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GeForce GTX 680 vs GRID M60-8A

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

2012Core: 1006 MHzBoost: 1058 MHz
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VS

GRID M60-8A

2015Core: 557 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz
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GeForce GTX 680 vs GRID M60-8A Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 680
4 GB 195
5,609
+1.6%
brand logoGeForce GTX 860M
brand logoGeForce MX450
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 1630
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 3GB
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile
brand logoRTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
GRID M60-8A
4 GB 225
5,523
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 560 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 765M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 760
brand logoGeForce GTX 970
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile
brand logoRTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

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.

GeForce GTX 680 vs GRID M60-8A: 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 GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $2,001 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 408.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 195W instead of 225W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌25500% longer card at 256mm vs 1mm.

GRID M60-8A

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Measures 1mm instead of 256mm, a 255mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
  • ✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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.
  • ❌
    401% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,500 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.2 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • ❌15.4% higher power demand at 225W vs 195W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 680 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.6% in PassMark G3D (5,609 vs 5,523), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 680 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 GTX 680 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,001 cheaper on MSRP at $499 vs $2,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 408.8% (11.2 vs 2.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 680 vs GRID M60-8A Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

NVIDIA

GRID M60-8A

The GRID M60-8A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,523 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 and the GRID M60-8A reaches 5,523 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the GRID M60-8A uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2,048 (GRID M60-8A). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID M60-8A). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1178 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GRID M60-8A
G3D Mark Score
5,609+2%
5,523
Architecture
Kepler
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1536
2048+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.25 TFLOPS
4.825 TFLOPS+48%
Boost Clock
1058 MHz
1178 MHz+11%
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
128
128
L1 Cache
128 KB
768 KB+500%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The GRID M60-8A leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GRID M60-8A
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 680 and 128-bit on the GRID M60-8A. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2 MB (GRID M60-8A) — the GRID M60-8A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GRID M60-8A
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12_1 (GRID M60-8A). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GRID M60-8A
DirectX
12 (FL 11_0)
12_1
Max Displays
4
0
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the GRID M60-8A's 225W — a 14.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 680 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 350W (GRID M60-8A). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 256mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GRID M60-8A
TDP
195W-13%
225W
Recommended PSU
550W
350W-36%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
256mm
1mm
Height
111mm
—
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
98°C
—
Perf/Watt
28.8+18%
24.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 680 came in at $499, while the GRID M60-8A launched at $2500. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 680 was 80% cheaper ($2001 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2.2 (GRID M60-8A) — the GeForce GTX 680 offers 409.1% better value. The newer card here is GRID M60-8A (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 680GRID M60-8A
MSRP
$499-80%
$2500
Performance per Dollar
11.2+409%
2.2
Codename
GK104
GM204
Release
March 22 2012
August 30 2015
Ranking
#410
#505
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