GeForce GTX 960M vs Radeon E8870PCIe

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

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅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 13.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
❌102.7% higher power demand at 75W vs 37W.

Radeon E8870PCIe

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($250 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 37W instead of 75W, a 38W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

Radeon E8870PCIe

2014

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($250 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 37W instead of 75W, a 38W reduction.

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 13.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
❌102.7% higher power demand at 75W vs 37W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 960M better than Radeon E8870PCIe?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,375 vs 3,368 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.

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

GeForce GTX 960M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2014, more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 2 GB, and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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 $250 MSRP, and you are getting 0.2% higher G3D Mark. Radeon E8870PCIe really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon E8870PCIe still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon E8870PCIe is 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 3,368 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. 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 960M Benchmark Check

Radeon E8870PCIe Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
1080p
low	27 FPS	21 FPS
medium	17 FPS	12 FPS
high	11 FPS	8 FPS
ultra	6 FPS	4 FPS
1440p
low	13 FPS	10 FPS
medium	7 FPS	5 FPS
high	4 FPS	3 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	1 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	4 FPS
medium	3 FPS	2 FPS
high	2 FPS	1 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	1 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Radeon E8870PCIe

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
1080p
low	79 FPS	36 FPS
medium	49 FPS	19 FPS
high	37 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	9 FPS
1440p
low	37 FPS	17 FPS
medium	27 FPS	9 FPS
high	17 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	5 FPS
4K
low	12 FPS	5 FPS
medium	10 FPS	3 FPS
high	8 FPS	2 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	2 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Radeon E8870PCIe

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
1080p
low	152 FPS	152 FPS
medium	122 FPS	121 FPS
high	101 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	114 FPS
medium	91 FPS	91 FPS
high	76 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	76 FPS	76 FPS
medium	61 FPS	61 FPS
high	51 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Radeon E8870PCIe

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
1080p
low	152 FPS	67 FPS
medium	121 FPS	52 FPS
high	101 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	28 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	9 FPS
medium	91 FPS	7 FPS
high	76 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	5 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	6 FPS
medium	49 FPS	4 FPS
high	38 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	3 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Radeon E8870PCIe

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960M and Radeon E8870PCIe

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.

Radeon E8870PCIe

The Radeon E8870PCIe is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 25 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 575 MHz to 625 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 37W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,368 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960M scores 3,375 and the Radeon E8870PCIe reaches 3,368 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon E8870PCIe uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 640 (Radeon E8870PCIe). Raw compute: 1.505 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 0.8 TFLOPS (Radeon E8870PCIe). Boost clocks: 1176 MHz vs 625 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
G3D Mark Score	3,375	3,368
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.505 TFLOPS+88%	0.8 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1176 MHz+88%	625 MHz
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 960M gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon E8870PCIe relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 960M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon E8870PCIe has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 960M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon E8870PCIe) — the GeForce GTX 960M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Radeon E8870PCIe
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960M draws 75W versus the Radeon E8870PCIe's 37W — a 67.9% difference. The Radeon E8870PCIe is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 350W (Radeon E8870PCIe). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.