in performance ranking454702
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money1.410.92
ArchitectureMaxwell (2014−2018)G9x (2007−2010)
GPU code nameN16P-GXNB9E-GTX
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date12 March 2015 (9 years old)2 March 2009 (15 years old)
Current price$799 $149
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 960M has 53% better value for money than GTX 260M SLI.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores640224
CUDA cores640no data
Core clock speed1096 MHz550 MHz
Boost clock speed1202 MHzno data
Number of transistors1,870 million1508 Million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm55 nm
Power consumption (TDP)75 Watt150 Watt
Texture fill rate47.04no data
Floating-point performance1,505 gflopsno data

Size and compatibility

Information on GeForce GTX 960M and GeForce GTX 260M SLI compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Laptop sizemedium sizedlarge
Bus supportPCI Express 3.0no data
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)no data
SLI options+no data

Memory

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 typeGDDR5GDDR3
Maximum RAM amount4 GB2 GB
Memory bus width128 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed2500 MHz950 MHz
Memory bandwidth80 GB/sno data
Shared memory--

Video outputs and ports

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 ConnectorsNo outputsno data
VGA аnalog display support+no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support+no data
HDMI+no data

Technologies

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

GameStream+no data
GeForce ShadowPlay+no data
GPU Boost2.0no data
GameWorks+no data
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder+no data
Optimus+no data
BatteryBoost+no data
Ansel+no data

API support

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

DirectX12 (11_0)10
Shader Model5.1no data
OpenGL4.5no data
OpenCL1.2no data
Vulkan1.1.126no data
CUDA++

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:

900p95
+217%
30−35
−217%
Full HD36
+200%
12−14
−200%
1440p15
+200%
5−6
−200%
4K13
+225%
4−5
−225%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 25
+400%
5−6
−400%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 38
+375%
8−9
−375%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 24−27
+84.6%
12−14
−84.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Far Cry 5 28
+460%
5−6
−460%
Far Cry New Dawn 27
+440%
5−6
−440%
Forza Horizon 4 35
+289%
9−10
−289%
Hitman 3 21−24
+267%
6−7
−267%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18−20
+260%
5−6
−260%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+114%
7−8
−114%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 24
+140%
10−11
−140%
Watch Dogs: Legion 14−16
+650%
2−3
−650%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 19
+280%
5−6
−280%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 31
+288%
8−9
−288%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 24−27
+84.6%
12−14
−84.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Far Cry 5 25
+400%
5−6
−400%
Far Cry New Dawn 25
+400%
5−6
−400%
Forza Horizon 4 31
+244%
9−10
−244%
Hitman 3 21−24
+267%
6−7
−267%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18−20
+260%
5−6
−260%
Metro Exodus 12
+200%
4−5
−200%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+114%
7−8
−114%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 19
+90%
10−11
−90%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24
+243%
7−8
−243%
Watch Dogs: Legion 14−16
+650%
2−3
−650%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 11
+120%
5−6
−120%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 26
+225%
8−9
−225%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Far Cry 5 23
+360%
5−6
−360%
Far Cry New Dawn 23
+360%
5−6
−360%
Forza Horizon 4 25
+178%
9−10
−178%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 14
+100%
7−8
−100%
Watch Dogs: Legion 14−16
+650%
2−3
−650%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
+117%
6−7
−117%
Hitman 3 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Horizon Zero Dawn 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Metro Exodus 7−8
+600%
1−2
−600%
Red Dead Redemption 2 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 11
+83.3%
6−7
−83.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 8
+700%
1−2
−700%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Battlefield 5 17
+183%
6−7
−183%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+100%
2−3
−100%
Far Cry 5 15
+200%
5−6
−200%
Far Cry New Dawn 15
+200%
5−6
−200%
Forza Horizon 4 18
+800%
2−3
−800%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
+167%
3−4
−167%
Watch Dogs: Legion 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 6−7
+100%
3−4
−100%
Hitman 3 8−9
+167%
3−4
−167%
Horizon Zero Dawn 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
Metro Exodus 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 4−5 0−1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10
+233%
3−4
−233%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Battlefield 5 3
+200%
1−2
−200%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2 0−1
Far Cry 5 7
+75%
4−5
−75%
Far Cry New Dawn 6
+0%
6−7
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 10−11
+233%
3−4
−233%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3 0−1

This is how GTX 960M and GTX 260M SLI compete in popular games:

900p resolution:

  • GTX 960M is 217% faster than GTX 260M SLI

1080p resolution:

  • GTX 960M is 200% faster than GTX 260M SLI

1440p resolution:

  • GTX 960M is 200% faster than GTX 260M SLI

4K resolution:

  • GTX 960M is 225% faster than GTX 260M SLI

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 960M is 1200% faster than the GTX 260M SLI.

All in all, in popular games:

  • GTX 960M is ahead in 55 tests (96%)
  • there's a draw in 2 tests (4%)

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 8.77 3.23
Recency 12 March 2015 2 March 2009
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 55 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 75 Watt 150 Watt

The GeForce GTX 960M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 260M SLI in performance tests.


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

User ratings

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
GeForce GTX 960M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M SLI
GeForce GTX 260M SLI

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