NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
vs
AMD Radeon RX 550

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
AMD Radeon RX 550
GTX 960 RX 550 Difference
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 AMD Radeon RX 550
Price $ 89.0 $ 74.0 15 (17%)
Year 2015 2017 2 (0%)
Maximum Recorded Temperature 75C 57C 18 (24%)
Max Fan Noise 40dB 36.2dB 3.8 (9%)
Recommended Power Supply 470W 400W 70 (15%)
Benchmark CPU Intel Core i7-4790K @ 4.00GHz ($306.99) Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.20GHz ($354.99)
CPU Impact on FPS +0.0 FPS +0.0 FPS 0 (0%)
CPU Impact on FPS % 0.0% 0.0% 0 (0%)
Benchmark Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings
Average 1080p Performance 38.0 FPS 21.4 FPS 16.6 (44%)
Average 1440p Performance 27.5 FPS 15.5 FPS 12 (44%)
(Ultrawide) Average 1440p Performance 23.4 FPS 13.2 FPS 10.2 (44%)
Average 4K Performance 16.3 FPS 9.1 FPS 7.2 (44%)
Memory 2 GB 2 GB 0 (0%)
1080p Cost Per Frame $ 5.2 $ 3.7 1.5 (29%)
1440p Cost Per Frame $ 7.2 $ 5.1 2.1 (29%)
(Ultrawide) 1440p Cost Per Frame $ 8.5 $ 6.0 2.5 (29%)
4K Cost Per Frame $ 12.2 $ 8.7 3.5 (29%)
Variant NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 AMD Radeon RX 550
Overall Combination Score 64/100 66/100 2 (3%)
Our Verdict: The GTX 960 is faster by 77% for 1440p gaming. The price/performance ratio is much better for GTX 960 .
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

The GTX 970 might be the mid-range flagship of the latest Maxwell 2.0 set of graphics cards, but their prices keep them out of the reach of most entry-level PC gamers. On the other hand, the GTX 960 is closer to being reasonably affordable at a price tag of $ 199. NVIDIA ’s xx60 cards have always been defined by entry-level prices with performance that knocks on the door of mid-range graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the Maxwell 2.0 graphics card inside the GTX 960, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend.

The GTX 960 is much more cheaper than the GTX 760 as it costs $ 199. Compare this to the GTX 760, which came originally at a price of $ 249. Meanwhile, the AMD closest equivalent card is the R9 280 which costs $ 279. Spec for spec, this GTX 960 leapfrogs its direct predecessor, the GTX 760, by boasting 3 % more fps.

Fortunately, gaming performance was quite impressive. The GTX 960 consistently delivers great frame rate increases over the GTX 760 and it really justifies an upgrade. Compared to its AMD 's closest rival, R9 280, the GTX 960 was -1.6 % slower.

For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Valorant at 74 fps to 74 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 74 fps. For 1440p Quad HD, we were able to play Valorant at 61 fps to 61 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 61 fps.

AMD Radeon RX 550

The RX 560 might be the entry-level flagship of the latest GCN 4.0 set of graphics cards, but their prices keep them out of the reach of most budget PC gamers. On the other hand, the RX 550 is closer to being reasonably affordable at a price tag of $ 79. AMD ’s xx50 cards have always been defined by budget prices with performance that knocks on the door of entry-level graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the GCN 4.0 graphics card inside the RX 550, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend.

Compared to its NVIDIA 's closest rival, GT 1030, the RX 550 was 6.5 % faster.

Game Performance at selected quality settings

Change Quality Settings
Ultra Quality High Quality Medium Quality Low Quality

1920x1080

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
AMD Radeon RX 550
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
27
30.0
15
16.9
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
18
20.5
10
11.5
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
15
17.7
9
10.0
2023 The Last of Us Part I
12
13.6
6
7.7
2023 Forspoken
14
15.8
8
8.9
2023 The Callisto Protocol
11
12.3
6
6.9
2023 Dead Space
18
20.5
10
11.5
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
21
24.3
12
13.6
2023 Armored Core VI
21
24.3
12
13.6
2023 Immortals of Aveum
9
10.9
5
6.1
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
19
21.8
11
12.3
2023 Remnant II
11
12.3
6
6.9
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
14
16.4
8
9.2
2023 Atomic Heart
14
16.4
8
9.2
2023 Starfield
7
8.2
4
4.6
2022 Elden Ring
19
21.9
10
12.0
2022 God of War
18
20.8
10
11.4
2022 Overwatch 2
34
38.6
19
21.2
2022 F1 22
22
24.5
12
13.8
2022 Dying Light 2
20
23.2
11
13.0
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
20
23.2
11
13.0
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
34
38.2
19
21.5
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
24
27.3
13
15.3
2021 Forza Horizon 5
18
21.0
10
11.5
2021 Halo Infinite
14
16.0
7
8.8
2021 Battlefield 2042
26
29.6
14
16.2
2021 Hitman 3
28
31.4
15
17.6
2021 Far Cry 6
26
29.2
14
16.4
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
28
31.9
16
17.9
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
28
32.2
16
18.1
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
15
17.0
8
9.3
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
9
11.1
5
6.1
2020 Valorant
66
74.4
36
40.8
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
26
29.2
14
16.0
2020 Death Stranding
30
33.7
16
18.5
2020 Marvel's Avengers
19
21.9
10
12.0
2020 Godfall
29
32.8
16
18.0
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
15
17.0
8
9.3
2019 Apex Legends
32
36.0
16
18.0
2019 Anthem
20
23.2
10
11.6
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
30
34.0
15
17.0
2019 Resident Evil 2
41
45.7
22
25.0
2019 Metro Exodus
18
20.3
10
11.2
2019 World War Z
33
37.5
27
30.0
2019 Gears of War 5
26
29.6
14
16.2
2019 F1 2019
33
37.2
18
20.4
2019 GreedFall
30
33.4
16
18.4
2019 Borderlands 3
21
23.5
11
12.9
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
40
45.2
22
24.8
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
15
17.4
8
9.5
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
24
27.3
13
15.0
2018 Forza Horizon 4
34
38.0
15
17.0
2018 Fallout 76
39
44.0
22
25.0
2018 Hitman 2
30
34.0
18
20.0
2018 Just Cause 4
26
29.4
14
16.1
2018 Monster Hunter: World
28
31.6
15
17.4
2018 Strange Brigade
42
47.7
23
26.2
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
27
31.0
14
16.1
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
34
38.5
19
21.8
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
36
40.7
20
22.3
2017 For Honor
48
54.2
26
29.8
2017 Project CARS 2
34
38.4
18
21.1
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
41
46.6
22
25.5
2016 Ashes of the Singularity
21
24.2
15
16.9
2016 Hitman
29
32.7
27
30.2
2016 Rise of the Tomb Raider
41
45.8
23
26.1
2016 The Division
31
34.6
19
22.1
2016 Overwatch
53
59.5
23
25.9
2016 Dishonored 2
25
28.0
13
15.4
2015 DiRT Rally
55
62.2
31
34.9
2015 Grand Theft Auto V
32
35.9
17
19.1
2015 The Witcher 3
29
32.9
17
19.4
2015 Rocket League
142
158.2
78
86.8
2015 Need For Speed
39
43.8
21
24.1
2015 Project CARS
37
42.0
20
23.1
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
69
76.8
37
42.2
2013 Crysis 3
35
39.2
19
21.9
2013 Battlefield 4
45
50.8
23
25.8
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
97
108.5
53
59.5
2009 League of Legends
183
203.4
100
111.6

2560x1440

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
AMD Radeon RX 550
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
17
21.8
9
12.3
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
12
15.0
6
8.4
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
10
13.6
6
7.7
2023 The Last of Us Part I
8
10.4
4
5.8
2023 Forspoken
8
10.4
4
5.8
2023 The Callisto Protocol
6
8.7
3
4.9
2023 Dead Space
10
13.6
6
7.7
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
15
19.6
8
11.0
2023 Armored Core VI
15
19.6
8
11.0
2023 Immortals of Aveum
6
7.6
3
4.3
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
12
15.0
6
8.4
2023 Remnant II
6
8.2
3
4.6
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
9
12.3
5
6.9
2023 Atomic Heart
9
11.7
5
6.6
2023 Starfield
5
7.4
3
4.1
2022 Elden Ring
13
17.3
7
9.5
2022 God of War
14
17.9
7
9.8
2022 Overwatch 2
26
33.2
14
18.2
2022 F1 22
12
15.0
6
8.4
2022 Dying Light 2
12
15.0
6
8.4
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
13
16.4
7
9.2
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
21
27.3
12
15.3
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
14
17.7
8
10.0
2021 Forza Horizon 5
14
18.1
7
9.9
2021 Halo Infinite
11
14.5
6
7.9
2021 Battlefield 2042
15
19.7
8
10.8
2021 Hitman 3
17
22.4
10
12.6
2021 Far Cry 6
17
21.8
9
12.3
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
18
22.6
10
12.7
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
16
21.0
9
11.8
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
11
14.7
6
8.1
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
7
9.7
4
5.3
2020 Valorant
48
60.8
26
33.4
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
18
22.8
10
12.5
2020 Death Stranding
20
26.1
11
14.3
2020 Marvel's Avengers
12
15.6
6
8.6
2020 Godfall
17
21.9
9
12.0
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
12
15.8
6
8.7
2019 Apex Legends
21
26.8
10
13.4
2019 Anthem
14
18.4
7
9.2
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
21
26.4
10
13.2
2019 Resident Evil 2
24
30.7
13
16.9
2019 Metro Exodus
12
15.8
6
8.7
2019 World War Z
21
27.4
17
21.9
2019 Gears of War 5
17
21.5
9
11.8
2019 F1 2019
21
26.3
11
14.4
2019 GreedFall
19
24.2
10
13.3
2019 Borderlands 3
13
16.5
7
9.1
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
26
32.5
14
17.9
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
11
14.2
6
7.8
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
17
21.5
9
11.8
2018 Forza Horizon 4
25
32.0
11
14.0
2018 Hitman 2
17
22.0
10
13.0
2018 Just Cause 4
17
21.7
9
11.9
2018 Monster Hunter: World
17
22.1
9
12.2
2018 Strange Brigade
26
33.2
14
18.2
2018 Battlefield V
26
33.0
12
15.0
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
18
23.0
9
12.3
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
20
25.2
8
11.2
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
23
29.4
12
16.1
2017 For Honor
25
31.6
13
17.4
2017 Project CARS 2
21
27.1
11
14.9
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
33
42.0
18
23.1
2016 Overwatch
33
41.3
14
18.2
2016 Dishonored 2
19
24.0
10
13.1
2015 Grand Theft Auto V
17
21.7
10
13.3
2015 Rocket League
54
67.8
29
37.2
2015 Need For Speed
27
33.9
14
18.6
2015 Project CARS
25
32.1
14
17.6
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
39
49.7
21
27.3
2013 Crysis 3
28
35.3
10
13.3
2013 Battlefield 4
25
31.4
13
16.8
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
72
90.4
39
49.6
2009 League of Legends
90
113.0
49
62.0

3440x1440

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
AMD Radeon RX 550
Year Game Frames Per Second
2019 Apex Legends
17
22.9
8
11.4
2019 Anthem
11
15.2
5
7.6
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
16
21.6
8
10.8
2019 Resident Evil 2
18
24.5
10
13.5
2019 Metro Exodus
10
13.7
5
7.6
2019 World War Z
17
23.1
14
18.5
2019 Gears of War 5
14
18.8
7
10.3
2019 F1 2019
17
23.0
9
12.6
2019 GreedFall
13
18.2
7
10.1
2019 Borderlands 3
10
13.4
5
7.4
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
21
27.8
11
15.3
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
9
12.4
5
6.8
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
14
18.8
7
10.3
2018 Forza Horizon 4
21
28.4
9
12.3
2018 Hitman 2
14
18.7
8
11.2
2018 Just Cause 4
13
17.7
7
9.7
2018 Monster Hunter: World
13
17.5
7
9.6
2018 Strange Brigade
20
27.4
11
15.0
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
14
19.3
7
10.3
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
15
20.6
6
9.0
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
20
26.6
11
14.6
2017 For Honor
19
25.4
10
14.0
2017 Project CARS 2
20
26.6
11
14.6
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
31
41.4
17
22.7
2016 Overwatch
25
33.3
11
14.6
2016 Dishonored 2
17
23.0
9
12.6
2015 Rocket League
40
53.2
22
29.2
2015 Need For Speed
22
30.2
12
16.6
2015 Project CARS
22
29.3
12
16.1
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
29
38.9
16
21.3
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
69
91.9
38
50.4
2009 League of Legends
64
84.6
35
46.4

3840x2160

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
AMD Radeon RX 550
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
11
16.4
6
9.2
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
6
9.5
3
5.4
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
6
9.5
3
5.4
2023 The Last of Us Part I
3
5.5
2
3.1
2023 Forspoken
3
4.9
1
2.8
2023 The Callisto Protocol
3
4.4
1
2.5
2023 Dead Space
3
5.5
2
3.1
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
7
10.9
4
6.1
2023 Armored Core VI
7
10.9
4
6.1
2023 Immortals of Aveum
2
3.5
1
2.0
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
5
8.2
3
4.6
2023 Remnant II
2
4.1
1
2.3
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
4
6.0
2
3.4
2023 Atomic Heart
5
7.4
2
4.1
2023 Starfield
3
4.9
1
2.8
2022 Elden Ring
6
9.9
3
5.4
2022 God of War
9
13.9
5
7.6
2022 Overwatch 2
17
25.1
9
13.8
2022 F1 22
7
10.9
4
6.1
2022 Dying Light 2
7
10.9
4
6.1
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
8
12.3
4
6.9
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
13
19.1
7
10.7
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
7
10.9
4
6.1
2021 Forza Horizon 5
9
14.0
5
7.7
2021 Halo Infinite
6
9.9
3
5.5
2021 Battlefield 2042
8
12.7
4
6.9
2021 Hitman 3
9
13.6
5
7.7
2021 Far Cry 6
8
11.7
4
6.6
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
8
12.3
4
6.9
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
9
13.6
5
7.7
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
6
9.9
3
5.5
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
5
7.7
2
4.2
2020 Valorant
37
52.9
20
29.0
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
8
12.2
4
6.7
2020 Death Stranding
11
15.9
6
8.7
2020 Marvel's Avengers
5
8.2
3
4.5
2020 Godfall
7
10.4
3
5.7
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
7
10.4
3
5.7
2019 Apex Legends
11
16.0
5
8.0
2019 Anthem
7
10.0
3
5.0
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
9
14.0
4
7.0
2019 Resident Evil 2
10
15.1
5
8.3
2019 Metro Exodus
6
9.9
3
5.5
2019 World War Z
11
15.8
8
12.6
2019 Gears of War 5
9
13.6
5
7.4
2019 F1 2019
11
16.7
6
9.2
2019 GreedFall
6
9.9
3
5.5
2019 Borderlands 3
6
8.6
3
4.7
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
13
19.4
7
10.7
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
6
9.0
3
5.0
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
9
13.6
5
7.4
2018 Forza Horizon 4
14
21.0
6
9.0
2018 Hitman 2
9
13.0
5
8.0
2018 Just Cause 4
7
11.3
4
6.2
2018 Monster Hunter: World
7
10.6
4
5.8
2018 Strange Brigade
12
18.1
6
9.9
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
9
13.0
4
7.0
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
9
13.3
3
5.6
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
14
20.3
7
11.2
2017 For Honor
11
15.8
6
8.7
2017 Project CARS 2
15
22.6
8
12.4
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
24
35.3
13
19.3
2016 Overwatch
14
21.0
6
9.1
2016 Dishonored 2
13
19.0
7
10.4
2015 Rocket League
22
31.6
12
17.4
2015 Need For Speed
15
22.6
8
12.4
2015 Project CARS
15
22.6
8
12.4
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
16
23.1
8
12.6
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
56
81.4
31
44.6
2009 League of Legends
31
45.2
17
24.8
GTX 960 vs RX 550 with i7-4790K vs i7-7700K at 1080p and ultra vs ultra settings
GTX 960 vs RX 550 with i7-4790K vs i7-7700K at 1440p and ultra vs ultra settings
GTX 960 vs RX 550 with i7-4790K vs i7-7700K at 4K and ultra vs ultra settings

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / i7-4790K

With current 2048 MB RAM, the GTX 960 can have serious memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games. With current 2048 MB RAM, the GTX 960 can have very few memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games.
View Current Price List

AMD Radeon RX 550 / i7-7700K

The RX 550 is more suitable for budget PC builds and less demanding games. With current 2048 MB RAM, the RX 550 can have serious memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games. The RX 550 's power requirements are reasonable and it is very efficient compared to the competition. With regards to max load temperature, the RX 550 's cooling is excellent at keeping it cool and under control. With current 2048 MB RAM, the RX 550 can have very few memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games.
View Current Price List

GTX 960 vs RX 550 Specifications Comparison

Board Design

GTX 960 RX 550
Board NumberPG301D090-01
Length9.5 inches 241 mm5.7 inches 145 mm
Outputs1x DVI1x HDMI3x DisplayPort1x DVI1x HDMI1x DisplayPort
Power Connectors1x 6-pinNone
Slot WidthDual-slotDual-slot
TDP120 W50 W

Clock Speeds

GTX 960 RX 550
Boost Clock1178 MHz1183 MHz
GPU Clock1127 MHz1100 MHz
Memory Clock1753 MHz 7012 MHz effective1750 MHz 7000 MHz effective

Graphics Card

GTX 960 RX 550
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x8
GenerationGeForce 900Polaris (RX 500)
Launch Price199 USD79 USD
ProductionActiveActive
Release DateJan 22nd, 2015Apr 20th, 2017

Graphics Features

GTX 960 RX 550
DirectX12.0 (12_1)12.0 (12_0)
OpenCL1.22
OpenGL4.64.5
Shader Model6.16
Vulkan1.1.821.1.82

Graphics Processor

GTX 960 RX 550
ArchitectureMaxwell 2.0GCN 4.0
Die Size228 mm²103 mm²
GPU NameGM206Lexa
GPU VariantGM206-300-A1Lexa PRO (215-0904018)
Process Size28 nm14 nm
Transistors2,940 million2,200 million

Memory

GTX 960 RX 550
Bandwidth112.2 GB/s112.0 GB/s
Memory Bus128 bit128 bit
Memory Size2048 MB2048 MB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5

Render Config

GTX 960 RX 550
ROPs3216
Shading Units1024512
TMUs6432

Theoretical Performance

GTX 960 RX 550
FP32 (float) performance2,413 GFLOPS1,211 GFLOPS
FP64 (double) performance75.39 GFLOPS (1:32)75.71 GFLOPS (1:16)
Pixel Rate37.70 GPixel/s18.93 GPixel/s
Texture Rate75.39 GTexel/s37.86 GTexel/s
What to Consider Before Buying a Graphics Card

What to Consider Before Buying a Graphics Card

If you have been planning to upgrade your system by purchasing a new graphics card. Then there are some important factors to consider.
Resolution VS Quality: Impact on Game Performance

Resolution VS Quality: Impact on Game Performance

What affects game performance? Clarity or Details?

Ultra VS High Quality Settings in PC Games

Ultra VS High Quality Settings in PC Games

Every player has a different notion about the ideal setting for PC games. But in most cases, opting for a High quality graphics configuration is the way to go.

What are CPU or GPU Bottlenecks?

What are CPU or GPU Bottlenecks?

Are you getting sudden frame drops? you might have a bottleneck.
What is the acceptable FPS speed for me?

What is the acceptable FPS speed for me?

For some games, you can still enjoy great garphics at lower frame rates.
GPU Hierarchy
GPU Hierarchy
GPU Compare
GPU Compare
CPU Hierarchy
CPU Compare
Laptop Hierarchy
Gaming Laptops
Monitor Hierarchy
Gaming Monitors
Headset Hierarchy
Gaming Headsets

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