AMD Radeon RX 9060 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive performance gap between the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, with the AMD part winning both benchmark comparisons by substantial margins. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 9060 scores 88,183 points against the GTX 965M's 14,509 points, a delta of 507.8%. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational leap in raw compute throughput that reflects the fundamental differences in architecture, transistor count, and memory bandwidth between the two products.

The Vulkan result tells a similar story, though with a slightly narrower absolute gap. The RX 9060 posts 39,476 points in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX 965M manages 14,299 points, yielding a 176.1% advantage for the AMD card. The smaller delta in Vulkan compared to OpenCL suggests that the older Maxwell architecture does relatively better under modern graphics APIs, but it remains far behind in raw performance. The data indicates that the RX 9060 is over six times faster in OpenCL compute workloads and nearly three times faster in Vulkan graphics tests. These are not subtle differences; they represent completely different performance tiers.

Looking at the broader benchmark averages, the RX 9060 carries an average benchmark score of 16,014 across all recorded tests, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (average score 16,129, delta -0.7%), the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862, delta 1%), the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15,852, delta 1%), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15,679, delta 2.1%). This places the RX 9060 essentially on par with an RTX 3060 Ti, within a fraction of a percent. The GTX 965M, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 14,404, putting it in the 56th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385, delta 0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373, delta 0.2%), the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352, delta 0.4%), and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315, delta 0.6%). The GTX 965M sits in a cluster of older integrated and entry-level discrete parts, while the RX 9060 competes with modern mid-range desktop GPUs.

The average score difference between the two cards is 1,610 points, but this figure understates the practical gap because the GTX 965M's average is based on a smaller set of benchmarks. The head-to-head results are the more reliable indicator, and they show a consistent, overwhelming advantage for the RX 9060. The data also reveals that the RX 9060 wins both head-to-head tests, with no benchmark where the GTX 965M comes out ahead. This is a clean sweep, unusual even for products from different generations.

The percentile rankings are worth interpreting carefully. A 59th percentile ranking for the RX 9060 means it outperforms more than half of all GPUs in the database, which is respectable for a mid-range part. The GTX 965M at the 56th percentile is closer to the median, but the gap between the 56th and 59th percentiles at this level of the distribution corresponds to a much larger performance difference than the percentile numbers alone suggest, because the database contains many low-end integrated GPUs that cluster near the bottom.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 9060 than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M in OpenCL?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 9060 scores 88,183 points versus the GTX 965M's 14,509 points, a 507.8% advantage for the AMD card.

Q: Does the GTX 965M win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. The RX 9060 wins both recorded head-to-head tests: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The win count is 2 for the AMD card and 0 for the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the Vulkan performance difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 9060 scores 39,476 in Geekbench Vulkan, while the GTX 965M scores 14,299, giving the RX 9060 a 176.1% lead.

Q: How do the two cards compare to their nearest rivals in the database?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16,014 places it 0.7% below the RTX 3060 Ti and 1% above the Radeon R9 370X and Radeon RX 7700. The GTX 965M's average of 14,404 is 0.1% above the RX Vega 11 and 0.2% above the GTX TITAN.

Q: Which card has the higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RX 9060 ranks in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 965M ranks in the 56th percentile.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16,014, and the GTX 965M's is 14,404, a difference of 1,610 points in favor of the AMD card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast, reflecting a decade of semiconductor progress. The RX 9060 is built on TSMC's 4 nm process and uses the Navi 44 chip, part of the RDNA 4.0 architecture under the codename Strix Point. The GTX 965M, by contrast, uses the GM204 chip with Maxwell 2.0 architecture on TSMC's 28 nm process. The process node difference alone, 4 nm versus 28 nm, explains much of the efficiency and density advantage. The RX 9060 packs 29,700 million transistors into a 199 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 149.2 million per square millimeter. The GTX 965M has 5,200 million transistors on a much larger 398 mm² die, giving it a density of only 13.1 million per square millimeter. The RX 9060 has more than 11 times the transistor density of the GTX 965M.

The compute resources differ correspondingly. The RX 9060 has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, 64 raster operation pipelines, and 28 ray tracing cores. The GTX 965M has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, with no ray tracing cores at all. The presence of dedicated ray tracing hardware on the RX 9060 is a major architectural feature absent from the Maxwell-based GTX 965M. The RX 9060 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 965M is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not a differentiator in those areas.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The RX 9060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 965M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on the same 128-bit bus width, but only achieves 80.19 GB/s. The RX 9060 has over 3.5 times the memory bandwidth and four times the memory capacity. The clock speeds tell a similar story: the RX 9060 has a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost clock of 2990 MHz, while the GTX 965M runs at 924 MHz base and 950 MHz boost. The RX 9060's boost clock is more than three times the GTX 965M's boost clock.

The production status reflects the generational divide: the RX 9060 is listed as Active, while the GTX 965M is End-of-life. The RX 9060 was released in 2025, and the GTX 965M in 2015, a ten-year separation that explains the architectural chasm. The RX 9060 is part of the Radeon RX 9000 series and the Navi IV generation, while the GTX 965M belongs to the GeForce 900M generation. The predecessor of the RX 9060 is Navi III, and the GTX 965M's predecessor is GeForce 800M, with its successor being GeForce 10 Mobile.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification field in the database. The process node is 4 nm for the RX 9060 versus 28 nm for the GTX 965M. Transistor count is 29,700 million versus 5,200 million, and die size is 199 mm² versus 398 mm². The RX 9060 has a significantly smaller die with far more transistors, a direct result of the denser manufacturing process. The base clock is 1700 MHz versus 924 MHz, and the boost clock is 2990 MHz versus 950 MHz. The RX 9060 also has a game clock of 2400 MHz, a specification the GTX 965M does not list.

Memory capacity is 8 GB versus 2 GB, with GDDR6 versus GDDR5 type. The bus width is 128 bit for both, but bandwidth is 288.0 GB/s versus 80.19 GB/s. The RX 9060's memory clock is 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the GTX 965M's memory clock is 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The shading unit count is 1,792 versus 1,024, TMUs are 112 versus 64, and ROPs are 64 versus 32. The RX 9060 has 28 ray tracing cores; the GTX 965M has none. The pixel rate is 191.4 GPixel/s versus 30.40 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 334.9 GTexel/s versus 60.80 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 21.43 TFLOPS versus 1.946 TFLOPS. The RX 9060 also lists FP16 performance at 21.43 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 965M has no FP16 listing.

The power and physical specifications differ as well. The RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W, uses a dual-slot form factor, requires a single 8-pin power connector, and suggests a 300 W PSU. The GTX 965M uses an MXM Module form factor with no power connectors and no suggested PSU. The bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x16 for the RX 9060 versus MXM-B (3.0) for the GTX 965M. Display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a for the RX 9060, while the GTX 965M's display outputs are listed as portable device dependent. The RX 9060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 965M supports DirectX 12 (12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.4, and Vulkan 1.4.

The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16,014 and a 59th percentile ranking, while the GTX 965M has an average of 14,404 and a 56th percentile ranking.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the superior product in every measured category. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, has a higher average benchmark score, a higher percentile ranking, and a more modern architecture with ray tracing support and DirectX 12 Ultimate. The 507.8% OpenCL lead and 176.1% Vulkan lead are not incremental improvements; they place the RX 9060 in a completely different performance class. For anyone running compute workloads, modern games, or ray-traced content, the RX 9060 is the only viable choice based on the recorded measurements.

The GTX 965M's closest rivals in the database are integrated graphics and older discrete parts like the RX Vega 11, GTX TITAN, and Intel Iris Xe MAX, all within 0.6% of its average score. The RX 9060's rivals, by contrast, include the RTX 3060 Ti, a modern desktop GPU, and the Radeon RX 7700. This places the two cards in different competitive ecosystems despite their relatively close percentile rankings. The GTX 965M is competitive with entry-level integrated graphics from its era, while the RX 9060 competes with current mid-range discrete GPUs.

For users with legacy software that runs on DirectX 12 (12_1) or earlier, the GTX 965M could still function, but the data shows it is severely outmatched. The RX 9060's 8 GB of memory versus 2 GB, its 288.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 80.19 GB/s, and its 21.43 TFLOPS versus 1.946 TFLOPS FP32 performance mean that the AMD card will handle modern workloads that the GTX 965M cannot process at playable levels. The GTX 965M is end-of-life, while the RX 9060 is active production. For new purchases or upgrades, the choice is clear. For anyone comparing these two specific models, the RX 9060 wins on every benchmark, every specification, and every architectural feature that matters for current and future workloads.