Acceleration card GTX 960 4GB. Setup NVIDIA video card for games

Modern product of the gaming industry is strikingly different from those developments that were 10 years ago. Accordingly, a better and large-scale product requires high computing capacities. personal computer. Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX. 960 is positioned by the manufacturer as a publicly available solution for users who want to use all the technologies and software improvements of the GPU Maxwell microarchitecture. In turn, this architecture is distinguished by low power consumption, moderate temperature regime, as well as full support for NVIDIA and DirectX 12 branded technologies.

Among the main manufacturers, ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, ZOTAC and PALIT can be allocated. Depending on the video card modifications, the GTX 960 characteristic will differ, but not significantly, since most of the company only increase the amount of memory by raising operating frequencies.

GEFORCE 960 was equipped with 2 GB and 4 GB video memory of the GDDR 5th generation. The main characteristics of the reference model are presented below.

Specifications graphic processor. The number of CUDA cores is 1024 blocks. An indicator of the base clock frequency is characterized by 1127 MHz, with an accelerator - 1178 MHz. Texture data selection speed shows a mark at 72 GIGATEXELS / S.

Specifications of video memory. Bandwidth GeForce 960 is 112 GB / s.

Temperature and meals. The maximum factory temperature level is indicated in 98 degrees. Electricity consumption is 120W, while minimum nutritional requirements - 400W. Map itself has a standard six-contact power connector.

GTX 960 Review

The GeForce 900 series is the second generation of video cards using Maxwell graphic processors architecture. NVIDIA has already made successful attempts to implement this architecture in the late generation card, namely GTX 750 and 750 Ti.

Models using new technology in the graphics processor showed a significant increase in performance in comparison with their predecessors based on the Kepler architecture. GeForce 960 has the support of the following basic technologies.

"Voxel Global Illumination". The use of bill of global illumination will allow creating better lighting in video games. This possibility is achieved by forming light and shadows not only on the basis of direct light rays, but also taking into account the reflection of this from the faces of 3D models. To date, "VXCI" is one of the best technologies for creating realistic lighting.

"MULTI-FRAMED SAMPLE AA". MFAA is a new multi-frame smoothing method developed by NVIDIA. Thanks to this technology, performance gains is about 30% with the same quality quality as standard MSAA.

"Dynamic Super Resolution". When using high resolution in games, the quality of displaying objects in the background is often reduced. This technology will increase the clarity of the image models due to the dynamic increase in sharpness.

NVIDIA HAIRWORKS. This method significantly increases the realism of woolen and hair cover in creatures in games.

Separately, it is worth noting the noise level, stable temperature and power consumption of GTX 960. The video card issued on the basis of the reference model show the best indicators among their competitors.

The noise level in inactivity is about 32 dB (a), while at maximum load it increases to 42-44 dB (a).

The temperature of the video card in passive mode ranges from 30 to 33 degrees, at maximum load, it increases to 65-69 degrees.

The power consumption of the entire GeForce 960 system in inactivity mode will be about 120 W, with maximum operation, the value will increase to 240-260 W.

Which power supply is needed for GTX 960

Taking into account the technical indicators, it can be concluded that the video card will simply use the standard power supply to 200 W.

How to overclock NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

Model 960 is a graphic card from the average price range with a sufficiently large potential for overclocking, not least because of its low power consumption and moderate temperature level. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 video card acceleration will increase its performance by 14-15%.

To improve performance, 3 main programs are used:

GPU-Z. It is a portable utility that indicates the operating parameters of the video card in normal mode.
MSI Afterburner. The main tool with which the GTX 960 is accelerated.
3DMark or Furmark. Benchmark required for testing a card with new parameters.

For overclocking, you must in turn to increase such parameters as CoreClock (graphic core frequency) and MemoryClock (video memory frequency). The procedure for action in both cases is the same:

Increase frequency at 40-45 MHz.
Checking stable work by testing through the benchmark.
Subsequent frequency increases are recommended to reduce to 20 MHz.
Increased value until various graphic artifacts appear when testing stability (hanging, flashing, appearance of black dots).
Reduced indicators to optimal parameters in which the card showed stable operation.

Cryptovali mining with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

Effective production of tokens of various digital currencies will be possible only when using the latest actual video cards. However, it is impossible to say that the mining on GTX 960 is impossible. This video card is an excellent budget option for users who have decided to try out the mining.

However, it is worth considering that the highest result can be achieved only when alternative currencies are extracted (Litecoin, Monero, Etherium Classic).

Testing in games

The test in GEFORCE 960 games showed excellent results of stable operation when maximum settings. When working in normal mode, this model is not far behind its competitors in terms of performance, and in the overclocked mode in some cases even significantly overtakes them.

More information about the possibilities of the video card can be found by looking at the video at the end of the article.

Comparison of manufacturers

Based on the basic characteristics, you can make the following comparison of modifications from various manufacturers, considering the characteristics and cost of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 video card in rubles.

Characteristics	ASUS GeForce GTX 960 Strix	Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 WINDFORCE 2X	MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G	Zotac GeForce GTX 960 AMP! Edition.	Palit GeForce GTX 960 Super Jetstream
Basic clock frequency, MHz	1253	1216	1216	1266	1279
Clock frequency with accelerator, MHz	1317	1279	1279	1329	1342
Memory frequency, MHz	1800	1753	1753	1753	1753
Memory size	2048	2048	2048	2048	2048
Bandwidth, GB / s	112	112	112	112	112
Pixel filtering, GPIXELS per second	40.1	38.9	38.9	40.5	40.9
Texture filtering, GTEXEL per second	80.2	77.8	77.8	107.6	81.9
Price GTX 960 on the first quarter of 2018, rub	~14.000	~14.000	~12.500	~13.500	~13.000

How to update NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 drivers

You can download the drivers for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 from the official website of the company. Setting the latest release of drivers and packages of additional software will allow you to carry out stable operation of equipment with maximum performance.

MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G | Games

GeForce GTX 960. It is often criticized for a narrow 128-bit memory bus and a small amount of 2 GB memory, which is considered insufficient for games in 2015. However, this card was developed under the resolution of 1920x1080. So how much FHD loads the GM206 graphics processor resources?

Currently, a card from EVGA is used in another our laboratory, but we were able to compare MSI solution with ASUS models and ZOTAC GTX 960 AMP! Edition. . Unfortunately, due to lack of time, we managed to perform only a small part of the tests.

Battlefield 4, 1080r, frame rate (more - better)

All cards without problems coped with Battlefield 4 ultrasound, demonstrating that the GPU GM206 from NVIDIA is quite capable of "digest" this popular game in 1080p. Acceleration did not show a significant improvement in the results compared to regular frequencies.

GTA V, 1080r, frame rate (more - better)

Grand Theft AUTO V today is one of the most popular games. Although the Benchmark embedded in the game uses far from maximum detail parameters, the quality of graphics, however, very good, and all the cards provide perfectly smooth gameplay. On the GeForce GTX 960. Of course, you can play this game for 1920x1080.

In addition, acceleration significantly affects performance by adding an average of eight FPS.

MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G | Temperature under load

He is the fourth version GeForce GTX 960. We tested, therefore, we added data from previous tests to the chart.

GPU temperature During 10 minutes of Battlefield 4, the ambient temperature 22 C (MSI 960 was tested at 25 seconds), (less - better)

The TWIN FROZER V radiator copes perfectly with its task, but ASUS Strix. 960 keeps the GPU temperature for several degrees below. However, the tests were carried out in summer, when the ambient temperature was several degrees above.

MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G | Acoustic characteristics

To measure the noise level of each card, we stop all fans in the system and measure in a quiet room. Indications are collected by the device at a distance of five centimeters from the card input / output of the card after a 10-minute test in Battlefield 4.

The device that we used for this testing is not so accurate as other tools in some of our laboratories. It starts measuring from 35 decibel. Previously, there were no problems with this, but today the indicators rests in the lower threshold of the device.

Noise level in decibels (less - better): Measurements are made at a distance of 5 cm from the card input / output panel in a simple after 10 minutes of Battlefield 4 test

The graph is indicated to 34 decibels. In this way, we want to show how quietly works cooler Twin Frzr V. The device did not record the readings at a distance of five centimeters from the rear panel even when the fans start.

To check accuracy, we placed the device inside the housing at a distance of 2.5 centimeters from the fans. Only then he showed 36.5 dB. Fans work very quiet! ZOTAC GTX 960 AMP! Edition. In similar conditions showed 39.5 dB.

MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G | Energy consumption

Perhaps MSI and reached target acoustic characteristics, but it has an energy consumption of it higher than that of competitors. In idle we got 8.5 W - this is the highest rate among tested GeForce GTX 960. . Under the load, the results were even higher in relation to other participants - 112 W, that is, 8 watts more than the nearest competitor.

Energy consumption of the video card in watts (less - better): Simple, 10 minutes in Battlefield 4 (Games), Furmark (Stress Test)

The power consumption in the stress test was at the same level with ASUS Strix, which feeds through one 6-pin connector. EVGA with an 8-pin connector, the limit of power consumption reaches 155 W, which can be useful when overclocking.

MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G | Acceleration

First, we want to remind you that all GPUs differ from each other, and our results may differ from yours. But even despite the variable irrefined to us, we will try to determine the ceiling for our subjects.

These tests use special software packages that are included with each card. For example, ASUS has GPU Tweak, U. ZOTAC GTX 960 AMP! Edition. - Firestorm, EVGA - PrecisionX. All these applications are similar to MSI Afterburner. For our own overclock, we used it. However, MSI also created a Gaming App utility that comes with all models of the game video cards. The Gaming App is the start button of the fan 100% power. There is also a menu to change the color of the card backlight. In addition, the application allows you to overclock the card for one click using a set of factory templates.

Silent Mode Sets the base frequency of the GPU to the reference value of 1127 MHz, and the frequency of the GPU BOOST is 1178 MHz. Gaming Mode (game mode) is started by default: the base frequency of 1190 MHz, GPU BOOST - up to 1253 MHz. OC MODE (acceleration mode) uses the most aggressive settings, increasing the GPU frequency to 1216 MHz and GPU Boost up to 1279 MHz. In all these modes, the card works stably and have appropriate acoustic performance.

After testing factory overclocking settings for further frequency optimization, we used MSI Afterburner. The program works in the same way as competitors. There are adjustments of the kernel voltage, power limit, temperature limit, clock rate of the kernel, memory frequency and fan speed. You can save up to five profiles to use them for individual games.

Before acceleration, the target power was set to a maximum, in the case of 108%. The temperature limit is associated with the previous parameter and independently exhibited 95 degrees.

Increasing incidence of 10 MHz, we passed the painstaking path of finding the maximum stable frequency. It amounted to +150 MHz. Initially, we calculated to fix the result in 160 MHz. However, during the study of temperature in Battlefield 4, there were noticeable layouts of texture overlay after the five-six minutes of the game. The problem was solved by a decrease in frequency increase of up to 150 MHz.

It is curious that in the Gaming Mode mode, the clock frequency turns out to be 50 MHz lower than when the Gaming App was loaded. In addition, this application receives priority in the fan management, and the corresponding adjustment in AfterBurner stops working.

By defining the upper stable core frequency, we switched to memory. Since the frequency of memory is usually much higher than the frequency of the GPU kernel, we increasing it with a step in 30 MHz. As a result, we added 500 MHz, subject to stable operation.

Performance after overclocking: 3DMark Fire Strike, graphic test, scores (more - better)

In the chart of overclocking there are no EVGA card indicators, since it did not participate in re-testing. Results with a new driver and a new version of 3DMark differ quite significantly, and they cannot be compared with previous values. After re-testing ZOTAC GTX 960 AMP! Edition. Our assumption was confirmed because the result was 300 points higher than in the previous configuration.

MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G | Conclusion

- This is the fourth video card with the GPU GM206 from NVIDIA, which we tested. Before starting the tests, we already knew what you can expect from it. All cards work slightly differently, demonstrating their strengths and weaknesses. In the case of MSI, we knew that we would see the high cooling efficiency. Radiator on her map is a little more than others GeForce GTX 960. That we tested, but also the temperature of the competitors' cards we would not be called high.

But we did not expect to see so quiet work of the fans. Even without special tools, we can confidently say that they have never met such a quiet video card, except for solutions with passive cooling. Even at full speed, the fans are barely audible in our test quiet room. In addition, the temperature of the graphics processor rarely exceeds the 65 degree threshold Celsius required to start the fans.

The video card demonstrated a worthy level of overclocking, comparable to other models. Clock frequencies are not the highest among GeForce GTX 960. But it is unlikely to complain about it.

Only two drawback comes to mind, because of which some buyers can remain dissatisfied. First, for some reason, the power consumption of MSI card is slightly higher than that of tested models GeForce GTX 960. . The difference is not critical, but still puzzles a little. Secondly, the buyer can scare the price. On average, $ 10 more expensive than four cards that have passed our tests. This is not a very big difference, but when all other cards are cheaper, it is difficult to justify the purchase of the most expensive option.

Benefits:

Low work temperature (rarely exceeds 65 ° C);
Tiking, even under load.

Disadvantages:

Energy consumption;
The size;
Price.

Test Stand, Testing Method

Configuration of test posted stands
CPU.	Intel Core i7-3960x @ 4.6 GHz (100 × 46)
Motherboard	ASUS P9X79 PRO.
RAM	DDR3 Kingston Hyperx 4 × 2 GB, 1600 MHz, CL9
ROM	Intel SSD 520 240 GB
Power Supply	Corsair Ax1200i, 1200 W	SEASONIC PLATINUM-1000, 1000 W
COOLING CPU.	Thermalright Archon.
Housing	CoolerMaster Test Bench V1.0
Operating system	Windows 8.1 Pro x64
For GPU AMD	AMD Catalyst Omega 14.12
Software for gpu nvidia	347.25

To measure the power of the system, a stand with a Corsair Ax1200i power supply unit is used. Energy-saving CPU technologies are disabled in all tests. The PCI-Express bus works in 3.0 mode. To activate PCI-E 3.0 on the GEFORCE 600 and 700 video cards in the system on the X79 chipset, a patch from NVIDIA is used.

In the NVIDIA driver settings, the CPU is always selected as a processor to calculate the PHYSX. In the AMD settings, the Tesselation setting is always translated from the AMD Optimized state in Use Application Settings. Crossfire configurations remain the Frame Pacing option.

Benchmark: synthetic
Program	API.	Settings		Resolution
3dMark 2011.	DirectX 11.	Test Extreme.	-	-
3Dmark.	DirectX 11.	Test Fire Strike (not Extreme)	-	-
Tessmark.	DirectX 11.	SET 4 (2048x2048), Tesselation x8 / x16 / x32 / x64	AA Off	1920 × 1080.
Unigine Heaven 4.	DirectX 11.	DirectX 11, Max. Quality, Tesselization in Extreme mode	AF 16X, MSAA 4X	2560 × 1440 / 3840x2160

Benchmark: Games
Program	API.	Settings	Anisotropic filtration, full-screen smoothing	Resolution
Far Cry 3 + Fraps	DirectX 11.	DirectX 11, Max. Quality, HDAO. Start Mission Secure The Outpost	AF, MSAA 4X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Tomb Raider. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11.	Max. quality	AF 16X, SSAA 4X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
BIOSHOCK INFINITE. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11.	Max. quality. PostProcessing: Normal	AF 16X, FXAA	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
CRYSIS 3 + FRAPS	DirectX 11.	Max. quality. Start Mission Post Human	AF 16X, MSAA 4X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Metro: Last Light. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11.	Max. quality	AF 16X, SSAA 4X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Company of Heroes 2. Built-in Benchmark	DirectX 11.	Max. quality	AF, SSAA 4X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Batman: Arkham Origins. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11.	Max. quality	AF, MSAA 4X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Battlefield 4 + Fraps	DirectX 11.	Max. quality. The beginning of the mission Tashgar	AF 16X, MSAA 4X + FXAA	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Thief. Built-in benchmark	DirectX 11.	Max. quality	AF 16X, SSAA 4X + FXAA	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440
Alien: Isolation.	DirectX 11.	Max. quality	AF 16X, SMAA T2X	1920 × 1080/2560 × 1440

Benchmark: Calculations
Program	Settings
DXVA Checker	Decode Benchmark. H.264, H.265. 1920 × 1080p files (video bit rate ~ 3000 kbps), 3840x2160p (video bitrate ~ 7500 kbps). Microsoft H264 Video Decoder (H.264), LAV Video Decoder (H.265), acceleration on the GPU hardware codec (DXVA2)
LUXMARK 2.0 x64.	ROOM Scene (Complex Benchmark)
Sony Vegas Pro 13	Benchmark Sony for Vegas Pro 11, Duration - 65 s, Rendering in XDCAM EX, 1920 × [Email Protected]
COMPUBENCH CL Desktop Edition X64, Ocean Surface Simulation	-
Compubench Cl Desktop Edition X64, Particle Simulation - 64K	-
SISOFTWARE SANDRA 2015, SCIENTFIC ANALYSIS	Open Cl, FP32 / FP64

Test participants

The following video cards took part in testing:

AMD RADEON R9 280 (933/5500 MHz, 3 GB);
AMD RADEON R9 285 (918/5500 MHz, 2 GB);
AMD RADEON R9 280X (1000/6000 MHz, 3 GB);
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (980/6008 MHz, 2 GB);
MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G (1126/7010 MHz, 2 GB).

Clock frequencies, power consumption, temperature, acceleration

For GeForce GTX 960, highly aggressive management of the clock frequency is installed. In the dynamics, the frequency rises to a maximum of 163 MHz above the base value - up to 1289 MHz at the supply voltage of the GPU 1,212 V. The acceleration of the instance existing on us allowed us to reach 1346 MHz base frequency, the top voltage value on the GPU can be increased to 1.256 mV.

	Base Clock, MHz	Max. Boost Clock, MHz	Base Clock, MHz (overclocking)	Max. Registered Boost Clock, MHz (acceleration)
GeForce GTX 980.	1127	1253 (+126)	1387	1526 (+139)
GeForce GTX 970.	1050	1213 (+163)	1278	1467 (+189)
GeForce GTX 960.	1126	1289 (+163)	1346	1535 (+189)
GeForce GTX 760.	980	1110 (+130)	1092	1241(+149)

The frequency ceiling rises along the way, so the maximum frequency registered in tests after overclocking was 1535 MHz (189 MHz above the basic). In most tests, the GPU frequency fluctuated in the range of 1511-1523 MHz.

GeForce GTX 960 really turned out to be more economical video card compared to GTX 760, although the difference in capacity does not affect the imagination. But the AMD video adapters consume already much more. By the way, the acceleration of the GTX 960 turned out to be very impressive, and energy consumption grew not so much.

Since compared video cards have a limit on permissible temperature GPU, which oriented electronics, controlling the cooler, compare them on the efficiency of the heat sink at regular settings - quite a senseless occupation. In this regard, graphic map MSI I coped with the task no worse than others.

⇡ Performance: Synthetic tests

GeForce GTX 960 not only surpassed GTX 760 points and RADEON R9 285, but also practically does not give way to nominally more powerful RADEON R9 280X.

In more new version The test is saved by the advantage of GTX 960 before GTX 760.
That's just the AMD team in full-line out of the novelty.

Tessmark.

The new geometric engine significantly distinguishes the GeForce GTX 960 from GTX 760.
GTX 960 also unconditionally exceeds in the calculations of the Geometry AMD video adapters on the Tahiti - R9 280 and R9 280x chip.
However, the leader in this category is Radeon R9 285.

Unigine Heaven 4.

In the permission of Full HD, the novelty differs little from GTX 760 and RADEON R9 280. More powerful AMD adapters slightly faster.
In 2560 × 1440 mode, it makes itself felt a narrow GM206 memory bus that left GTX 960 in outsider.

Performance: Games

Tomb Raider.

In Full HD mode, GTX 960 is kept on equal to RADEON R9 280 and exceeds R9 285.
With a resolution of 2560 × 1440, the shifts of the frame change in the GTX 960 is not so great as it would be expected. At least a significant difference between GTX 960, R9 285 and R9 280 was not revealed.

BIOSHOCK INFINITE.

GeForce GTX 960 failed to defeat from AMD team representatives in both permissions. The only positive result: a map is a little faster than GTX 760.

Crysis 3.

The first gold medal on the GTX 960 account. In the permission of Full HD, the video card works even a little faster than the Radeon R9 280x.
In mode 2560 × 1440, the participants differ not so much, but at first glance, you can talk about parity between GTX 960, on the one hand, and R9 280x, as well as R9 285, on the other.

Metro: Last Light

GeForce GTX 960 is just as good as RADEON R9 285 and R9 280.
In 2560 × 1440, the expected, but not a critical performance drawdown compared to competitors' indicators.

COMPANY OF HEROES 2

GTX 960 competes with RADEON R9 285 and R9 280. But if in Full HD mode, the fight is on equal, then in 2560 × 1440, the novelty gives the position.

Batman: Arkham Origins

The only test in which the GTX 960 worked slower than the GTX 760, and remained in the tail in both permissions. See, pumped up the 128-bit memory bus.
However, Radeon R9 285 has passed here not far forward, especially with a resolution of 1920 × 1080.

Battlefield 4.

GeForce GTX 960 showed a good result in Full HD mode, where it took an intermediate position between the RADEON R9 280 and R9 280X.
Everything is not so smooth in 2560 × 1440. GTX 960 Among the lagging together with GTX 760 and R9 285.

GTX 960 is a little faster than R9 285, when resolving Full HD and is not much different in mode 2560 × 1440.
The first places in both modes are kept RADEON R9 280 and R9 280X.

Alien: Isolation.

RADEON R9 285 hit the deplorable position, while maintaining competitiveness only at a resolution of 2560 × 1440. In Full HD GeForce GTX 960 caused a crushing defeat.
Two other AMD team player hold leading positions.

Far Cry 4.

GeForce GTX 960 belongs to the first result with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 (even the Radeon R9 280x with a slight margin remained behind) and the last - at 2560 × 1440 (here the novel is different from GeForce GTX 760).

⇡ Performance: Calculations

Decoding video

The NVENC hardware decoder in the GM206 for the H.264 code processing speed is clearly redundant even in order to play video with a resolution of 4K with a frame rate of 60 Hz. For example, the codec in Radeon R9 285 is enough for this purpose, and the H.264 codec in earlier GPU AMD does not support such a high resolution. On the other hand, additional power can be used in the video file recoding task.
Additional logic H.265 hardware decoder (HEVC) also has a large product supply. In this role, GM206 is not so bad even compared to a powerful 6-nuclear CPU.
At the very least, the fully hardware decoding of H.265 on GM206 is clearly more efficient than on GM204, where part of the operations performs the CPU.

LUXMARK: Room (Complex Benchmark)

In the task of the rays, the Maxwell architecture made a jerk. We have seen this by the example of GeForce GTX 980. Here and now GeForce GTX 960 is almost twice as much as GTX 760, left behind the RADEON R9 285 and comes on the heels R9 280.

Sony Vegas Pro 13

NVIDIA video card is not in better form for this test. Like his predecessor, GeForce GTX 960 does not have any comparison with competing AMD products.

COMPUBENCH CL: Ocean Surface Simulation

But in this test, GeForce GTX 960 lagged even from his predecessor, not to mention AMD video adapters.

COMPUBENCH CL: PARTICLE SIMULATION

Another example of successfully optimizing the Maxwell architecture for settlement tasks. GeForce GTX 960 left far behind all rivals without excluding RADEON R9 280X.

Sisoftware Sandra 2015: Scientific Analysis

Maxwell is poorly suitable for such tasks, even with single accuracy computations (FP32). In addition, the FP64 speed decreased even compared to Kepler chips - up to 1/32 from FP32, which was reflected in the results of Sandra.

Game tests + Unigine Heaven 4

⇡ Conclusions

This time no revolutions were planned - simply planned replacing the Honored GK104 processor with a more compact and energy efficient GM206 chip. For the GM206, the GM206 video card is suitable where as best than a partially blocked version of the GM104, which was completed by GeForce GTX 760. The Maxwell architecture has once again showed an impressive level of performance per unit of power: GTX 960 has a TDP to 50 W less than GTX 760, For the most part, not yielding in performance. As it turned out, with a 128-bit memory boss, it is quite possible to live in this segment. We note the accelerating potential of the GeForce GTX 960, which, however, is not so clearly converted into the increase in speed, as I would like.

The currency price on the GTX 960 is reduced by $ 50 compared to GTX 760, although Russians concern little. The cheapest GTX 760 options here have the same price as recommended for GTX 960. In addition, due to the end of the life of the latter, you can count on a discount. In this regard, the output of the GTX 960 will play on the hand to those who are indifferent to the power consumption of the video card, because the performance of these models varies slightly. If neither twist, ensure the reduction in price and power simultaneously with the increase in speed without changing the technological norm, even Maxwell cannot.

The main competitor of the novelties, Radeon R9 285, strictly speaking, can not confront GTX 960 to equal in: most tests were on the side of the NVIDIA product, and the price of R9 285 ($ 249) is higher than that of the opponent, not to mention a completely different level of energy consumption. It is more profitable for AMD to oppose the GeForce GTX 960 another video card - Radeon R9 280. Between these accelerators in tests, parity was installed at a resolution of 1920 × 1080, and the AMD product is better adapted for a 384-bit memory tire and 3 GB. .

Finally, a pair of words about the adapter MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2G. On the example, it was on this model that we rated the overtakers of GeForce GTX 960, so there should be no problems with overclocking in potential owners. The power supply and cooling system is good enough. If only the GPU crystal did not give up, but the frequency of something increased relative to the reference values \u200b\u200bis already guaranteed.

NVIDIA video card with a number "60" in the title is considered to be optimally balanced solutions capable of fullHD permission to launch even the most demanding games. Let not be at an ultra, but certainly at high graphics settings. Moreover, in order to obtain a significant increase in performance, new "six oxades" is worth buying through one generation. For example, the GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi architecture) was successfully replaced with GTX 660 (Kepler), and then in turn on GTX 960 (Maxwell). It is about new GeForce GTX 960 performed by MSI that will be discussed in this article.

The editors thanks the company, kindly granted a video card for testing.

Specifications

1024
128
35	39	11
90	99	10
70	77	10
65	72	11
91	101	11

As testing has shown, all benchmarks and games have gained the growth rate, equivalent acceleration - 10-11 percent. Thus, in the games Tomb Raider and Sniper Elite 3 after overclocking, the frame rate has reached 100 FPS, and in a slightly more demanding Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Total War: Rome II - Perevalil for 70 FPS.

In a simple when the video card fans did not rotate, the kernel temperature was 50 ° C, after the fifteen-minute warm-up of the Unigine Valley benchmark at rated frequencies - 66 ° C at the speed of rotation of the fans 800 rpm, and under the load after overclocking increased only to 68 ° C With the same revs. The TWINFROZR V cooling system has coped with its task not only effectively, but also is extremely quiet.

conclusions

Like the previous "six oxades" NVIDIA, the GeForce GTX 960 model confirmed its status perfectly balanced at the price and performance of the video card. Doubly pleased with the MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2G: quiet, efficient and, which is important for the gamer, stylish in the form of the cooling system, high reliability of the design, rather big factory overclocking and even greater potential for additional manual overclocking. The video card turned out without explicit deficiencies, for which he deservedly receives our highest award "Choice of the Root-Nation Editor".

Benefits:

high performance
balanced power consumption
high quality electronic components
quiet and efficient cooling system
good overclocking potential

Disadvantages:

essential not

Prices in online stores

It is possible to display similar models if this is missing in the directory.

The gaming industry has been developing in the same direction in the same direction - improving the quality of graphics and arising from this requirement for computer "gland". With the transition to the console of the new generation, the requirements for the volume of video memory were noticeably increased. Therefore, some medium-class graphic accelerators are often available in two versions with different via videos. Recently, GeForce GTX 960 with 4 GB of memory is becoming increasingly active in the market, and 2 GB models are less and less. In this review, we will return to this topic again, compare the GeForce GTX 960 with a different amount of memory in the resolution of 1920x1080 and at the same time test RADEON R9 280X 3GB and RADEON R9 380 2GB in the updated list of test applications.

The GeForce GTX 960 4GB video card will be represented by the MSI Gaming model, which we are now studying in all details.

This model is sold in a medium-sized box, which is made in the standard Gaming style products. Inside there is a second box, in which the video card is recorded. All accessories are folded into the additional compartment.

Supplies kit:

dVI / D-SUB adapter
power Adapter with PCI-E 6-PIN on 8-PIN;
disk with software;
instruction.

In external design MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 4G There is nothing new, this is a complete copy of GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G. A large video card (as for its level) with massive cooling and a bright casing with red inserts.

The company's logos and the design of the Gaming series symbol are applied to large fans. The fans themselves are allocated not only to the size, but also a special shape of the blades.

Curved massive thermal tubes appeared from under the casing. On the housing there is a highlighted MSI logo with a dragon.

The back side is closed by a perforated metal plate, which does not have MSI Gaming video card for 2 GB. One eight-contact power connector is located in the corner and deployed up.

On the rear panel, five interface connectors: DVI, three DisplayPort and one HDMI.

The cooling system repeats the cooler of the younger version of GeForce GTX 960 with 2 GB. Three thermal tubes are attacked on a wide massive base, one of which increased diameter is 8 mm.

The tubes are evenly permeated with the radiator. On the bottom there are two elastic pads, resting in a fee and another radiator.

The radiator of a steam of fans is 100 mm. Their impeller is made using Torx Fan technology with a unique shape of the blades.

The blades are grouped along two, where the upper blade of the curved shape, and the lower ordinary form. Such a combination allows you to create a more powerful and scattered airflow, which improves the injection of the radiator.

A radiator is provided for the power components of the power node.

The plate covering the opposite side of the video card protects the surface of the board from external influences, but does not remove heat from the components. An additional stiffness edge is screwed to the side face of the textolite, although in the presence of the back plate there will no longer be problems with the deformation of the board.

Both versions of MSI GTX 960 Gaming is used printed circuit board One design, only in this model twice the memory chips, which are disappeared on both sides.

The graphics processor is powered by a four-phase converter. These choke are covered with a pad resting in the radiator. Memory memory single-phase.

The GM206-300-A1 processor operates with all available computing blocks: 1024 streaming processors, 64 texture blocks and 32 ROPs.

Scrolling Eight Samsung K4G41325FC-HC28 Memory Chips

Recall that MSI Gaming video adapters have three working profiles with different frequencies and different settings revolutions of blowing fans. In the case of "cold" middle-class representatives from NVIDIA initial frequencies often correspond to the most fast regime. In this case, the default frequencies corresponding to the average Gaming Mode mode, they are only slightly higher than recommended. The basic frequency of the 1216 MHz core at Boost Clock 1279 MHz, the effective memory frequency is 7012 MHz.

Our instance of Asic Quality amounted to 64.3%.

To some surprise, the maximum BOOST value did not exceed 1291 MHz, which minimally exceeds the average BOOST CLOCK. Usually the difference between them is more. With help special applications MSI Gaming App can be changed working modes into one click. The video adapter supports the Silent profile with a decrease in the base frequency to 1127 MHz with a real boost not higher than 1202 MHz. Also a discouraging moment, because many previously tested video cards of this series with a base value of 1126 MHz demonstrated the Boost under 1300 MHz. The most speed mode OC MODE offers a 1241 MHz base frequency at a real frequency of 1315 MHz (BOOST CLOCK 1304 MHz) and memory acceleration up to 7204 MHz.

For performance testing, we used OC-mode. And to replace the standard version of GeForce GTX 960 4GB, such frequencies are selected so that Boost does not exceed 1265 MHz. The younger version of the GeForce GTX 960 with 2 GB of memory has been adjusted under similar frequencies.

When the gaming load was observed a stable boost at the peak level of 1315 MHz. The kernel temperature was kept within 63 ° C at 24 ° C indoors. The speed of the fans did not exceed 900 rpm even in peak moments, so noise is practically absent. Below are the screenshots of monitoring parameters during the passage of Metro tests: Last Light and Dirt Rally.

results acceleration GPU. Excellent. We managed to achieve stability in the peak value of the BOOST 1562 MHz. To do this, it took a slight increase in voltage by 20 mV and an increase in the base frequency to 1475 MHz. At higher frequency values, artifacts were observed. As for memory, its frequency managed to raise up to 7920 MHz, which fully complies with the results of other MSI video cards based on GM206.

To increase stability, the velocity of the fans was forcibly increased to a level of 1200 rpm, and even led to lower temperatures relative to the initial mode.

Characteristics of tested video cards

MSI GTX 960 Gaming 4G will be tested in nominal mode (OC MODE) and when fitting the frequency under the standard level. According to the results of tests of reference samples on other resources, we previously limited the kernel frequencies with the value of 1270 MHz, now slightly reduced the upper boundary to 1265 MHz. The standard MSI features for Gaming Mode and OC MODE are shown in the table.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Testing was carried out using FRAPS. FPS was measured during a trip on the road to the village of White Garden. Five repetitions.

Settings graphics are selected in manual mode On the basis of our broad setup manual. All major parameters on the "Exchange" level, but HairWorks technology is completely disabled. In the post-processing section included the effects of clarity, glow, light rays ("light shafts"), smoothing, SSAO shading mode. The remaining parameters in post-processing are disabled.

The last game of the Total War series has a built-in benchmark, which demonstrates a typical battle scene. This test ran six times.

The maximum quality of most parameters has been established. Fully disabled smoothing and image depth effect. The quality of the shadows and reflections is reduced to a high level. The configuration of our settings is displayed below.

Xcom 2.

The beginning of the first mission after joining. A short sequence of actions was repeated, the frame rate was measured using FRAPS.

Maximum graphics quality has been established, but smoothing in the simplest FXAA mode.

3DMark 11.

Testing in Extreme mode

3DMark Fire Strike.

Energy consumption

Results based on measurements in six applications:

Batman: Arkham Knight;
Dirt Rally;
Far Cry 4;
Grand Theft AUTO 5;
Metro: Last Light;

Picking values \u200b\u200bwere taken into account during each run, on the basis of which the average peak was calculated on individual tests, and then the overall meaning was calculated. The data was removed using the COST Control 3000 device.

Test results

Assassin "S Creed Syndicate

The last part of the Assassin "S Creed uses the Unity engine and demonstrates a similar level of performance. In the test scene, just less than 3 GB of video memory is loaded, and we see the difference between GeForce GTX 960 with different videos of the video clip. Model with 4 GB is better about 5% at minimum fps . Both versions faster Radeon R9 380 and a little weaker Radeon R9 280x. After overclocking the difference between NVIDIA comrades at 6-8%. MSI Gaming at factory frequencies is minimally different from the older Radeon, while maintaining such a ratio and after increasing the frequency.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Another game demanding memory. Batman: Arkham Knight during the passage of the benchmark loads approximately 3.8-3.9 GB. The difference between the two GeForce GTX 960 is significant - 18% by minimal FPS and more than 4% in the average frame rate. And even overclocking poorly affects the growth of the minimum indicator in GeForce GTX 960 2 GB, while the MSI video adapter with 4 GB receives an acceleration of 18%. With all its advantages, GeForce GTX 960 4 GB is inferior to RADEON R9 280x 3 GB. Weaker than all RADEON R9 380, especially at the minimum FPS.

Battlefield 4.

In Battlefield 4, the amount of memory does not play any role when working resolution 1920x1080. Both versions of GeForce demonstrate identical results with standard frequencies by overtaking RADEON R9 380 by 2-12%. Approximately 3% faster than MSI Gaming comrades at 1241-1315 / 7204 MHz frequencies. Acceleration allows you to accelerate by another 14% and block the backlog from Radeon R9 280x.

Dirt Rally.

For the first time in our testing, GeForce GTX 960 is inferior to Radeon R9 380. The game uses a little more than 2 GB of video memory with the selected settings, but the second gigabyte provides a meager advantage. Warnish the younger Radeon helps overclocking. Senior Radeon R9 280x out of competition.

After inclusion of a more complex blending, the situation changes. AMD video adapters dramatically lose positions, riding on the bottom line of the ranking. Both GeForce GTX 960 breaks forward. The memory load increases to 2.4 GB, but the advantage of the model with 4 GB is still minimal. It is noteworthy that even after overclocking the RADEON R9 280x does not reach the MSI level in the par.

DYING LIGHT ENHANCED EDITION

Dying Light game updated to Enhanced Edition and got a major addition to the favoring. In addition to game changes, small changes in the graphics were promised in the main game.

GeForce GTX 960 4GB wins a comrade with a smaller amount of memory only about a percent when loading up to 3 GB of data into a video clipboard. Both are minimally different from the RADEON R9 280X and confidently overtake the RADEON R9 380. The latter had periodic drawdors, which led to a very low result by minimal FPS. It seems that for RADEON R9 380 the amount of memory is more critical than for GeForce GTX 960. After overclocking, NVIDIA representatives hold parity with the senior participant of AMD.

Fallout 4.

In the test scene, Fallout 4 uses less than 2 GB, so the memory volume factor does not play any role. A little unexpectedly in the first place is RADEON R9 380, which overtakes Radeon R9 280x and NVIDIA participants. In allowing, everyone has very close results. A small lag in the gense of GeForce GTX 960 is easily compensated for a better acceleration potential.

Far Cry 4.

With the selected quality settings, FAR CRY 4 can use up to 3 GB of memory. It is noticeable that it again hits the RADEON R9 380, and for GeForce GTX 960 is not yet critical. The maximum difference between the two versions of GeForce GTX 960 by minimal FPS, but also it is 4%. MSI Gaming due to increased frequencies in the face value is almost no different from the RADEON R9 280x, increasing its performance by 15% during acceleration.

Grand Theft AUTO 5

GTA 5 confidently leads Radeon R9 280x. A newer video adapter RADEON R9 380 is a bit inferior at an average frame rate, but demonstrates catastrophic drawdowns at minimal FPS. GeForce GTX 960 has more balanced results, both versions provide acceptable results. The second gigabyte gives a minimal advantage over visible results, although the game itself already uses 3.1 GB. A small difference between comrades GeForce GTX 960 and after overclocking. From the minimal FPS reports, the Radeon R9 380 acceleration does not save, this video adapter remains as an outsider.

Just Cause 3.

New game in our testing. In our test scene, it can also download up to 3 GB of video memory. This is poured into the fact that GeForce GTX 960 4 GB is 12% better than a minimal FPS comrade with a difference of about 1% by middle frame rate. MSI Gaming at factory frequencies (OC MODE profile) is identical to the RADEON R9 280x at the minimum indicator with a lagging time of about 8% on the medium frequency frame. RADEON R9 380 2 GB is poorly different from the average FPS from GeForce GTX 960 with the same amount of memory, but there are serious performance drops with sharp movements. As a result, the junior representative of AMD again turns out to be an outsider.

Metro: Last Light

Very close results for all testing participants in Last Light. At the same time, the first place (albeit with a minimum translate) remains for RADEON R9 280X. MSI Gaming at the same time due to higher frequencies, the usual version is weaker than 3%. After overclocking MSI holds second place after RADEON R9 280X. The lowest indicators in the RADEON R9 380 acceleration.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

The last part of the Tomb Raider is already known to all their wild memory requirements. On the criticality of this and the influence of individual settings for overall performance, we wrote in a special article. Now we picked up an even more severe test scene.

For GeForce GTX 960, the type of memory gives a two-time difference in the results. In the version with 2 GB, we obtain a stable slideshow, with 4 GB already have about 30 fps. Although it will not work normally, it will not work, and even after overclocking, drawdowns are preserved below 20 FPS. In principle, such results mean absolutely normal performance and comfortable FPS in closed locations and caves. But on the territory of the Soviet camp or in the geothermal valley, the frame rate will decline until an acceptable level. Pay attention to the advantage of GeForce GTX 960 4GB over the RADEON R9 280x 3GB. It is also interesting that the Radeon R9 380 holds against the background of the younger version of the GeForce GTX 960 is quite good.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Triumph Radeon R9 380 in Witcher 3. The new GCN architecture provides a significant advantage over the RADEON R9 280x and GeForce GTX 960. All other rivals are approximately at the same level both in the denomination and after overclocking. The game uses less than 2 GB even with a resolution of 2560x1440, so that the second gigabyte for GeForce does not play any important role.

The last part of the Total War series can upload up to 2.7 GB in the game benchmark with the maximum quality texture. But the advantage of the senior version of the GeForce GTX 960 above the adapter with a smaller memory is minimal. On the Radeon R9 380, the lack of memory is manifested in unstable results, which even required additional dough repeats. As a result, this Radeon is again at the end of the rating, and the simplest GeForce GTX 960 is at the same level with RADEON R9 280X. In acceleration leads MSI GTX 960 Gaming 4G, which is 2-3% faster than the usual GeForce GTX 960.

Xcom 2.

This testing in XCOM 2 can be called preliminary, it was performed at almost the very beginning of the game, some serious graphical moment was chosen. But you can make a general idea of \u200b\u200bperformance in the game.

GeForce GTX 960 is inferior to rivals from AMD, and in the first place again Radeon R9 380. This lag is easily compensated by the GEFORCE acceleration. Increased frequencies provides acceleration to 18% for the hero of our review, if you repel from the recommended frequency configuration.

3DMark 11.

Virtually identical indicators for MSI Gaming and Radeon R9 280X, with the recommended frequencies of GeForce GTX 960 weaker than 3.5%. Last place Radeon R9 380.

3DMark Fire Strike.

Now in the last place both versions of GeForce GTX 960. Radeon R9 380 and RADEON R9 280X is about 17%. Such a gap can still be compensated by GEFORCE frequencies.

Energy consumption

Before comparing the indicators, we note that in the case of GeForce GTX 960 and RADEON R9 380, a small software was used, a more serious voltage increase was at RADEON R9 280X.

The most economical are GeForce GTX 960. The second gigabyte of memory does not particularly affect the final indicators - there is a difference, but minimal.

conclusions

Following testing, you can once again state that the usual versions of GeForce GTX 960 and RADEON R9 380 with 2 GB of memory are close in performance. GeForce GTX 960 is better than a competitor in eight applications from 16. If you take into account the results of the Dirt Rally with Advanced Blending, then GeForce will get another victory. Well, in the GTA 5, AMD competitor demonstrates an extremely low minimum FPS, which also slightly reduces its position on a general background. But it is impossible to talk about some serious advantage. Moreover, in some cases, the Radeon R9 380 is a good gap, such as, for example, in The Witcher 3. GeForce GTX 960 with a capacity of 4 GB more than the usual version, but often the advantages of the second gigabyte are minimal. The cardinal difference is only in the Rise of the Tomb Raider. Good advantage in Batman: Arkham Knight, in other games it is only a few percent. It should be borne in mind that with long gaming sessions, the positive effect of additional memory can manifest itself stronger. Therefore, when buying GeForce GTX 960, it is better to pay attention to the models with an increased memory. Such a video card will give more features and for additional increase in the quality of graphics - for example, it will allow you to activate the smoothing, which will not be on the teeth version with 2 GB. If you are an overclocking amateur, then additional memory is all the most important, because in the configuration with 4 GB you can get a maximum of GM206 in modern games.

If you are rigidly limited in the means, it is enough only on GeForce GTX 960 2 GB, then it can be survived. Small memory can be compensated for by a decrease in some settings. Even in the case of Rise of the Tomb Raider, a slight decrease in the texture will make it possible to achieve an acceptable level of FPS.

The considered MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 4G video card can only be given a positive characteristic. Her factory overclocking is modest, but the general frequency potential is excellent. The powerful cooling system retains low operating temperatures while maintaining silence, and even overclocking potential is easily implemented with a minimum noise level. In combination with a large amount of memory, this makes the MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 4G video card one of the best and most interesting offers in its category.

A pick-up reader may complain about the absence in our comparison RADEON R9 380X. This little omission will be corrected in the near future. The next material is devoted to AMD solutions of the middle class. So follow our reviews!