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 $50 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 130W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,133 vs 11,892).
❌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 47.8 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

2022

Why buy it

✅+93.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 55% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.8 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($249 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

❌30% higher power demand at 130W vs 100W.

GeForce GTX 960

2015

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 130W, a 30W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+93.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 55% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.8 vs 30.8 G3D/$ ($249 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 11,892).
❌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 47.8 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌30% higher power demand at 130W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 OEM better than GeForce GTX 960?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 11,892 vs 6,133 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is a 2022 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 3050 OEM is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015, 93.9% 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 3050 OEM is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is about 25.1% more expensive on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 93.9% 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 3050 OEM Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
1080p
low	103 FPS	130 FPS
medium	87 FPS	113 FPS
high	72 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	83 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	119 FPS
medium	77 FPS	96 FPS
high	56 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	64 FPS
medium	26 FPS	57 FPS
high	18 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	33 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
1080p
low	139 FPS	239 FPS
medium	109 FPS	206 FPS
high	88 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	128 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	163 FPS
medium	57 FPS	135 FPS
high	42 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	92 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	88 FPS
medium	19 FPS	74 FPS
high	16 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	49 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
1080p
low	276 FPS	535 FPS
medium	221 FPS	428 FPS
high	184 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	268 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	401 FPS
medium	166 FPS	321 FPS
high	138 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	201 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	268 FPS
medium	110 FPS	214 FPS
high	92 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	134 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
1080p
low	168 FPS	467 FPS
medium	139 FPS	414 FPS
high	125 FPS	335 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	268 FPS
1440p
low	117 FPS	372 FPS
medium	99 FPS	321 FPS
high	89 FPS	236 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	197 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	199 FPS
medium	55 FPS	175 FPS
high	45 FPS	150 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	125 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 960 Open GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

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 3050 OEM

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1515 MHz to 1755 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 11,892 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 versus the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM's 11,892 — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM leads by 93.9%. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 8.986 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1755 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
G3D Mark Score	6,133	11,892+94%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1024	2560+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.413 TFLOPS	8.986 TFLOPS+272%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	1755 MHz+49%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	80+25%
L1 Cache	0.38 MB	2.5 MB+558%
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 960 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
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 3050 OEM has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 960) vs 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) — a 100% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	224 GB/s+100%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12.2+2%
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 8th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM). Decoder: NVDEC (2nd Gen) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	8th Gen NVENC
Decoder	NVDEC (2nd Gen)	5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs	HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM's 130W — a 26.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 960 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 235mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960	GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
TDP	100W-23%	130W
Recommended PSU	400W-11%	450W
Power Connector	6-pin	8-pin
Length	241mm	235mm
Height	111mm	124mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75 C	75°C
Perf/Watt	61.3	91.5+49%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199 MSRP, while the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM launched at $249. The GeForce GTX 960 costs 20.1% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 47.8 (GeForce RTX 3050 OEM) — the GeForce RTX 3050 OEM offers 55.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3050 OEM is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2015).