GeForce GTX 960A vs GRID K520

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960A

2015Core: 1029 MHzBoost: 1085 MHz
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VS

GRID K520

2013Core: 745 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 960A vs GRID K520 Performance Spectrum

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 960A vs GRID K520: 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 960A

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $3,400 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1682.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.4 vs 1.0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
  • Draws 75W instead of 225W, a 150W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 267mm, a 266mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GRID K520

2013

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 1708.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,599 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.0 vs 17.4 G3D/$ ($3,599 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • 200% higher power demand at 225W vs 75W.
  • 26600% longer card at 267mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GRID K520 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.5% in PassMark G3D (3,516 vs 3,465), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 960A is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2015 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 960A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,400 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $3,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1682.3% (17.4 vs 1.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GRID K520 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 960A vs GRID K520 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960A

The GeForce GTX 960A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1029 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,465 points.

NVIDIA

GRID K520

The GRID K520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,516 points. Launch price was $3,599.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960A scores 3,465 and the GRID K520 reaches 3,516 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960A is built on Maxwell while the GRID K520 uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 1,536 (GRID K520). Raw compute: 1.389 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 2.289 TFLOPS ×2 (GRID K520).

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
G3D Mark Score
3,465
3,516+1%
Architecture
Maxwell
Kepler
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
640
1536 ×2+140%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.389 TFLOPS
2.289 TFLOPS ×2+65%
ROPs
16
32 ×2+100%
TMUs
40
128 ×2+220%
L1 Cache
320 KB+150%
128 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 960A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The GRID K520 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
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 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 960A and 64-bit on the GRID K520. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 0.5 MB (GRID K520) — the GeForce GTX 960A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 12 (11_0) (GRID K520). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
DirectX
12
12 (11_0)
Max Displays
0
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 960A) vs NVENC 1 (GRID K520). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs NVDEC 1.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
Encoder
NVENC 1st Gen
NVENC 1
Decoder
NVDEC 1st Gen
NVDEC 1
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960A draws 75W versus the GRID K520's 225W — a 100% difference. The GeForce GTX 960A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 350W (GRID K520). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
TDP
75W-67%
225W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
267mm
Height
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
46.2+196%
15.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 960A came in at $199, while the GRID K520 launched at $3599. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 960A was 94.5% cheaper ($3400 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.4 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 1.0 (GRID K520) — the GeForce GTX 960A offers 1640% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 960A (2015 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GTX 960AGRID K520
MSRP
$199-94%
$3599
Performance per Dollar
17.4+1640%
1.0
Codename
GM107
GK104
Release
March 13 2015
July 23 2013
Ranking
#546
#540

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