GeForce GTX 960A vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 960A

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

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

2011Core: 715 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 960A vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire 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 HD 6990M Crossfire 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 HD 6990M Crossfire: 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 $500 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 247.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.4 vs 5.0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

2011

Why buy it

  • 13.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 251.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.0 vs 17.4 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1% in PassMark G3D (3,500 vs 3,465), 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 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2011. 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 $500 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 247.7% (17.4 vs 5.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 960A vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire 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 HD 6990M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 12 2011. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 715 MHz. It has 2240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,500 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 960A scores 3,465 and the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 2,240 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire).

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score
3,465
3,500+1%
Architecture
Maxwell
Terascale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
640
2240+250%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 960A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
DirectX
12+9%
11.0
Max Displays
0
6
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 960A) vs None (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 3.0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
Encoder
NVENC 1st Gen
None
Decoder
NVDEC 1st Gen
UVD 3.0
Codecs
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960A draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire's 50W — a 40% difference. The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
TDP
75W
50W-33%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
1mm
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
90
Perf/Watt
46.2
70.0+52%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 960A came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire launched at $699. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 960A was 71.5% cheaper ($500 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.4 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 5.0 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire) — the GeForce GTX 960A offers 248% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 960A (2015 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GTX 960ARadeon HD 6990M Crossfire
MSRP
$199-72%
$699
Performance per Dollar
17.4+248%
5.0
Codename
GM107
Blackcomb XTX
Release
March 13 2015
July 12 2011
Ranking
#546
#517

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