GeForce GTX 485M SLI vs GeForce GTX 960M

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 485M SLI

2011

Why buy it

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

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.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W 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 100W, a 25W 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.

GeForce GTX 485M SLI

2011

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W 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.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W 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.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 960M better than GeForce GTX 485M SLI?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,360 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 100W).

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

GeForce GTX 485M SLI 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 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around Unknown MSRP. GeForce GTX 960M is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 960M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 0.4% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 485M SLI is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 485M SLI make more sense than GeForce GTX 960M?

Yes. GeForce GTX 485M SLI 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 an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 960M. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 960M currently gives you 0.4% higher G3D Mark. G3D-per-dollar is basically tied between them.

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 485M SLI Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 960M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	77 FPS	27 FPS
medium	64 FPS	17 FPS
high	49 FPS	11 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	6 FPS
1440p
low	67 FPS	13 FPS
medium	55 FPS	7 FPS
high	38 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	2 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	5 FPS
medium	22 FPS	3 FPS
high	14 FPS	2 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	1 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 485M SLI Open GeForce GTX 960M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	67 FPS	79 FPS
medium	45 FPS	49 FPS
high	33 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	21 FPS	22 FPS
1440p
low	38 FPS	37 FPS
medium	21 FPS	27 FPS
high	15 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	12 FPS
4K
low	13 FPS	12 FPS
medium	8 FPS	10 FPS
high	6 FPS	8 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 485M SLI Open GeForce GTX 960M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	151 FPS	152 FPS
medium	121 FPS	122 FPS
high	101 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	113 FPS	114 FPS
medium	91 FPS	91 FPS
high	76 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	76 FPS	76 FPS
medium	60 FPS	61 FPS
high	50 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	38 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 485M SLI Open GeForce GTX 960M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
1080p
low	135 FPS	152 FPS
medium	108 FPS	121 FPS
high	92 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	101 FPS	111 FPS
medium	82 FPS	91 FPS
high	70 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	63 FPS
medium	45 FPS	49 FPS
high	36 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 485M SLI Open GeForce GTX 960M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 485M SLI and GeForce GTX 960M

GeForce GTX 485M SLI

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 6 2011. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 575 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,360 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 GTX 485M SLI scores 3,360 and the GeForce GTX 960M reaches 3,375 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is built on Fermi while the GeForce GTX 960M uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 640 (GeForce GTX 960M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
G3D Mark Score	3,360	3,375
Architecture	Fermi	Maxwell
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768+20%	640

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 960M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	GeForce GTX 960M
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.0	4.6+15%
Max Displays	2	4+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs NVENC (4th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs NVDEC (1st Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 960M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	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-4 ASP	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI draws 100W versus the GeForce GTX 960M's 75W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 960M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 960M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 92°C vs 82.