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 960

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 7,869).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
33.6% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅+28.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 71.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 960: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 960 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

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 960

2015

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅+28.3% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 71.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than GeForce GTX 960: it remains the more sensible modern option while GeForce GTX 960 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 7,869).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
33.6% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

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 960?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 28.3% higher PassMark G3D performance. It also comes from 2019 instead of 2015, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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, 28.3% 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 about $50 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 28.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 71.4%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

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

Yes. GeForce GTX 960 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 $199 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 960 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	103 FPS	94 FPS
medium	87 FPS	83 FPS
high	72 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	58 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	87 FPS
medium	77 FPS	74 FPS
high	56 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	50 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	41 FPS
medium	26 FPS	39 FPS
high	18 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce GTX 1650

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	139 FPS	136 FPS
medium	109 FPS	113 FPS
high	88 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	79 FPS
medium	57 FPS	62 FPS
high	42 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	36 FPS
medium	19 FPS	27 FPS
high	16 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce GTX 1650

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	276 FPS	323 FPS
medium	221 FPS	283 FPS
high	184 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	225 FPS
medium	166 FPS	202 FPS
high	138 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	117 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	130 FPS
medium	110 FPS	117 FPS
high	92 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce GTX 1650

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
1080p
low	168 FPS	261 FPS
medium	139 FPS	211 FPS
high	125 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	166 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	201 FPS
medium	99 FPS	158 FPS
high	89 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	113 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	99 FPS
medium	55 FPS	74 FPS
high	45 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	51 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce GTX 1650

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 960

The GeForce GTX 960 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 22 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1127 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,133 points. Launch price was $199.

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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 7,869 — the GeForce GTX 1650 leads by 28.3%. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1650 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 896 (GeForce GTX 1650). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1665 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
G3D Mark Score	6,133	7,869+28%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1024+14%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	2.984 TFLOPS+24%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1665 MHz+41%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64+14%	56
L1 Cache	384 KB	896 KB+133%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 960) vs 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) — a 14.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1650. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	128 GB/s+14%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960) 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 960	GeForce GTX 1650
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

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

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

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the GeForce GTX 1650's 75W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 300W (GeForce GTX 1650). Power connectors: 6-pin vs None. Card length: 241mm vs 229mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 C vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650
TDP	100W	75W-25%
Recommended PSU	400W	300W-25%
Power Connector	6-pin	None
Length	241mm	229mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75 C	70°C-7%
Perf/Watt	61.3	104.9+71%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199 MSRP, while the GeForce GTX 1650 launched at $149. The GeForce GTX 1650 costs 25.1% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 52.8 (GeForce GTX 1650) — the GeForce GTX 1650 offers 71.4% better value. The GeForce GTX 1650 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2015).