Last fall NVIDIA literally blew up the video cards market. With the same technical process, the engineers managed to lower the energy consumption of their chips by half, moreover, without loss of performance. The whole chip in the new architecture Maxwell .

Unfortunately, in 2014, only two boards were released based on Maxwell, and both of the upper price range. Available option appeared only today, and the name is to him GeForce GTX 960. Now we will figure out what he is capable of.

Who is there?

Technical characteristics of GTX 960 unusual. . . Two large GPC blocks, each of which costs four SMM containing four SM-set with thirty-two cores. The result is 1024 streaming processors, 64 textures, 32 rasterization engines and only 128 bits to communicate with video memory.

They put up to 2 GB on the GTX 960, and they work at a frequency of 7000 MHz. At the same time, the processor operates at 1126 MHz and under the GPU Boost rises to 1178 MHz. True, it is difficult to find boards with such low speeds – the chip consumes only 120 watts, and manufacturers do not hesitate to disperse it to more impressive values.

That all options are the same is the composition of the technology. GTX 960 got all the maxwell software goodies. Voxel Global Illumination promises to calculate real -time reflections. Dynamic Super Resolution allows you to renders games in 4K, and then compress them to the capabilities of the monitor, smoothing artifacts in old projects. MFAA 4X – This is a modern smoothing that demonstrates the result that is similar to MSAA 4X, but consumes two times less resources.

In life

As for the real specimens GTX 960, then the situation with them is standard. NVIDIA does not offer reference options, and manufacturers are engaged in design. Before the official Golden Pharaoh Bet sister sites launch of the card, we managed to test the versions from Palit And Gigabyte.

Palit GTX 960 JetStream It is supplied in a large, perfectly designed box and is equipped with instructions, adapters from two Molex to the 6-Pin-wound PCIE and VGA-to-DVI, translated with a sticker with the company logo, as well as a drive with drivers and a branded utility Thunder Master. The latter can help both with tracking all the main parameters of the board, and with its dispersal.

The map itself looks impressive. It is collected in a short piece of textolite, but due to a powerful cooling system, it occupies standard two slots in the case and 25 cm of free space. The dimensions had to increase in order to cool the overclocked chip (1279-1342 MHz) and memory (7200 MHz). An aluminum radiator was installed on them, pierced by three copper heat pipes and equipped with two 90 mm fans with white backlight. The latter are launched only under the game load and completely disconnected during office work. By the way, all service elements are good on the board – no whistling chokes that some manufacturers sometimes sin.

Better yet made option from Gigabyte. GV-N960G1 Gaming-2G collected on a full -sized board and in the case occupies almost 30 cm. So much space was requested by WindForce cooling system, typed by three radiators, four thermal pipes, as well as three illuminated blue 80-mm fans working in the scheme similar to the scheme in Palit.

It's funny, but, despite the massive design, the frequency of the Gigabyte version is slightly lower – 1241-1304 MHz on the processor and standard 7000 MHz per memory. At the same time, the power supply should be served not one 6-Pin PCIE, like Palit, but for two. As compensation, Gigabyte offers noticeably more connectors for connecting monitors: two DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort against a DVI pair and one HDMI with Dispayport for Palit.

Testing

In competitors, we took these fees GeForce GTX 970 , 760 And 660 , And also Radeon R9 285. Tested them on the motherboard MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming , equipped with a pair of rally Kingston Hyperx Fury 4 GB each, processor Intel Core i7-4770K And a stronghold Kingston Hyperx Fury 240 GB. The test list includes 3DMark , Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4. , Unitine Valley 1.1 , Tomb Raider , Hitman: Absolution , Bioshock Infinite , Crysis 3 , Battlefield 4 , Thief , Metro: Last Light And Grid Autosport. They didn’t need to wise with the settings – everything is at the maximum, smoothing to the fullest and resolution of 1920×1080.

And, you know, the video cards withstood.

Despite the seemingly catastrophic loss of executive blocks and a very cut -off memory bus, in all tests without exception, both GTX 960 issued more than 25 FPS. ! The main competitor, Radeon R9 285, at his 190 W and a similar price tag showed a lag of 6-10%, depending on the resolution.

Last year GTX 760 lost almost the same amount. Perhaps she would have lost more, but we got a painfully powerful option – Asus Striker was dispersed by 11%, and no matter how we tried to limit it, it did not work out to throw off the frequency to reference values. It did not work out with current new products. Both Gigabyte and Palit tuned their BIOS so much that it was impossible to move more than 50-70 MHz, from the values ​​set by them.

But to whom the acceleration did not help, is the old GTX 660. Judging by our tests, the chip is frankly outdated and is no longer capable of exploits in heavy modern games – the “maximum speed” is still pulling, but there can be no question of smoothing out.

* * *

Of course, the GTX 960 could be faster, and this is clearly visible with a direct comparison with the GTX 970, however, in the current version, the chip turned out, as they say, a sight for sore eyes. The price of it in retail starts at 13,990 rubles, and two or three thousand are asked for the factory acceleration. At the present time, when the GTX 970 jumped up to 25,000, and the GTX 980 to 35,000 rubles, this, without jokes, a gift of fate. In a good GTX 960, today is the cheapest payment that allows you to play any modern games without brakes, moreover, in Full HD and at maximum settings. In the near future the best options are not yet expected.

Technical characteristics
Characteristics Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 970 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 AMD Radeon R9 285
The core GM206 GM204 GK104 GK106 Tonga
The number of transistors is 2.94 billion 5.2 billion 3.54 billion 2.54 billion no data
TECHNOPRESS 28 Nm 28 Nm 28 Nm 28 Nm 28 Nm
The number of stream processors 1024 pcs. 1664 pcs. 1152 pcs. 960 pcs. 1792 pcs.
The frequency of the graphic nucleus 1126-1178 MHz 1050–1178 MHz 980-1033 MHz 980-1033 MHz 918 MHz
Type, GDDR5 memory volume, 2 GB GDDR5, 4 GB GDDR5, 4 GB GDDR5, 2 GB GDDR5, 2 GB

Data tire 128 bits 256 bits 256 bits 192 bits 256 bits
The number of texture blocks 64 pcs. 104 pcs. 96 pcs. 80 pcs. 112 pcs.
The number of rasterization blocks 32 pcs. 64 pcs. 32 pcs. 24 pcs. 32 pcs.
PCIE X16 3 interface.0 PCIE X16 3.0 PCIE X16 3.0 pcie x16 3.0 PCIE X16 3.0
Energy consumption 120 watts 145 watts 170 watts 140 watts 190 watts
The average price of the chip for February 2015 is 13,990 rubles 23 500 rubles 14 500 rubles 12,500 rubles 15,500 rubles
The price of the tested version for February 2015 is 18,500 rubles (Gigabyte), 16,000 rubles (Palit) 23,500 rubles 22,000 rubles 14 500 rubles 16,500 rubles
Synthetic tests
3dmark (Fire Strike)
Graphics Physics Score % video card model
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1.Gaming (1241-1304/7010 MHz) 7 957 10 606 6 886 100%
Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/7200 MHz) 7 976 10 603 6 920 100%

NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/7000 MHz) 10 731 10 601 9199 135%
MSI N660-2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) 4 927 10 329 4549 62%
Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz) 7 702 10 434 6786 97%
Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0
FPS Scores % video card model
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1.Gaming (1241-1304/7010 MHz) 34.4 866 100%
Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/7200 MHz) 34.4 865 100%
ASUS Striker-GTX760-P-4GD5 (1085-1150/6008 MHz) 31 781 90%
NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/7000 MHz) 49.5 1246 144%
MSI N660-2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) 24.6 619 71%
Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz) 34.2 862 100%
Unitine Valley 1.1
FPS Scores % video card model
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1.Gaming (1241-1304/7010 MHz) 36.3 1517 100%
Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/7200 MHz) 37.1 1553 102%
ASUS Striker-GTX760-P-4GD5 (1085-1150/6008 MHz) 39.3 1645 108%
NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/7000 MHz) 53 2218 146%
MSI N660-2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) 30.5 1276 84%
Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz) 35.4 1481 98%
Game tests (personnel per second)
Tomb Raider
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
Ultra, 1920×1080, AF 16X, SSAA 2x 41.1 40.8 35.6 58.4 26.1 37.6
Ultra, 1920×1080, AF 16X, SSAA 4x 31.4 32 26.7 44.1 18.5 28.8
% 100% 100% 86% 141% 62% 92%
Ultra, 2560×1440, AF 16X, SSAA 2x 25.3 25.8 22 34.6 15 17.1
Ultra, 2560×1440, AF 16X, SSAA 4x 18.7 19 15.7 25.8 10.8 13.6
% 100% 102% 86% 137% 59% 70%
Hitman: Absolution
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
Ultra, 1920×1080, AF 16X, MSAA 4x 37.1 38.4 42.4 55.6 31.5 48.4
Ultra, 1920×1080, AF 16X, MSAA 8x 26.2 27 29.8 41.3 21.1 31.8
% 100% 103% 114% 153% 83% 127%

Ultra, 2560×1440, AF 16X, MSAA 8x 15.2 15.8 17.8 24.5 10.9 17.2
% 100% 105% 121% 164% 82% 130%
Bioshock Infinite
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
Ultradx11, 1920×1080, AF 16x 98.2 97 89.6 135.1 67.3 95.9
Ultradx11+DDOF, 1920×1080, AF 16X 74.1 74.9 72.8 106.1 54.9 75.9
% 100% 100% 94% 140% 71% 100%
Ultradx11, 2560×1440, AF 16X 62.6 64.8 58.3 92.6 43.1 62.7
Ultradx11+DDOF, 2560×1440, AF 16X 46.6 48.4 46.7 68.9 34.3 47.6
% 100% 104% 96% 148% 71% 101%
Crysis 3
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)

Max, 1920×1080, AF 16X, AA 8x 25.5 26.1 26.1 37.1 19.9 21.8
% 100% 103% 103% 145% 79% 94%
Max, 2560×1440, AF 16X, AA 4X 19.1 19.7 20.3 28.2 15 20.1
Max, 2560×1440, AF 16X, AA 8x 12.2 10.2 15.6 22.6 10 3
% 100% 96% 115% 162% 80% 74%
Metro: Last Light
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
Veryhigh, 1920×1080, AF 16X, SSAA 32 33 29 44 22 29
Veryhigh, 1920×1080, AF 16X, PHYSX 30 31 26 40 20 19 19
% 100% 103% 91% 138% 69% 91%
Veryhigh, 2560×1440, AF 16X, SSAA 19 18 18 25 19 18 18
Veryhigh, 2560×1440, AF 16X, PHYSX 18 16 16 24 18 12 12

Battlefield 4
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
Ultra, 1920×1080, AF 16X, AA 2x 74.1 76.7 62.3 87.7 45.9 64.3
Ultra, 1920×1080, AF 16X, AA 4x 66.7 66.4 58.7 76.4 42.3 53.7
% 100% 102% 86% 117% 63% 84%
Ultra, 2560×1440, AF 16X, AA 2x 74.7 75.2 38.9 51.5 28.1 38.5
Ultra, 2560×1440, AF 16X, AA 4x 67.7 69.2 31.7 46.1 24.8 33.1
% 100% 101% 50% 69% 37% 50%
Thief
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
VERYHIGH, 1920×1080, AF 16X 71.8 72.9 58.8 88 44.1 55.8
Veryhigh, 1920×1080, AF 16X, SSAA High 47.6 48.8 43.7 66.4 32.2 42.7
% 100% 102% 86% 129% 64% 82%
Veryhigh, 2560×1440, AF 16X 53 53 42.4 68.6 32.1 44.7
Veryhigh, 2560×1440, AF 16X, SSAA High 29.4 31.3 28.9 45 19.8 30.9
% 100% 104% 88% 140% 64% 93%
Grid Autosport
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 settings.Gaming (1241-1304/ 7010 MHz) Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/ 7200 MHz) ASUS Striker-GTX760 P-4GD5 (1085-1150/ 6008 MHz) NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/ 7000 MHz) MSI N660 -2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz)
Veryhigh, 1920×1080, AF 16X, MSAA 4x 72.4 72.7 68.9 97.1 51.3 69.3
VERYHIGH, 1920X1080, AF 16X, MSAA 8x 62.8 61.8 61.6 88.5 46.7 61.5
% 100% 99% 97% 137% 72% 97%
Veryhigh, 2560×1440, AF 16X, MSAA 4x 53.1 52.9 49.7 73.3 37.6 61.4
Veryhigh, 2560×1440, AF 16X, MSAA 8x 46.8 46.5 46.2 66.3 34.3 48.9
% 100% 99% 96% 140% 72% 110%
Price ratio
The graphics card is used (1920×1080), excluding PHYSX production (2560×1440), excluding PHYSX production (synthetics) total production average price of the chip for February 2015 versions for February 2015
Gigabyte GTX 960 G1.Gaming (1241-1304/7010 MHz) 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Palit GTX 960 JetStream (1279-1342/7200 MHz) 102% 101% 101% 101% 100% 86%
ASUS Striker-GTX760-P-4GD5 (1085-1150/6008 MHz) 94% 93% 92% 93% 168% 127%
NVIDIA GTX 970 (1051-1177/7000 MHz) 138% 136% 142% 139% 104% 119%
MSI N660-2GD5/OC (1006-1072/6000 MHz) 70% 71% 73% 71% 89% 78%
Sapphire Radeon R9 285 (928/5500 MHz) 96% 90% 98% 95% 111% 89%
Test stand
CPU Intel Core i7-4770K
Cooling Cooler Master V6
Motherboard MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming
Memory 2x 4 GB DDR3
Drives Kingston Hyperx Fury 240 GB
power unit Hiper K900
Additionally Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
NVIDIA drivers 347.25
AMD drivers Catalyst Omega 14.12