GeForce GTX 960A vs Radeon E8870PCIe

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960A

2015Core: 1029 MHzBoost: 1085 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon E8870PCIe

2014Core: 575 MHzBoost: 625 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 960A vs Radeon E8870PCIe 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 Radeon E8870PCIe 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 960A vs Radeon E8870PCIe: 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

  • 75.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $51 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
  • Delivers 29.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.4 vs 13.5 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).

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.
  • 102.7% higher power demand at 75W vs 37W.

Radeon E8870PCIe

2014

Why buy it

  • Draws 37W instead of 75W, a 38W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 960A across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 25.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $250 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 17.4 G3D/$ ($250 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 960A is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 75.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (3,465 vs 3,368), so the answer here is pretty clean.
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 2014. 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 $51 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $250, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 29.2% (17.4 vs 13.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 960A vs Radeon E8870PCIe 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.

AMD

Radeon E8870PCIe

The Radeon E8870PCIe is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 25 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 575 MHz to 625 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 37W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,368 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960A scores 3,465 and the Radeon E8870PCIe reaches 3,368 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon E8870PCIe uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 640 (Radeon E8870PCIe). Raw compute: 1.389 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 0.8 TFLOPS (Radeon E8870PCIe). Boost clocks: 1085 MHz vs 625 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon E8870PCIe
G3D Mark Score
3,465+3%
3,368
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
640
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.389 TFLOPS+74%
0.8 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1085 MHz+74%
625 MHz
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40
40
L1 Cache
320 KB+100%
160 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 960A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon E8870PCIe leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon E8870PCIe
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

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 Radeon E8870PCIe. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon E8870PCIe) — the GeForce GTX 960A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon E8870PCIe
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960A draws 75W versus the Radeon E8870PCIe's 37W — a 67.9% difference. The Radeon E8870PCIe is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 350W (Radeon E8870PCIe). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon E8870PCIe
TDP
75W
37W-51%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
Perf/Watt
46.2
91.0+97%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 960A came in at $199, while the Radeon E8870PCIe launched at $250. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 960A was 20.4% cheaper ($51 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.4 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 13.5 (Radeon E8870PCIe) — the GeForce GTX 960A offers 28.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 960A (2015 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon E8870PCIe
MSRP
$199-20%
$250
Performance per Dollar
17.4+29%
13.5
Codename
GM107
Venus
Release
March 13 2015
January 25 2014
Ranking
#546
#734

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