NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Comparison

The Verdict

The data in this comparison is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti outperforms the GTX 560 SE in the only shared benchmark recorded, Geekbench OpenCL. The 650 Ti scores 7,877 points against the 560 SE’s 7,171, a lead of 9.8 percent. This result aligns with the broader percentile ranking, where the 650 Ti sits at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs while the 560 SE sits at the 39th. For a buyer choosing between these two end-of-life cards today, the GTX 650 Ti is the stronger pick on raw compute performance, and it does so while demanding less power and occupying a smaller physical footprint.

The GTX 650 Ti is also the more modern architecture. Kepler, built on a 28 nm process, replaces Fermi 2.0’s 40 nm node, and the database shows the consequences in efficiency and transistor density. The 650 Ti packs 2,540 million transistors into a 221 mm² die, yielding 11.5 million transistors per square millimeter, while the 560 SE spreads 1,950 million transistors across a much larger 332 mm² die at just 5.9 million per square millimeter. The 650 Ti’s thermal design power is 110 W versus 150 W for the 560 SE, and its suggested power supply is 300 W versus 450 W. The 650 Ti is also a single-slot card with a single 6-pin connector, whereas the 560 SE is dual-slot with two 6-pin connectors. On every efficiency metric in the record, the newer card wins.

However, the GTX 560 SE is not without its own advantages. It has a wider 192-bit memory bus versus 128-bit, which contributes to a higher memory bandwidth of 91.87 GB/s versus 86.40 GB/s. It also has more ROPs, 24 versus 16, which can matter for fill-rate-bound workloads. But these advantages do not translate into a benchmark victory in the recorded data. The 560 SE’s pixel rate is 8.832 GPixel/s versus 14.85 GPixel/s for the 650 Ti, and its texture rate is 35.33 GTexel/s versus 59.39 GTexel/s. The 650 Ti also has far more shading units, 768 versus 288, and more TMUs, 64 versus 48, yielding over 1.4 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 847.9 GFLOPS.

Who should pick which? The GTX 650 Ti is the choice for anyone prioritizing compute performance, power efficiency, and modern API support. The GTX 560 SE is only worth considering if a wider memory bus or higher ROP count is deemed essential for a specific legacy workload, but the benchmark data does not show any scenario where that pays off.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different generations and distinct architectures. The GTX 650 Ti is based on the GK106S chip using the Kepler architecture, part of the GeForce 600 generation, while the GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip with the Fermi 2.0 architecture, part of the GeForce 500 generation. Both are fabricated by TSMC, but the process nodes differ: the 650 Ti uses 28 nm, the 560 SE uses 40 nm. This process advantage explains much of the efficiency gap.

Transistor counts and die sizes tell the story of architectural density. The 650 Ti integrates 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, for a density of 11.5 million per square millimeter. The 560 SE integrates 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, for a density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. The Kepler design is not only denser but also more efficient in how it deploys those transistors.

Compute resources diverge sharply. The 650 Ti has 768 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The 560 SE has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The 650 Ti’s FP32 throughput is 1,425.4 GFLOPS, while the 560 SE manages 847.9 GFLOPS. Pixel fill rate is 14.85 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s, and texture fill rate is 59.39 GTexel/s versus 35.33 GTexel/s. The 560 SE’s only structural advantages are the wider 192-bit memory bus and the higher ROP count.

Memory configurations are similar in capacity, both 1024 MB of GDDR5, but different in clock and bus. The 650 Ti runs its memory at 1350 MHz, 5.4 Gbps effective, over a 128-bit bus, yielding 86.40 GB/s. The 560 SE runs at 957 MHz, 3.8 Gbps effective, over a 192-bit bus, yielding 91.87 GB/s. The 560 SE has slightly more bandwidth, but the 650 Ti compensates with far higher compute throughput.

API support also differs. The 650 Ti supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the 560 SE has no Vulkan support recorded. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The 650 Ti’s display outputs include mini-HDMI 1.4a, while the 560 SE has mini-HDMI 1.3a. The 650 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16, the 560 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16.

Power delivery is another differentiator. The 650 Ti has a TDP of 110 W, a single 6-pin power connector, and a suggested 300 W PSU. The 560 SE has a TDP of 150 W, two 6-pin connectors, and a suggested 450 W PSU. The 650 Ti is single-slot and 145 mm long; the 560 SE is dual-slot and 210 mm long.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti wins the only head-to-head benchmark in the database. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 7,877 against the GTX 560 SE’s 7,171, a 9.8 percent advantage.

Q: How do the two cards compare in overall GPU rankings?

A: The GTX 650 Ti sits at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 560 SE sits at the 39th percentile. The 650 Ti’s average benchmark score is 8,053, and the 560 SE’s is 7,171.

Q: Does the GTX 560 SE have any memory advantage?

A: Yes. The GTX 560 SE has a 192-bit memory bus and 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the GTX 650 Ti’s 128-bit bus and 86.40 GB/s. Both cards have 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Which card consumes less power?

A: The GTX 650 Ti has a 110 W TDP and a suggested 300 W power supply, while the GTX 560 SE has a 150 W TDP and a suggested 450 W power supply. The 650 Ti also uses a single 6-pin connector versus two on the 560 SE.

Q: Are both cards the same physical size?

A: No. The GTX 650 Ti is a single-slot card at 145 mm (5.7 inches) long. The GTX 560 SE is a dual-slot card at 210 mm (8.3 inches) long.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. However, the GTX 650 Ti supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GTX 560 SE has no Vulkan support recorded.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE:

• Chip: GK106S versus GF114
• Architecture: Kepler versus Fermi 2.0
• Generation: GeForce 600 versus GeForce 500
• Process node: 28 nm versus 40 nm
• Transistors: 2,540 million versus 1,950 million
• Die size: 221 mm² versus 332 mm²
• Transistor density: 11.5M / mm² versus 5.9M / mm²
• Memory clock: 1350 MHz, 5.4 Gbps effective versus 957 MHz, 3.8 Gbps effective
• Memory bus width: 128 bit versus 192 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 86.40 GB/s versus 91.87 GB/s
• Shading units: 768 versus 288
• TMUs: 64 versus 48
• ROPs: 16 versus 24
• Pixel rate: 14.85 GPixel/s versus 8.832 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 59.59 GTexel/s versus 35.33 GTexel/s
• FP32: 1,425.4 GFLOPS versus 847.9 GFLOPS
• TDP: 110 W versus 150 W
• Slot width: Single-slot versus Dual-slot
• Power connectors: 1x 6-pin versus 2x 6-pin
• Suggested PSU: 300 W versus 450 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 2.0 x16
• Display outputs: 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a versus 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a (note the 650 Ti’s outputs are recorded as 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a, the 560 SE as 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a)
• Vulkan: 1.2.175 versus null
• Length: 145 mm, 5.7 inches (650 Ti) versus 210 mm, 8.8 inches (560 SE, recorded as 210 mm, 8.3 inches; the database lists 145 mm and 5.7 inches for the 650 Ti, and 210 mm and 8.3 inches for the 560 SE)
• Release date: 2012-10-08 versus 2012-02-19
• Predecessor: GeForce 500 versus GeForce 400
• Successor: GeForce 700 versus GeForce 600
• Launch MSRP: 149 USD for the 650 Ti, none recorded for the 560 SE

Both cards share 1024 MB GDDR5 memory, a 1 GB capacity, DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 support, and End-of-life production status.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 650 Ti scores 7,877 points, and the GTX 560 SE scores 7,171 points. The delta is 9.8 percent in favor of the 650 Ti, which is the sole win recorded for either card in direct comparison, giving the 650 Ti one win and the 560 SE zero.

The Geekbench OpenCL result is consistent with the average benchmark scores in the database. The 650 Ti posts an average of 8,053 across its recorded tests, which also include a Geekbench Vulkan score of 8,229. The 560 SE has only the single Geekbench OpenCL result, 7,171, which serves as its average. The 650 Ti’s average is 12.3 percent higher than the 560 SE’s single score, a gap that reflects the architectural advantages discussed above.

The 650 Ti’s nearest rivals in the database illustrate its competitive position. It sits within 0.3 percent of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (8,040), the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 (8,039), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8,067), while trailing the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8,080) by 0.3 percent. These are all close matches, indicating the 650 Ti is positioned in a dense performance cluster. The 560 SE, by contrast, sits in a different cluster, with rivals like the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7,170, a 0 percent delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7,157, 0.2 percent lower), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7,203, 0.4 percent higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7,222, 0.7 percent higher).

The measured performance gap between the two cards is not marginal. A 9.8 percent lead in compute workload is meaningful, and it comes alongside the 650 Ti’s lower power draw, smaller size, and newer architecture. The 560 SE’s wider memory bus does not rescue it in the recorded OpenCL test, and its higher ROP count does not appear in any benchmark result that favors it. The database records one clear winner: the GTX 650 Ti.