GeForce GTX 960M vs Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 960M

2015Core: 1096 MHzBoost: 1176 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

2020

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - GPU

GeForce GTX 960M

4 GB 75

3,375

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

GeForce RTX 5060

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

2 GB 30

3,390

+0.4%

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

Radeon RX 6600 XT

GeForce RTX 5060

About G3D Mark

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).

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 33.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

2020

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($100 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.
✅Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

2020

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($100 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.
✅Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W 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 33.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 better than GeForce GTX 960M?

Yes. Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 3,390 vs 3,375 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is a 2020 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?

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015 and a 10nm 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?

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $100 MSRP. Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $100 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 0.4% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $100 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (30W vs 75W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 960M is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below an unclear MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
1080p
low	27 FPS	79 FPS
medium	17 FPS	66 FPS
high	11 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	6 FPS	29 FPS
1440p
low	13 FPS	63 FPS
medium	7 FPS	52 FPS
high	4 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	20 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	24 FPS
medium	3 FPS	22 FPS
high	2 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
1080p
low	79 FPS	97 FPS
medium	49 FPS	68 FPS
high	37 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	31 FPS
1440p
low	37 FPS	53 FPS
medium	27 FPS	31 FPS
high	17 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	16 FPS
4K
low	12 FPS	18 FPS
medium	10 FPS	11 FPS
high	8 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
1080p
low	152 FPS	153 FPS
medium	122 FPS	122 FPS
high	101 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	76 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	114 FPS
medium	91 FPS	92 FPS
high	76 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	76 FPS	76 FPS
medium	61 FPS	61 FPS
high	51 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	38 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
1080p
low	152 FPS	139 FPS
medium	121 FPS	109 FPS
high	101 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	104 FPS
medium	91 FPS	82 FPS
high	76 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	63 FPS
medium	49 FPS	49 FPS
high	38 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960M Open Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960M and Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

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.

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

The Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is manufactured by an unknown manufacturer. It was released in August 15 2020. It features the Gen. 11 Ice Lake architecture. It has 96 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 10 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,390 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960M scores 3,375 and the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 reaches 3,390 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960M is built on Maxwell while the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 uses Gen. 11 Ice Lake, both on 28 nm vs 10 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 96 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
G3D Mark Score	3,375	3,390
Architecture	Maxwell	Gen. 11 Ice Lake
Process Node	28 nm	10 nm
Shading Units	640+567%	96

✨

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 Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 960M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 12.1 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (4th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960M) vs QuickSync (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7). Decoder: NVDEC (1st Gen) vs QuickSync. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1,MPEG-2 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
Encoder	NVENC (4th Gen)	QuickSync
Decoder	NVDEC (1st Gen)	QuickSync
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960M draws 75W versus the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7's 30W — a 85.7% difference. The Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 350W (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 82 vs 85.