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 960M vs GeForce RTX 2060 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 960M vs GeForce RTX 2060: 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 960M

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 160W, a 85W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 40.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅260.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌113.3% higher power demand at 160W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 260.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 318.2% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 3,375), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 960M vs GeForce RTX 2060 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 960M

The GeForce GTX 960M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1096 MHz to 1176 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,375 points.

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 960M scores 3,375 versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 14,114 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 318.2%. The GeForce GTX 960M is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 2060 uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060). Raw compute: 1.505 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060). Boost clocks: 1176 MHz vs 1680 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
G3D Mark Score	3,375	14,114+318%
Architecture	Maxwell	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	640	1920+200%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.505 TFLOPS	6.451 TFLOPS+329%
Boost Clock	1176 MHz	1680 MHz+43%
ROPs	16	48+200%
TMUs	40	120+200%
L1 Cache	0.31 MB	1.9 MB+513%
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 960M is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 960M has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 2060 carries 6 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 960M and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	6 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	336 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	192-bit+50%
L2 Cache	2 MB	3 MB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (4th Gen) (GeForce GTX 960M) vs NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060). Decoder: NVDEC (1st Gen) vs NVDEC (Turing). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 960M) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
Encoder	NVENC (4th Gen)	NVENC (Turing)
Decoder	NVDEC (1st Gen)	NVDEC (Turing)
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,H.265	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 960M draws 75W versus the GeForce RTX 2060's 160W — a 72.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 960M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 960M) vs 500W (GeForce RTX 2060). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 229mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 82 vs 72.

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
TDP	75W-53%	160W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	8-pin
Length	0mm	229mm
Height	0mm	113mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	82	72-12%
Perf/Watt	45.0	88.2+96%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce GTX 960M	GeForce RTX 2060
MSRP	—	$349
Codename	GM107	TU106
Release	March 13 2015	January 7 2019
Ranking	#552	#168

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