NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M in 2025: Is it Worth Using an Outdated Mobile GPU?
Analysis of the capabilities and relevance of the legendary laptop card
1. Architecture and Key Features
Maxwell Architecture: A Legacy from 2015
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is based on the Maxwell architecture (GM107), released in 2015. The manufacturing process is 28 nm, which seems archaic in 2025 compared to 5–7 nm chips in modern GPUs. The card does not support key technologies from recent years: ray tracing (RTX), DLSS, FidelityFX, or hardware-accelerated AI. Its main advantage is energy efficiency optimization for laptops, but this is not sufficient for modern tasks.
Unique Features?
Unfortunately, there are none. The GTX 960M operates at a basic level: it supports DirectX 12 (Feature Level 11_0), OpenGL 4.5, and Vulkan 1.1. Attempts to run RTX effects through emulation (for example, in projects with software ray tracing) result in FPS dropping below 10 frames.
2. Memory: The Weak Link
GDDR5 and Narrow Bus
The memory volume is either 2 or 4 GB GDDR5 with a 128-bit bus. The bandwidth is 80 GB/s (for comparison, the RTX 4050 Mobile has a 192-bit bus and 336 GB/s). In games of 2025, even 4 GB is insufficient: high-resolution textures and complex shaders consume resources. For example, in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty on low settings at 1080p, the graphics card experiences frequent stuttering due to buffer overflow.
3. Gaming Performance: Only Indie and Retro Games
FPS in Popular Titles
- Fortnite (1080p, low settings): 35–45 FPS (without DLSS or FSR support).
- Counter-Strike 2 (1080p, medium settings): 60–70 FPS.
- Hogwarts Legacy (720p, low settings): 20–25 FPS.
4K? Even 1440p is an uphill struggle. In League of Legends (1440p), FPS will drop to 40–50 due to memory and computational power limitations.
4. Professional Tasks: Minimal Usability
CUDA and OpenCL
The GTX 960M has 640 CUDA cores. For rendering in Blender or editing in DaVinci Resolve, it is sufficient only for simple projects. For instance, rendering a scene of medium complexity will take 3–4 times longer than on an RTX 3050. In scientific calculations (e.g., MATLAB), the card lags behind even integrated GPUs in Ryzen 7000.
5. Power Consumption and Heat Output
TDP 65W: Light but Inefficient
At 65W, it is considered modest by 2025 standards, but the efficiency of Maxwell lags behind modern GPUs. In laptops with a GTX 960M, maintenance is critical: thermal paste needs to be replaced every 1–2 years, and fans need to be cleaned. When overheating (above 90°C), the card throttles, losing up to 30% of its performance.
6. Comparison with Competitors
Market 2015–2016: AMD Radeon R9 M380
The main competitor to the GTX 960M at the time was the Radeon R9 M380 (GCN 3.0 architecture). Both cards showed similar performance, but NVIDIA's drivers proved to be more stable. By 2025, both models are equally outdated.
Modern Analogues: Intel Arc A350M (2022) and AMD Radeon 7600S (2023) outperform the GTX 960M by 3–4 times while maintaining similar TDP.
7. Practical Advice
Power Supply and Compatibility
- A standard adapter (120–150W) is sufficient for laptops with a GTX 960M.
- OS Compatibility: NVIDIA's official drivers have been updated until 2023. In Windows 11, conflicts may occur — it’s better to use modified community drivers.
Important: Don't expect to connect external 4K 60Hz monitors — HDMI 2.0 is absent.
8. Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Low power consumption.
- Support for basic games and applications.
- Availability in the secondary market (used price — $50–80).
Cons:
- No support for modern technologies (RTX, DLSS, AV1).
- Limited memory.
- Outdated interfaces (HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2).
9. Final Conclusion: Who is GTX 960M Suitable For?
This card is geared towards:
- Owners of old laptops looking to extend their lifespan for office tasks, video watching, and running light games (like Stardew Valley or Among Us).
- Students learning the basics of 3D modeling at a fundamental level.
- Retro gaming enthusiasts playing games from the early 2010s.
Why Look Towards New GPUs?
Even budget models in 2025 (like the RTX 3050 Mobile or Intel Arc A580) offer 4–5 times higher performance, support for AI technologies, and up-to-date interfaces. Prices for new laptops with such cards start at $600, making the GTX 960M a niche solution.
Summary: The GTX 960M in 2025 is a "workhorse" for very specific scenarios. If you are not ready to deal with compromises, invest in modern hardware.