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.

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 vs GeForce GTX 960M FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 vs GeForce GTX 960M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 960M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌41.3% higher power demand at 106W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 960M

2015

Why buy it

✅80.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 106W, a 31W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 25.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 960M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 80.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.3% in PassMark G3D (3,375 vs 3,331), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GTX 960M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 vs GeForce GTX 960M Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,331 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.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 scores 3,331 and the GeForce GTX 960M reaches 3,375 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 960M uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 640 (GeForce GTX 960M). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 1.505 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
G3D Mark Score	3,331	3,375+1%
Architecture	Fermi 2.0	Maxwell
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	192	640+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS	1.505 TFLOPS+150%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	256 KB	320 KB+25%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	2 MB+700%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	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 GTS 450 Rev. 2 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 960M carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 960M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 960M. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960M) — the GeForce GTX 960M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	2 MB+700%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 960M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	2	4+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs NVENC (4th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs NVDEC (1st Gen). Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 960M).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	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-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 draws 106W versus the GeForce GTX 960M's 75W — a 34.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 960M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 960M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 210mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 68°C vs 82.

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
TDP	106W	75W-29%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	210mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	68°C-17%	82
Perf/Watt	31.4	45.0+43%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 960M (2015 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2	GeForce GTX 960M
MSRP	$129	—
Codename	GF116	GM107
Release	March 15 2011	March 13 2015
Ranking	#739	#552

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