Powered by the next-gen Nividia Maxwell archictecture, compared to their predecessors, GeForce’s GTX 980M and GTX 970M take graphic cards to a new level with their unmatched power efficiency, high performance and advanced features. But the GTX 960M, based on the same architecture with its predecessors, fails to impress in the technical specs department.
[toc]There are two versions of the GTX 860M. One is based on the Maxwell architecture while the other packs a Kepler version. The latter featured a MXM interface along with 80% more shader units. But its low performance made it less usable. Comparing the GTX 960M and the Maxwell version of the GTX 860M, you will spot numerous similarities in specs. Both GPU models use a GM107 chip; you can place 640 Unified Shaders. They also have 2048 – 4069 MB GDDR5 video memory available for use connected via a 128-bit memory interface.
The difference in the core clock speeds for the 860M and 960M is also not large. Nividia has raised it from the 1,029-1,097MHz to 1,097-1,202 MHz for the GTX 960M. The increase in speed boosts performance by 7-10%. The GPU–Z tool provides a further power up and enhances functionality by increasing the texture fill rate, the pixel fill rate and the number of TMUs. However, this might also become an issue, destabilizing the application. It would be wrong to say that the GTX 960M does not add anything new. It brings in small updates, but they are not very significant. The graphic cards don’t differ in their practice.
The 960M pales in comparison to top models from GeForce’s lineup of graphics cards with respect to hardware specifications. The 980M boasts of 4-8 GB GDDR5 video memory at a 256 bit interface while the 970M makes available 3-6GB video memory at 192 bit interface. The GTX 970M uses 1,280 shaders and the number of shaders on the 980M is more than twice (1,536 CUDA cores) that of the 960M making it the best for gamers.
Specs comparison:
| GeForce GTX 980M | GeForce GTX 970M | GeForce GTX 965M | GeForce GTX 960M | GeForce GTX 860M (Maxwell) | GeForce GTX 860M(Kepler) | |
| Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell | Maxwell | Maxwell | Maxwell | Kepler |
| Chip | GM204 | GM204 | GM204 | GM107 | GM107 | GK104 |
| Technology | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Pipelines | 1536 | 1280 | 1024 | 640 | 640 | 1152 |
| Core Speed | 1038 – 1127 (Boost) MHz | 924 – 1038 (Boost) MHz | 924 – 950 (Boost) MHz | 1097 – 1202(Boost) MHz | 1029 – 1097 (Boost) MHz | 797 – 915(Boost) MHz |
| Memory Speed | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz | 5000 MHz |
| Maximum VRAM | 8 GB | 6 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory interface | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit |
There are major differences in the gaming experience that each affords. For all tested titles in Ultra Preset settings (1920 x 1080, maximum detail, anti-aliasing), the GTX 960M lags by 60% for the GTX 970M and 100% for the GTX 980M. The GTX 965M does better as it is 8% (Maxwell version) and 17% (Kepler) faster than the GTX 860M. It has an advantage of 15%.
The limited 2GB video memory affects gaming experience for graphically dense and action-packed games such as Assassin’s Creed Unity, Watch Dogs and Shadow of Mordor to name a few. Kepler version GTX 860M, with 4 GB video memory available for use, is better suited for these gaming titles. For the highest settings, games like Wolfenstein: The New Order require at least 3 GB VRAM.
Gaming Benchmark comparison: (Ultra, 1920×1080)
| GeForce GTX 980M (4GB VRAM) |
GeForce GTX 970M (3GB VRAM) |
GeForce GTX 965M (2GB VRAM) | GeForce GTX 960M (2GB VRAM) | GeForce GTX 860M (2GB VRAM, Maxwell) |
GeForce GTX 860M (4GB VRAM, Kepler) | |
| Far Cry 4 | 59.4 fps | 48.1 fps | 32.4 fps | 30.8 fps | No data | 23 |
| Assassin’s Creed Unity | 33.3 fps | 22.9 fps | 13.7 fps | 11.9 fps | No data | 13.1 fps |
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | 57.9 fps | 46.4 fps | 35.8 fps | 30.4 fps | No data | 24.4 fps |
| Watch Dogs | 45.4 fps | 34.4 fps | 17.7 fps | 15.4 fps | No data | 18.9 fps |
| Thief | 62.1 fps | 47.9 fps | 34.2 fps | 28 fps | 24.9 fps | 22.6 fps |
| Battlefield 4 | 72.9 fps | 54.8 fps | 39.1 fps | 33 fps | 28.9 fps | 26.2 fps |
| Metro: Last Light | 66.8 fps | 53.3 fps | 38.7 fps | 31.9 fps | 28.6 fps | 23.7 fps |
| Hitman: Absolution | 54.6 fps | 41.2 fps | 28.1 fps | 26.4 fps | 24 fps | 19.6 fps |
| Crysis 3 | 43.3 fps | 33.4 fps | 23.9 fps | 20.6 fps | 19 fps | 18.4 fps |
*The data come from NotebookCheck
Verdict
If price is a primary consideration, you can settle for the GeForce 960M; It is a good-enough solution if you are willing to tweak the settings and don’t mind some jagged graphics. The Maxwell chip however is unlikely to meet the demands on performance in the future. The restrictions on video memory (2GB) and memory interface will put a brake on performance. The GTX 965M is already showing signs of the same.
So, to repeat, if you like to upgrade your notebook every second year and don’t mind some rough sound and images, it is best to invest in the GTX 960M. (Read More: Gaming Laptop under 1000)
All said and done, we still have a bone to pick with Nividia for its price tags. The GTX 980M, GTX 965M and GTX 960M are quite expensive in their respective range. If you are an avid gamer, we would suggest GTX 970M. It gives the best value, both for price and performance. You’ll enjoy a tremendous boost in performance; 45% faster than the GTX 965M for only 100 dollars more.
Here we recommend some gaming Laptops:
| MSI GE72 APACHE PRO-242 | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-5700HQ 2.7GHz 16GB DDR3 Ram 1TB 7200RPM Hard drive GeForce GTX970M with 3GB GDDR5 17.3-Inch (1920 x 1080) Windows 10 |
| ASUS ROG G751JT-DB73 | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz 16GB DDR3 Ram 1 TB 7200 RPM Hard Drive+256 GB SSD GeForce GTX970M with 3GB GDDR5 17.3-Inch (1920 x 1080) IPS Free upgrade to windows 10 |
| MSI GE62 APACHE PRO-219 | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-5700HQ 2.7GHz 16GB DDR3 Ram 1TB 7200RPM Hard drive +128GB SSD GeForce GTX970M with 3GB GDDR5 15.6-Inch (1920 x 1080) Free upgrade to windows 10 |
| Alienware 17 ANW17-2136SLV | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz 8GB DDR3 1 TB 5400RPM GeForce GTX970M with 3GB GDDR5 17.3 inch (1920 x 1080) Free upgrade to windows 10 |
| ASUS ROG G751JY-DB72 | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz 16GB DDR3 Ram 1 TB 7200 RPM Hard Drive+256 GB SSD GeForce GTX980M with 4GB GDDR5 17.3-Inch (1920 x 1080) IPS Free upgrade to windows 10 |
| ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71 | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz 16GB DDR3 Ram 1 TB 7200 RPM GeForce GTX960M with 2GB GDDR5 15.6-Inch (1920 x 1080) Free upgrade to windows 10 |
| Acer VN7-591G-70RT | Price and Reviews on Amazon | Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz 8GB DDR3 1TB 5400RPM GeForce GTX 960M with 4GB GDDR5 15.6-Inch (1920 x 1080) Free upgrade to windows 10 |