GeForce GTX 960 vs RTX A500 Embedded GPU

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

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌400% higher power demand at 100W vs 20W.
❌193.9% longer card at 241mm vs 82mm.

RTX A500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 20W instead of 100W, a 80W reduction.
✅Measures 82mm instead of 241mm, a 159mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 30.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 960

2015

RTX A500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 20W instead of 100W, a 80W reduction.
✅Measures 82mm instead of 241mm, a 159mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌400% higher power demand at 100W vs 20W.
❌193.9% longer card at 241mm vs 82mm.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 30.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is RTX A500 Embedded GPU better than GeForce GTX 960?

Yes. RTX A500 Embedded GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 6,197 vs 6,133 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX A500 Embedded GPU is a 2022 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, 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?

RTX A500 Embedded GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 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?

RTX A500 Embedded GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX A500 Embedded GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 1.0% 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

RTX A500 Embedded GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	103 FPS	81 FPS
medium	87 FPS	70 FPS
high	72 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	71 FPS
medium	77 FPS	62 FPS
high	56 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	26 FPS
medium	26 FPS	24 FPS
high	18 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	139 FPS	115 FPS
medium	109 FPS	90 FPS
high	88 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	86 FPS
medium	57 FPS	64 FPS
high	42 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	40 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	51 FPS
medium	19 FPS	39 FPS
high	16 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	23 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	276 FPS	279 FPS
medium	221 FPS	223 FPS
high	184 FPS	186 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	209 FPS
medium	166 FPS	167 FPS
high	138 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	105 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	139 FPS
medium	110 FPS	112 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	70 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	168 FPS	156 FPS
medium	139 FPS	127 FPS
high	125 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	112 FPS
medium	99 FPS	93 FPS
high	89 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	66 FPS
medium	55 FPS	54 FPS
high	45 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960 and RTX A500 Embedded GPU

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 A500 Embedded GPU

The RTX A500 Embedded GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 30 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 435 MHz to 1335 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 20W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,197 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 and the RTX A500 Embedded GPU reaches 6,197 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the RTX A500 Embedded GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2,048 (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 5.468 TFLOPS (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1335 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
G3D Mark Score	6,133	6,197+1%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1024	2048+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	5.468 TFLOPS+127%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1335 MHz+13%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	64
L1 Cache	0.38 MB	2 MB+426%
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
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. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2 MB (RTX A500 Embedded GPU) — the RTX A500 Embedded GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960) vs 12_2 (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12_2
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960) vs NVENC 7th Gen (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Decoder: NVDEC (2nd Gen) vs NVDEC 5th Gen.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	NVDEC (2nd Gen)	NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs	HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the RTX A500 Embedded GPU's 20W — a 133.3% difference. The RTX A500 Embedded GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 350W (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 241mm vs 82mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
TDP	100W	20W-80%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	241mm	82mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75 C	—
Perf/Watt	61.3	309.9+406%