GeForce GTX 960M vs GeForce GTX 1650

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 960M

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,375 vs 7,869).
❌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 52.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅+133.2% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 960M: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 960M is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅+133.2% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 960M: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 960M is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,375 vs 7,869).
❌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 52.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 better than GeForce GTX 960M?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 7,869 vs 3,375 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1650 is a 2019 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while GeForce GTX 960M 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 GTX 1650 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015, 133.2% more raw performance headroom, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That extra performance headroom should help it hold higher settings and newer game demands for longer.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1650 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $149 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 133.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 960M is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1650 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 960M Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	27 FPS	94 FPS
medium	17 FPS	83 FPS
high	11 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	6 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	13 FPS	87 FPS
medium	7 FPS	74 FPS
high	4 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	50 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	41 FPS
medium	3 FPS	39 FPS
high	2 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open GeForce GTX 1650

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	79 FPS	136 FPS
medium	49 FPS	113 FPS
high	37 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	37 FPS	79 FPS
medium	27 FPS	62 FPS
high	17 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	12 FPS	36 FPS
medium	10 FPS	27 FPS
high	8 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open GeForce GTX 1650

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	152 FPS	323 FPS
medium	122 FPS	283 FPS
high	101 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	225 FPS
medium	91 FPS	202 FPS
high	76 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	117 FPS
4K
low	76 FPS	130 FPS
medium	61 FPS	117 FPS
high	51 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open GeForce GTX 1650

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	152 FPS	261 FPS
medium	121 FPS	211 FPS
high	101 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	201 FPS
medium	91 FPS	158 FPS
high	76 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	113 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	99 FPS
medium	49 FPS	74 FPS
high	38 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open GeForce GTX 1650

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960M and GeForce GTX 1650

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.

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 960M scores 3,375 versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 7,869 — the GeForce GTX 1650 leads by 133.2%. The GeForce GTX 960M is built on Maxwell while the GeForce GTX 1650 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 896 (GeForce GTX 1650). Raw compute: 1.505 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650). Boost clocks: 1176 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
G3D Mark Score	3,375	7,869+133%
Architecture	Maxwell	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	640	896+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.505 TFLOPS	2.984 TFLOPS+98%
Boost Clock	1176 MHz	1665 MHz+42%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	56+40%
L1 Cache	320 KB	896 KB+180%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 960M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	128 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1650). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (4th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960M) vs NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650). Decoder: NVDEC (1st Gen) vs NVDEC 4th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce GTX 1650
Encoder	NVENC (4th Gen)	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)
Decoder	NVDEC (1st Gen)	NVDEC 4th gen
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960M draws 75W versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 75W — a 0% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 300W (GeForce GTX 1650). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 229mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 82 vs 70°C.