GeForce GTX 960 vs RTX A400

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

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
47.4% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$135 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 44.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $135 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

RTX A400

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $64 less on MSRP ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 43.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.3 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

GeForce GTX 960

2015

RTX A400

2024

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Why buy it

✅Costs $64 less on MSRP ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 43.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.3 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
47.4% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$135 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 44.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $135 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 960 better than RTX A400?

Yes. GeForce GTX 960 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 6,133 vs 5,983 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 960 is a 2015 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while RTX A400 is a 2024 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?

RTX A400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2015, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

GeForce GTX 960 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 960 is about 47.4% more expensive on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $135 MSRP, and you are getting 2.5% higher G3D Mark. RTX A400 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does RTX A400 make more sense than GeForce GTX 960?

Yes. RTX A400 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 100W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $135 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 960. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 960 currently gives you 2.5% higher G3D Mark. RTX A400 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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

RTX A400 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
1080p
low	80 FPS	36 FPS
medium	68 FPS	25 FPS
high	57 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	10 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	29 FPS
medium	60 FPS	18 FPS
high	44 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	5 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	10 FPS
medium	24 FPS	7 FPS
high	16 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	3 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A400

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
1080p
low	139 FPS	73 FPS
medium	109 FPS	48 FPS
high	88 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	22 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	46 FPS
medium	57 FPS	25 FPS
high	42 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	14 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	23 FPS
medium	19 FPS	14 FPS
high	16 FPS	11 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	8 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A400

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
1080p
low	276 FPS	269 FPS
medium	221 FPS	215 FPS
high	184 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	202 FPS
medium	166 FPS	162 FPS
high	138 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	126 FPS
medium	110 FPS	108 FPS
high	92 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	55 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A400

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
1080p
low	168 FPS	147 FPS
medium	139 FPS	117 FPS
high	125 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	108 FPS
medium	99 FPS	87 FPS
high	89 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	63 FPS
medium	55 FPS	50 FPS
high	45 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A400

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960 and RTX A400

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.

RTX A400

The RTX A400 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 16 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 727 MHz to 1762 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 6 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,983 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 and the RTX A400 reaches 5,983 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the RTX A400 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 768 (RTX A400). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2.706 TFLOPS (RTX A400). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1762 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
G3D Mark Score	6,133+3%	5,983
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1024+33%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	2.706 TFLOPS+12%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1762 MHz+50%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	64+167%	24

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the RTX A400's 50W — a 66.7% difference. The RTX A400 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 350W (RTX A400). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A400
TDP	100W	50W-50%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	241mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75 C	—
Perf/Watt	61.3	119.7+95%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199 MSRP, while the RTX A400 launched at $135. The RTX A400 costs 32.2% less ($64 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 44.3 (RTX A400) — the RTX A400 offers 43.8% better value. The RTX A400 is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2015).