[Review] GTX 960 G1 Gaming 4GB

[ultimaterandombanana]

Specs:

Core Clock Base / Boost clock：1241/ 1304 MHz

Memory Clock 7010 MHz

Process Technology 28 nm

Memory Size 4 GB GDDR5

Memory Bus 128 bit

Card Bus PCI-E 3.0

DirectX 12

Digital max resolution 4096 X 2160

Analog max resolution 2048 x 1536

Multi-view 4

I/O Dual-link DVI-I / Dual-link DVI-D / HDMI / DisplayPort*3

Card size H=39 L=298 W=115 mm

Suggested Power requirement 400W with two 6 pin connectors

 

The card has a triple fan cooler with an LED windforce logo on the top and LED fan inidcator lights that turn on when the card's fans stop spinning. In the default configuration the card's three windforce fans don't start spinning until

the card reaches over 60 degrees celcius, and even when they do come on they are ultra quiet. So I have had times where I have been playing battlefield 4 on ultra settings and the fans haven't even come on once!

The Build quality is excellent and the included back plate is a great addition. I have no problems with Gigabyte cards in the past and I doubt I will have any problems with this one as gigabyte products have never let me down. 

Benchmarking: 

The PC I used for the benchmarks has an intel core i7 860 quad core running at 3ghz, 12GB DDR3 RAM, an 800W Power supply and of course, the card itself.

I don't have any cards to compare this to as this is my first graphics card review. I used fraps to benchmark my games over a period of 120 seconds and then repeated two more times then took the highest and lowest of all three results,

and found the average of all three averages.

 

In Battlefield 4 at 1080p on the ultra settings preset I was able to achieve:

 

A Maximum 132 frames per second.

A minmum of 46 frames per second and

An average of 61 frames per second.

 

In Elite: Dangerous at 1080p with the settings maxed out I was able to achieve:

 

A maximum of 145 fframes per second,

A minimum of 59 frames per second and

an average of 103 frames per second.

 

And the last game I used for these benchmarks is War Thunder. At 1080p and on the movie settings preset I was able to achieve:

 

A maximum of 179 frames per second

A minimum of 68 frames per second

and an average of 100 frames per second.

 

In all of these games the card never rose above 65 degrees celcius and was completely inaudible against the sounds of my fractal design define r5 case fans.

So... should you buy this card. Well it depends what you want it for.

 

Buy it if you want it for:

• maxing out the latest triple a titles at 1080p while not breaking the bank, definitely
  
• upgrading from a 500 or 600 series card, yeah, go for it.
  

I would recommend something else if you want it for:

• gaming at resolutions above 1080p I would recommend you go for a gtx 970 or an r9 390 as this card will struggle, maxed out at 1440p and I wouldn't even bother with 4k gaming on the 960.
  
• rendering videos, you would probably be better going with a card that is made for rendering although this card can handle rendering reasonably well.
  
• upgrading from a 700 series card, I would recommend either waiting for the next generation of cards or just keeping what you have got.
  

Video:

 

 

 

Please do Leave a comment of your opinions

[FilipSebik]

4GB 960 worth but 2GB is crap

[Shoob]

4GB 960 worth but 2GB is crap

Only when on sale. The price of the 4GB 960 is close to 380X's which is vastly superior.

[ultimaterandombanana]

Only when on sale. The price of the 4GB 960 is close to 380X's which is vastly superior.

Actually with the 380x you only get an increase of around 2-3 fps, but the 960 is also a lot more power efficient and quieter. 

[Shoob]

Actually with the 380x you only get an increase of around 2-3 fps, but the 960 is also a lot more power efficient and quieter. 

The 960 needs to be overclocked to match a 380, not a 380x. Not to mention that the 380x can overclock decently too. The quietness depends on the cooler - for example sapphire's nitro cooler is really quiet and keeps the card cool. I can agree with the power efficiency, even though 960's power consumption is lower by only 50-60W, which is meaningless for most users. Overclocking it will make the difference in power consumption even smaller.

 

[ultimaterandombanana]

The 960 needs to be overclocked to match a 380, not a 380x. Not to mention that the 380x can overclock decently too. The quietness depends on the cooler - for example sapphire's nitro cooler is really quiet and keeps the card cool. I can agree with the power efficiency, even though 960's power consumption is lower by only 50-60W, which is meaningless for most users. Overclocking it will make the difference in power consumption even smaller.

 

Hmm I've seen other reviews that point to less of a difference, as I stated 2-3 fps. I suppose it depends on the game. Anyway, for maxing out at 1080p I would still recommend the 960 4GB as it is cheaper. Just personal Preference really. Don't want to start a fanboy war haha. 

[Shoob]

Hmm I've seen other reviews that point to less of a difference, as I stated 2-3 fps. I suppose it depends on the game. Anyway, for maxing out at 1080p I would still recommend the 960 4GB as it is cheaper. Just personal Preference really. Don't want to start a fanboy war haha. 

It's not a bad card by any means, but Nvidia needs to drop the retail price to around $180 to make it a good purchase. At $240 it's not a worth it when it comes to performance per dollar - the Sapphire 380X is 10 bucks cheaper and the XFX variant - $30 cheaper.

[ultimaterandombanana]

It's not a bad card by any means, but Nvidia needs to drop the retail price to around $180 to make it a good purchase. At $240 it's not a worth it when it comes to performance per dollar - the Sapphire 380X is 10 bucks cheaper and the XFX variant - $30 cheaper.

In the UK, the 380X is over £190 and the GTX 960 4gb g1 gaming is £180

[don_svetlio]

In the UK, the 380X is over £190 and the GTX 960 4gb g1 gaming is £180

Well, 20 Quid for 25% more performance? seems about right.

[ultimaterandombanana]

Well, 20 Quid for 25% more performance? seems about right.

Well maybe in the future I will have one to compare it to.