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

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 220W, a 120W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 242mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅+261.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 44.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌120% higher power demand at 220W vs 100W.

GeForce GTX 960

2015

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 220W, a 120W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 242mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅+261.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 44.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.8 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌120% higher power demand at 220W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than GeForce GTX 960?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 6,133 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 960 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 RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015, 261.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3070 is about 150.8% more expensive on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 261.5% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 960 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 960 is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,133 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 960 Benchmark Check

GeForce RTX 3070 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	103 FPS	158 FPS
medium	87 FPS	140 FPS
high	72 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	134 FPS
medium	77 FPS	109 FPS
high	56 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	80 FPS
medium	26 FPS	67 FPS
high	18 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	45 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	139 FPS	470 FPS
medium	109 FPS	405 FPS
high	88 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	277 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	294 FPS
medium	57 FPS	246 FPS
high	42 FPS	213 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	179 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	141 FPS
medium	19 FPS	120 FPS
high	16 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	83 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	276 FPS	885 FPS
medium	221 FPS	712 FPS
high	184 FPS	619 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	499 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	692 FPS
medium	166 FPS	557 FPS
high	138 FPS	473 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	374 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	479 FPS
medium	110 FPS	388 FPS
high	92 FPS	330 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	249 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3070

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
1080p
low	168 FPS	600 FPS
medium	139 FPS	527 FPS
high	125 FPS	433 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	385 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	489 FPS
medium	99 FPS	433 FPS
high	89 FPS	339 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	297 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	292 FPS
medium	55 FPS	270 FPS
high	45 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	200 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3070

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce RTX 3070

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 RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 261.5%. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score	6,133	22,172+262%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1024	5888+475%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	20.31 TFLOPS+742%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1725 MHz+46%
ROPs	32	96+200%
TMUs	64	184+188%
L1 Cache	0.38 MB	5.8 MB+1426%
L2 Cache	1 MB	4 MB+300%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 960 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 960 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 960) vs 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) — a 300% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 960) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	448 GB/s+300%
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB	4 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: NVDEC (2nd Gen) vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	NVENC 7th gen
Decoder	NVDEC (2nd Gen)	NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs	HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 75% difference. The GeForce GTX 960 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 242mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3070
TDP	100W-55%	220W
Recommended PSU	400W-38%	650W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	241mm	242mm
Height	111mm	112mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75 C	75°C
Perf/Watt	61.3	100.8+64%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. The GeForce GTX 960 costs 60.1% less ($300 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 44.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2015).