GeForce GTX 965M vs GTX 1060 3 GB

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB with GeForce GTX 965M, including specs and performance data.

GTX 1060 3 GB
2016
3 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
24.88
+153%

GTX 1060 3 GB outperforms GTX 965M by a whopping 153% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking217456
Place by popularity19not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation22.57no data
Power efficiency14.2113.51
ArchitecturePascal (2016−2021)Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019)
GPU code nameGP106GM206S
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date18 August 2016 (8 years ago)2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores11521024
Core clock speed1506 MHz944 MHz
Boost clock speed1708 MHz1150 MHz
Number of transistors4,400 million2,940 million
Manufacturing process technology16 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Wattunknown
Texture fill rate123.073.60
Floating-point processing power3.935 TFLOPS2.355 TFLOPS
ROPs4832
TMUs7264

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
Bus supportno dataPCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16MXM-A (3.0)
Length250 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pinNone
SLI options-+

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3 GB2 GB
Memory bus width192 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speed2002 MHz2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth192.2 GB/s80 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortPortable Device Dependent
VGA аnalog display supportno data+
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) supportno data+
HDMI++
G-SYNC support-+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

GameStream-+
GeForce ShadowPlay-+
GPU Boostno data2.0
GameWorks-+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder-+
Optimus-+
BatteryBoost-+
Anselno data+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)12 (12_1)
Shader Model6.46.7
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan+1.3
CUDA6.1+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 1060 3 GB 24.88
+153%
GTX 965M 9.85

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GTX 1060 3 GB 9588
+153%
GTX 965M 3797

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD110−120
+144%
45
−144%
1440p65−70
+150%
26
−150%
4K50−55
+150%
20
−150%

Cost per frame, $

1080p1.81no data
1440p3.06no data
4K3.98no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 31
+0%
31
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Battlefield 5 49
+0%
49
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 40
+0%
40
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Hitman 3 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 45
+0%
45
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 69
+0%
69
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 41
+0%
41
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Battlefield 5 37
+0%
37
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 29
+0%
29
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Hitman 3 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 33
+0%
33
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 86
+0%
86
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 13
+0%
13
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 20−22
+0%
20−22
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 28
+0%
28
+0%
Hitman 3 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 23
+0%
23
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18
+0%
18
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 32
+0%
32
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 10
+0%
10
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Far Cry 5 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Hitman 3 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18
+0%
18
+0%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 12−14
+0%
12−14
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 21
+0%
21
+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Far Cry New Dawn 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Hitman 3 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Metro Exodus 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 13
+0%
13
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3
+0%
3
+0%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%
Far Cry 5 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 14
+0%
14
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 10
+0%
10
+0%

This is how GTX 1060 3 GB and GTX 965M compete in popular games:

  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 144% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 150% faster in 1440p
  • GTX 1060 3 GB is 150% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 72 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 24.88 9.85
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 2 GB
Chip lithography 16 nm 28 nm

GTX 1060 3 GB has a 152.6% higher aggregate performance score, a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 75% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 965M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 965M is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M
GeForce GTX 965M

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


4.1 8814 votes

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4.1 109 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 965M on a scale of 1 to 5:

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.