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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 3DMark Benchmarks and GPU-Z Leaked

The upcoming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is just around the corner. But before NVIDIA could officially release their next generation mid-range graphics card, we already saw some leaked photos of the MSI GTX 960, KFA2 GTX 960 and recently the Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 Gaming. Recently, some of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 specifications where leaked, as well as its 3DMark performance benchmarks from a Chinese forum site PCEva.com.cn. I see a lot of mix reactions and feelings towards the GTX 960. Check out the leaked GTX 960 benchmarks below.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 benchmarks

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 Specifications and Benchmarks Leaked

According to the leaked information, the upcoming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 will be based on a GM206 GPU core. It features 1024 CUDA cores, 63 texture units, 32 ROPs, and 2GB GDDR5 clock at 7010Mhz running on a 128-bit memory interface. But there are some rumors that a 4GB will be released afterwards. It’s Thermal Design Power or TDP is 120W only, and draws its power from a single 6-pin PCIE power connector.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GPU-Z screenshot

The GTX 960’s GPU default clock speed isn’t clear as of the moment, but it should be around 1200MHz based on the leaked GPU-Z screenshots. The card was tested with an Intel Core i7-4770K powered system and was benchmarked using 3DMark11 and 3DMark Fire Strike and Fire Strike Extreme/Ultra.

When I compared the leaked benchmarks with the Asus GTX 760, Asus GTX 770 and Club 3D Radeon R9 285 I previously reviewed, results are actually not that far or significant. The Asus GTX 760 DC2OC, I reviewed before, got a Fire Strike score of 5323. Meanwhile the Asus GTX 770 DC2OC scored 6506, and the Cub 3D R9 285 got 6801. These are not overclocked results and it looks like it is a plus/minus with the GTX 960.

Of course this isn’t really a valid comparison considering that the cards I reviewed were tested on a different system with different driver versions. But at least you will have an idea, and I expect that final retail GTX 960 will somehow be faster with the GTX 770 and R9 285. And it’s definitely going to be faster than the GTX 760.

Meanwhile, when I compared the leaked GTX 960 benchmarks with some of the legit GTX 970 benchmarks, I noticed that there is a significant performance gap. This led me into a conclusion that a certain GTX 960 Ti or rumored GTX 965 will be introduced later.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is a mid-range graphics card and I didn’t expect one bit that it would have a fantastic performance result. I’m not expecting that it would be performing close with the GTX 970 as well. But I am expecting that it will have a reasonable price tag for those gamers who are in a budget or doesn’t have a plan in getting a 4K monitor.

The cheapest GTX 970 I could find is the Zotac GeForce GTX 970 which currently retails for only $329.99 here, which isn’t bad at all. I’m expecting that the GTX 960 would be somewhere in the $200 USD price range. And if they release a GTX 960 Ti or GTX 965 soon, it would be a sub $300 GPU.

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Peter Paul
Peter is a PC enthusiast and avid gamer with several years of hands-on experience in testing and reviewing PC components, audio equipment, and various tech devices. He offers a genuine, no-nonsense perspective, helping consumers make informed choices in the ever-changing world of technology.

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