NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data paints a clear, if narrow, picture for these two Fermi 2.0 siblings. The single head-to-head measurement, Geekbench OpenCL, shows only one winner: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti takes the sole victory with a score of 10,690 against the GTX 560's 9,058. That is an 18% advantage, which is substantial for two cards built on the same GF114 chip, the same 40 nm TSMC process, and the same 1,950 million transistor count.

The GTX 560 Ti does not merely win on raw score; it also sits higher in the broader database. Its 49th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it just above the midpoint, while the GTX 560 rests at the 45th percentile. The gap between those percentile positions is modest, but it reinforces the same directional story: the Ti is the stronger part in compute workloads.

However, the GTX 560 is not without its own niche. The data shows no benchmark where it wins outright, so its appeal is not about performance leadership. Instead, its advantages appear in other recorded characteristics. It draws 150 W of power, 20 W less than the Ti's 170 W, and it is physically shorter at 210 mm (8.3 inches) versus 229 mm (9 inches). For a system with tighter clearance or a weaker power delivery path, those differences could matter more than the raw compute delta. The GTX 560 also launched at a lower MSRP, which may have made it the more accessible entry point into the GeForce 500 family, though the database does not record any performance-per-cost metric.

The win distribution is therefore one-sided in compute, but the non-benchmark fields give the GTX 560 a reason to exist. It is the quieter, cooler-running, shorter card by specification, while the Ti is the one that wins the actual measured test. In a use-case split, the Ti claims every workload that stresses OpenCL compute, while the GTX 560 claims the use cases where power draw, card length, or launch price are the binding constraints.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward recommendation for anyone choosing between these two. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti is the superior performer in the only benchmark recorded. Its 18% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is not a marginal edge; it is a decisive margin that would translate into faster compute tasks across the board. The Ti also carries more shading units, 384 versus 336, more texture mapping units, 64 versus 56, and higher pixel and texture rates. Those are not just numbers on a spec sheet; they are the hardware resources that drive the measured score.

The GTX 560, in contrast, is the card to pick only when its physical and electrical characteristics take priority. It consumes 150 W versus 170 W, it is 19 mm shorter, and it shares the same 2x 6-pin power connector requirement and the same 450 W suggested PSU. For a compact chassis or a system with a modest power supply, the GTX 560 is the safer fit. But the benchmark record does not show any scenario where it wins a performance test.

The verdict is thus conditional but clear: if compute performance is the goal, the GTX 560 Ti wins without qualification. If system integration constraints dominate, the GTX 560 offers a lower-power, shorter alternative, but it gives up 18% in OpenCL performance to do so. The Ti is the pick for performance; the non-Ti is the pick for fit and power efficiency.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sole recorded head-to-head test is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a decisive one. The GTX 560 Ti scores 10,690, while the GTX 560 scores 9,058. The delta is 18% in favor of the Ti. That is the kind of margin that separates a playable experience from a frustrating one in compute-heavy applications, and it is large enough to be visible in everyday use.

Context from the nearest rivals makes the Ti's position even clearer. The Ti's 10,690 score sits within 1.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro 450 (10,804) and within 0.7% of the NVIDIA Quadro K2200 (10,761), while it leads the AMD Radeon RX 6600S by 0.6% (10,629) and the AMD Radeon R9 M275X by 1% (10,582). These are tight margins, suggesting the Ti lands in a competitive cluster of mid-range cards. Its percentile rank of 49 confirms that it is right at the center of the database distribution.

The GTX 560's nearest rivals tell a similar story at a lower tier. Its 9,058 score is within 0.2% of the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition (9,037) and 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (9,022), while it leads the AMD Radeon 550X by 1.6% (8,918) and trails the AMD Radeon 890M by 1.7% (9,210). The 45th percentile rank places it slightly below the database midpoint. The 18% gap between the two cards in this review is therefore not an artifact of one card being near its rivals; it is a genuine separation between two performance classes.

The biggest win in either direction is the Ti's OpenCL victory. There is no recorded test where the GTX 560 turns the tables. The data is one-sided, and the margin is consistent with the architectural differences: the Ti has 48 more shading units, 8 more TMUs, and higher clock-derived rates. The pixel rate difference, 13.17 GPixel/s versus 11.34 GPixel/s, and the texture rate difference, 52.67 GTexel/s versus 45.36 GTexel/s, both favor the Ti by roughly 16 to 17%, which aligns with the 18% OpenCL delta.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti is faster. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, it scores 10,690 versus the GTX 560's 9,058, an 18% advantage.

Q: Do both cards use the same chip and process?

A: Yes. Both are built on the GF114 chip using Fermi 2.0 architecture, produced on TSMC's 40 nm process with 1,950 million transistors and a 332 mm² die size.

Q: What are the main specification differences?

A: The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the GTX 560 has 336 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Ti also has a higher memory clock of 1002 MHz versus 1000 MHz, and higher bandwidth of 128.3 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card consumes less power?

A: The GTX 560 consumes less power at 150 W, while the GTX 560 Ti is rated at 170 W. Both require 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU.

Q: How do these cards rank among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 560 Ti ranks at the 49th percentile, while the GTX 560 ranks at the 45th percentile. Both are near the middle of the database distribution.

Q: Which card is shorter?

A: The GTX 560 is shorter at 210 mm (8.3 inches), while the GTX 560 Ti measures 229 mm (9 inches).

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same fundamental architecture: Fermi 2.0 on the GF114 chip, fabricated by TSMC at 40 nm. The transistor count is identical at 1,950 million, and the die size is the same 332 mm². The transistor density is likewise identical at 5.9M per mm². This means the architectural difference is not a matter of a different chip or process node; it is a matter of how many of the chip's resources are enabled and at what clocks they run.

The GTX 560 Ti enables more of the GF114's compute resources. It has 384 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 560 has 336 shading units and 56 TMUs, but it retains the same 32 ROPs. The shading unit count is 14.3% higher on the Ti, and the TMU count is 14.3% higher as well. These additional units are the direct cause of the Ti's higher pixel and texture rates: 13.17 GPixel/s and 52.67 GTexel/s versus 11.34 GPixel/s and 45.36 GTexel/s.

The memory subsystems are nearly identical but not quite. Both use 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. The Ti's memory clock is 1002 MHz, yielding 128.3 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GTX 560 runs at 1000 MHz for 128.0 GB/s. The difference is trivial in bandwidth terms, less than 0.3%, so memory is not the differentiator. The FP32 compute rate tells a clearer story: the Ti delivers 1,263.4 GFLOPS versus the GTX 560's 1,088.6 GFLOPS, a 16% gap that closely matches the 18% benchmark delta.

Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores, and both support DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and no Vulkan. The display outputs are identical: 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The PCIe interface is the same, PCIe 2.0 x16. The architectural story is one of a shared foundation with a different degree of resource activation.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge in several recorded fields. The GTX 560 Ti has 384 shading units versus 336, 64 TMUs versus 56, and an identical 32 ROPs. The memory clock is 1002 MHz on the Ti and 1000 MHz on the GTX 560, both effective 4 Gbps. Memory bandwidth is 128.3 GB/s versus 128.0 GB/s. The pixel rate is 13.17 GPixel/s versus 11.34 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 52.67 GTexel/s versus 45.36 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 1,263.4 GFLOPS versus 1,088.6 GFLOPS.

Power draw differs by 20 W: the Ti is rated at 170 W, the GTX 560 at 150 W. Both use 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU. Physical length differs, with the Ti at 229 mm (9 inches) and the GTX 560 at 210 mm (8.3 inches). Both are dual-slot cards.

The release dates are different: the Ti launched on January 24, 2011, and the GTX 560 on May 16, 2011. Both are end-of-life products, both succeeded the GeForce 400 series, and both were succeeded by the GeForce 600 series. The launch MSRP for the Ti was 249 USD, and for the GTX 560 it was 199 USD. The API support, display outputs, bus interface, process node, foundry, transistor count, die size, and transistor density are all identical between the two.