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GeForce GTX 950 vs L2

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 950

2015Core: 1024 MHzBoost: 1188 MHz
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VS

L2

2023Core: 1440 MHzBoost: 2520 MHz
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GeForce GTX 950 vs L2 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 950
2 GB 90
5,357
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 675MX
brand logoGeForce GTX 680M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 580
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU
brand logoTitan X Pascal
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 SLI
brand logoRTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
L2
4 GB 275
5,467
+2.1%
brand logoGeForce GTX 675MX
brand logoGeForce GTX 765M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 760
brand logoGeForce GTX 970
brand logoGeForce GTX 980 Ti
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 950 vs L2: 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 950

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $1,841 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $2,000 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 1132.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.7 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $2,000 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 90W instead of 275W, a 185W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌20.2% longer card at 202mm vs 168mm.

L2

2023

Why buy it

  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • ✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • ✅Measures 168mm instead of 202mm, a 34mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌
    1157.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,000 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 33.7 G3D/$ ($2,000 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • ❌205.6% higher power demand at 275W vs 90W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
L2 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (5,467 vs 5,357), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
L2 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, 92 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 950 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,841 cheaper on MSRP at $159 vs $2,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1132.6% (33.7 vs 2.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 950 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, L2 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 950 vs L2 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 950

The GeForce GTX 950 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,357 points. Launch price was $159.

NVIDIA

L2

The L2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 16 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1440 MHz to 2520 MHz. It has 11776 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 92 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,467 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 950 scores 5,357 and the L2 reaches 5,467 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 950 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the L2 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 11,776 (L2). Raw compute: 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950) vs 59.35 TFLOPS (L2). Boost clocks: 1188 MHz vs 2520 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
G3D Mark Score
5,357
5,467+2%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
768
11776+1433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.825 TFLOPS
59.35 TFLOPS+3152%
Boost Clock
1188 MHz
2520 MHz+112%
ROPs
32
128+300%
TMUs
48
368+667%
L1 Cache
0.28 MB
11.5 MB+4007%
L2 Cache
1 MB
96 MB+9500%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 950 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The L2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
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 950 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the L2 carries 4 GB. L2 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 GTX 950 and 128-bit on the L2. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 950) vs 96 MB (L2) — the L2 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
4 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
96 MB+9500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 12_2 (L2). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
DirectX
12_1
12_2
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd Gen (GeForce GTX 950) vs NVENC 8th Gen (L2). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs NVDEC 5th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 950) vs H.264,H.265,AV1 (L2).

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
Encoder
NVENC 2nd Gen
NVENC 8th Gen
Decoder
NVDEC 2nd Gen
NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265
H.264,H.265,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 950 draws 90W versus the L2's 275W — a 101.4% difference. The GeForce GTX 950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950) vs 350W (L2). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 202mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
TDP
90W-67%
275W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
202mm
168mm
Height
—
69mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Perf/Watt
59.5+199%
19.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 950 came in at $159, while the L2 launched at $2000. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 950 was 92% cheaper ($1841 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.7 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 2.7 (L2) — the GeForce GTX 950 offers 1148.1% better value. The newer card here is L2 (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 950L2
MSRP
$159-92%
$2000
Performance per Dollar
33.7+1148%
2.7
Codename
GM206
AD102
Release
August 20 2015
November 16 2023
Ranking
#425
#189
Search GeForce GTX 950 on AmazonSearch L2 on Amazon

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