G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 960

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 160W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 14,114).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅+130.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 31.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌60% higher power demand at 160W vs 100W.

GeForce GTX 960

2015

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 160W, a 60W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+130.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 31.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 14,114).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌60% higher power demand at 160W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 2060 better than GeForce GTX 960?

Yes. GeForce RTX 2060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 14,114 vs 6,133 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 2060 is a 2019 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 960 is a 2015 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015, 130.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 2060 is about 75.4% more expensive on MSRP at $349 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 130.1% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 960 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 960 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 960 is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,133 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 960 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 2060 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
1080p
low	80 FPS	108 FPS
medium	68 FPS	98 FPS
high	57 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	69 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	95 FPS
medium	60 FPS	83 FPS
high	44 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	60 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	47 FPS
medium	24 FPS	43 FPS
high	16 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	27 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 2060

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
1080p
low	131 FPS	290 FPS
medium	104 FPS	247 FPS
high	83 FPS	197 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	155 FPS
1440p
low	73 FPS	192 FPS
medium	55 FPS	164 FPS
high	41 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	108 FPS
medium	19 FPS	91 FPS
high	16 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	57 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 2060

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
1080p
low	276 FPS	635 FPS
medium	221 FPS	508 FPS
high	184 FPS	423 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	318 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	476 FPS
medium	166 FPS	381 FPS
high	138 FPS	318 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	238 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	318 FPS
medium	110 FPS	254 FPS
high	92 FPS	212 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	159 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 2060

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
1080p
low	168 FPS	428 FPS
medium	139 FPS	354 FPS
high	125 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	244 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	357 FPS
medium	99 FPS	302 FPS
high	89 FPS	235 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	193 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	204 FPS
medium	55 FPS	166 FPS
high	45 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	119 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 2060

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce RTX 2060

GeForce GTX 960

The GeForce GTX 960 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 22 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1127 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,133 points. Launch price was $199.

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 14,114 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 130.1%. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 2060 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1680 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
G3D Mark Score	6,133	14,114+130%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1024	1920+88%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	6.451 TFLOPS+167%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1680 MHz+43%
ROPs	32	48+50%
TMUs	64	120+88%
L1 Cache	0.38 MB	1.9 MB+400%
L2 Cache	1 MB	3 MB+200%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 960 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 960 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2060 has 6 GB. The GeForce RTX 2060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 960) vs 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) — a 200% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Bus width: 128-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 960) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	6 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	336 GB/s+200%
Bus Width	128-bit	192-bit+50%
L2 Cache	1 MB	3 MB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060). Decoder: NVDEC (2nd Gen) vs NVDEC (Turing). Supported codecs: HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	NVENC (Turing)
Decoder	NVDEC (2nd Gen)	NVDEC (Turing)
Codecs	HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 160W — a 46.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 960 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2060). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 C vs 72.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 2060
TDP	100W-38%	160W
Recommended PSU	400W-20%	500W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	241mm	229mm
Height	111mm	113mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75 C	72-4%
Perf/Watt	61.3	88.2+44%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 2060 launched at $349. The GeForce GTX 960 costs 43% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 31.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 2060 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2015).