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 GTS 450 Rev. 2

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌41.3% higher power demand at 106W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 106W, a 31W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 25.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2

2011

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 106W, a 31W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌41.3% higher power demand at 106W vs 75W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 25.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 960M better than GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,331 vs 3,375 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 960M is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 106W).

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

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

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

GeForce GTX 960M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 960M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $129 MSRP, and you are getting 1.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 make more sense than GeForce GTX 960M?

Yes. GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 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 future-proofing and staying closer to $129 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 960M. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 960M currently gives you 1.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 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 GTS 450 Rev. 2 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 960M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	17 FPS	27 FPS
medium	10 FPS	17 FPS
high	6 FPS	11 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	6 FPS
1440p
low	8 FPS	13 FPS
medium	4 FPS	7 FPS
high	2 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	2 FPS
4K
low	4 FPS	5 FPS
medium	2 FPS	3 FPS
high	1 FPS	2 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	1 FPS

Open GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 960M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	37 FPS	79 FPS
medium	19 FPS	49 FPS
high	14 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	10 FPS	22 FPS
1440p
low	12 FPS	37 FPS
medium	6 FPS	27 FPS
high	4 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	12 FPS
4K
low	3 FPS	12 FPS
medium	2 FPS	10 FPS
high	2 FPS	8 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 960M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	150 FPS	152 FPS
medium	120 FPS	122 FPS
high	100 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	112 FPS	114 FPS
medium	90 FPS	91 FPS
high	75 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	75 FPS	76 FPS
medium	60 FPS	61 FPS
high	48 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	38 FPS

Open GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 960M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	53 FPS	152 FPS
medium	40 FPS	121 FPS
high	23 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	6 FPS	111 FPS
medium	4 FPS	91 FPS
high	3 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	4 FPS	63 FPS
medium	2 FPS	49 FPS
high	2 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 Open GeForce GTX 960M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 and GeForce GTX 960M

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,331 points.

GeForce GTX 960M

The GeForce GTX 960M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1096 MHz to 1176 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,375 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 scores 3,331 and the GeForce GTX 960M reaches 3,375 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 960M uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 640 (GeForce GTX 960M). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 1.505 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
G3D Mark Score	3,331	3,375+1%
Architecture	Fermi 2.0	Maxwell
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	192	640+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS	1.505 TFLOPS+150%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	256 KB	320 KB+25%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	2 MB+700%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
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)

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 960M has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 960M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960M) — the GeForce GTX 960M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	2 MB+700%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 960M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	2	4+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs NVENC (4th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs NVDEC (1st Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 960M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP4	NVENC (4th Gen)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	NVDEC (1st Gen)
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 draws 106W versus the GeForce GTX 960M's 75W — a 34.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 960M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 960M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 210mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 68°C vs 82.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
TDP	106W	75W-29%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	210mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	68°C-17%	82
Perf/Watt	31.4	45.0+43%