NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960: 3-way custom card shootout
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Results and Conclusion
Gaming Results
The ASUS GTX 960 OC edition card was expected to be the winner in our gaming benchmarks as it rolled off the factory floors with the most aggressive OC profile. However, it was the Gigabyte card that pulled ahead most of the time. With reference to the Crysis 3 results, the MSI card managed to edged out the rest at higher resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.
Overclocking Results
The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 G1 Gaming was the clear winner while the ASUS card was runner up. We managed to overclock the winning card to a high of 1341MHz for its base clock. In its overclocked state, its boost clock speed was 1404MHz. Its memory modules were overclocked to a high of 7620MHz, which was about 8% higher than its default value of 7010MHz. Despite reaching a higher overclocked state than the Gigabyte card, the ASUS card trailed behind as its overclocked memory modules only reached a high of 7556MHz, just about 1% lower than the Gigabyte card. The MSI card was a respectable third. Overall, in their overclocked states, the cards' performance levels were increased by about 8%.
Temperature and Power Consumption Results
The Twin Frozr V cooling system managed to keep the GM206 graphics core of the MSI card running coolest at 57 degrees Celsius. It also helped that the card has the lowest base clock speed of 1216MHz. It also had the lowest power draw of 255W under load. ASUS and Gigabyte weren't as efficient here because they operate at higher clock speeds.
Conclusion
The custom GTX 960 cards are targeting the mainstream gamers who are looking for more bang for the buck. This explains the attractive pricing of the cards that range from S$350 to S$389 in retail. This time round, the ASUS card was the cheapest of all at S$350, while the Gigabyte commanded a premium retail price of S$389. The MSI card retailed at S$359. Do note that these prices are street prices and actual shop prices may vary.
The Gigabyte card probably had a higher price tag due to its Flex Display technology given its extra DVI-D port to support this feature. From our prior experience with the GTX 960, we knew 4K gaming with a single GTX 960 card wasn't appealing. Hence, we felt the Flex Display feature was shoehorned into the Gigabyte card as an attempt to set it apart from the competition. For users who don't mind the default video connectivity options, those offered by either the ASUS or MSI card will suffice for their mainstream gaming requirements. The MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G card required the least power to operate under load; in addition, it ran the coolest during our temperature testing. We like the updated MSI Gaming App that has paid attention to details like the ability to turn off or customizing the lighting behavior of the dragon insignia, housed in its Twin Frozr V fan shroud. Although the ASUS card has the most aggressive OC profile, it failed to usher it as a clear winner in our gaming benchmarks. We certainly appreciate the updated ASUS GPU Tweak; however, it didn't work as advertised as its Silent and Overclock buttons set the card to operate at non-official clock speeds.
In the end, the MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G manages to edge out the competition, based on its attractive price point, consistent performance with less heat and lower power draw. Also, the updated MSI Gaming App that paid attention to finer details, was a nice touch to complete the package.
The Gigabyte card might seem to have an upper hand in benchmark figures, but the difference between the fastest and slowest cards are mostly under 2%, which is a very small figure to get worked up about as it's not a tangible difference. On the other hand, the MSI card is more efficient by opting for slightly lower clocks and getting better operating temperatures and lower power draw. Last but not least, Gigabyte's larger form factor would make it less favorable for more compact systems, which is a growing segment.
*Updated as of 25th March, 5.30pm*
Some of the street prices reported earlier may not represent actual shop prices and so we reached out to distributors to check on the suggested retail pricing. The SRP of the ASUS GeForce GTX 960 Strix 2GB GDDR5 OC edition graphics card is S$369. The MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G is also priced at S$369. The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 G1 Gaming 2GB card’s SRP is S$399, making it the dearest of them all. In view of the suggested retail pricing, our recommendations and findings do not differ from our earlier published conclusion and thus the overal ratings remain the same. We have however revised down the value rating for the ASUS graphics card.
We hope this update helps set your expectations better.
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