GeForce GTX 960
VS
Radeon R9 380X

GeForce GTX 960 vs Radeon R9 380X

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960

2015Core: 1127 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4060•RTX 3060•RTX 4060 Ti•RTX 3070•GTX 1650•RTX 3060 Ti•RTX 4070•RTX 3050•RX 7600•RTX 4070 Ti
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 380X

2015Boost: 970 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4060•RTX 3060•RTX 4060 Ti•RTX 3070•GTX 1650•RTX 3060 Ti•RTX 4070•RTX 3050•RX 7600•RTX 4070 Ti

Performance Spectrum - GPU

GeForce GTX 960
100
6,133
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 580
brand logoGeForce GTX 670
brand logoGeForce GTX 1650 SUPER
brand logoGeForce RTX 4050 Mobile
brand logoGeForce GTX 1080 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
Radeon R9 380X
250
6,131
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD8970M
brand logoRadeon RX 460 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
brand logoRadeon 760M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 5700
brand logoRadeon RX 7650 GRE
brand logoRadeon RX 7900M

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The GeForce GTX 960 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0% higher G3D Mark score. This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon R9 380X.

InsightGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
Performance
✅Leading raw performance (+0%)
❌Lower raw frame rates (-0%)
Longevity
🛑Obsolete Architecture (2015 / Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019))
🛑Obsolete Architecture (2015 / GCN 3.0 (2014−2019))
Ecosystem
Supports FSR Upscaling
Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM
❌ Less VRAM capacity
✅ More VRAM (+0%)
Efficiency
💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
⚡ Higher Power Consumption
Case Fit
📏 Compact / SFF Friendly
📏 Compact / SFF Friendly

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce GTX 960 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the GeForce GTX 960 holds the technical lead. Priced at $45 (vs $58), it costs 22% less, resulting in a 28.9% higher cost efficiency score.

InsightGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
Cost Efficiency
✅Better overall value (+28.9%)
❌Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
✅More affordable ($45)
⚠️Higher upfront cost ($58)

Performance Check

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 7800X3D 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

Radeon R9 380X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

1080p
low162 FPS
medium117 FPS
high92 FPS
ultra66 FPS
1440p
low105 FPS
medium76 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra41 FPS
4K
low31 FPS
medium24 FPS
high20 FPS
ultra12 FPS
Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

1080p
low160 FPS
medium115 FPS
high90 FPS
ultra66 FPS
1440p
low102 FPS
medium72 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra41 FPS
4K
low37 FPS
medium29 FPS
high23 FPS
ultra15 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080p
low174 FPS
medium128 FPS
high103 FPS
ultra61 FPS
1440p
low91 FPS
medium71 FPS
high49 FPS
ultra31 FPS
4K
low38 FPS
medium27 FPS
high20 FPS
ultra13 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080p
low190 FPS
medium144 FPS
high115 FPS
ultra68 FPS
1440p
low99 FPS
medium79 FPS
high58 FPS
ultra36 FPS
4K
low40 FPS
medium30 FPS
high23 FPS
ultra15 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080p
low276 FPS
medium221 FPS
high184 FPS
ultra138 FPS
1440p
low207 FPS
medium166 FPS
high138 FPS
ultra103 FPS
4K
low138 FPS
medium110 FPS
high92 FPS
ultra69 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080p
low276 FPS
medium221 FPS
high184 FPS
ultra138 FPS
1440p
low207 FPS
medium166 FPS
high138 FPS
ultra103 FPS
4K
low138 FPS
medium110 FPS
high92 FPS
ultra69 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080p
low142 FPS
medium121 FPS
high100 FPS
ultra74 FPS
1440p
low93 FPS
medium83 FPS
high64 FPS
ultra49 FPS
4K
low49 FPS
medium41 FPS
high26 FPS
ultra19 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080p
low103 FPS
medium91 FPS
high74 FPS
ultra59 FPS
1440p
low75 FPS
medium65 FPS
high48 FPS
ultra39 FPS
4K
low43 FPS
medium37 FPS
high23 FPS
ultra18 FPS
Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon R9 380X

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon R9 380X

The Radeon R9 380X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,131 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960 scores 6,133 and the Radeon R9 380X reaches 6,131 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 380X uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 380X). Raw compute: 2.413 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960) vs 3.973 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380X). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 970 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
G3D Mark Score
6,133
6,131
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
GCN 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1024
2048+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.413 TFLOPS
3.973 TFLOPS+65%
Boost Clock
1178 MHz+21%
970 MHz
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
64
128+100%
L1 Cache
384 KB
512 KB+33%
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
Upscaling Tech
FSR 2.1 (Compatible)
FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation
FSR 3 (Compatible)
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 960) vs 106 GB/s (Radeon R9 380X) — a 5.7% advantage for the GeForce GTX 960. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 960) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 380X) — the GeForce GTX 960 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
112 GB/s+6%
106 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 960) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 380X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12 (12_0)
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 VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 380X). Decoder: NVDEC (2nd Gen) vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8 (GeForce GTX 960) vs H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1 (Radeon R9 380X).

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
VCE 3.0
Decoder
NVDEC (2nd Gen)
UVD 6.0
Codecs
HEVC,H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,VP8
H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960 draws 100W versus the Radeon R9 380X's 250W — a 85.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 960 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 960) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380X). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 221mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
TDP
100W-60%
250W
Recommended PSU
400W-20%
500W
Power Connector
6-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
241mm
221mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75 C
75
Perf/Watt
61.3+150%
24.5
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 960 launched at $199 MSRP and currently averages $45, while the Radeon R9 380X launched at $229 and now averages $58. The GeForce GTX 960 costs 22.4% less ($13 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 136.3 (GeForce GTX 960) vs 105.7 (Radeon R9 380X) — the GeForce GTX 960 offers 28.9% better value.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960Radeon R9 380X
MSRP
$199-13%
$229
Avg Price (30d)
$45-22%
$58
Performance per Dollar
136.3+29%
105.7
Codename
GM206
Antigua
Release
January 22 2015
November 19 2015
Ranking
#393
#394