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 960 vs GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design 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 GTX 960 vs GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design: 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 960

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design

2020

Why buy it

✅9.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅GeForce GTX 960 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 30.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (6,309 vs 6,133), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 960 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 960 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 960 vs GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

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 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 2 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1035 MHz to 1200 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,309 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 and the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design reaches 6,309 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 1,024 (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2.458 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1200 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	6,133	6,309+3%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	1024	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	2.458 TFLOPS+2%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1200 MHz+2%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	64
L1 Cache	0.38 MB	1 MB+163%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 960 and 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	112 GB/s
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 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). 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),VP9,H.265 10-bit (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	NVENC (Turing)
Decoder	NVDEC (2nd Gen)	NVDEC (4th Gen)
Codecs	HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9,H.265 10-bit

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design's 50W — a 66.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 75 C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
TDP	100W	50W-50%
Recommended PSU	400W	350W-13%
Power Connector	6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	241mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75 C	75°C
Perf/Watt	61.3	126.2+106%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design (2020 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design
MSRP	$199	—
Codename	GM206	TU117
Release	January 22 2015	April 2 2020
Ranking	#393	#371

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