NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark in the database is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 scores 9,058. This gives the GTX 950M a 7% advantage, a meaningful but not overwhelming margin. The GTX 950M takes the sole win in the direct comparison, with the GTX 560 recording zero wins in the head-to-head data.

Looking at how each card sits among its nearest rivals, the GTX 560's OpenCL score of 9,058 places it just 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition (9,037) and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (9,022). It is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon 550X (8,918), but trails the AMD Radeon 890M (9,210) by 1.7%. These are extremely tight margins; the GTX 560 is effectively trading blows with a group of cards that span very different generations and market positions.

The GTX 950M, with its OpenCL score of 9,745, sits in a similar cluster of tight competition. Its average benchmark score, however, is 8,135, which is lower than its OpenCL score because the database also includes a Vulkan result of 6,525. The average pulls the GTX 950M down to the 42nd percentile among all GPUs, whereas the GTX 560's average equals its OpenCL score of 9,058, putting it at the 45th percentile. The GTX 950M's nearest rivals by average score are the AMD Radeon R9 M360 (8,129, a 0.1% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (8,167, where the GTX 950M is 0.4% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce 945M (8,099, 0.4% ahead), and the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8,080, 0.7% ahead).

The data shows that in pure OpenCL compute throughput, the GTX 950M is the faster card by a clear 7%. But the GTX 560's higher percentile ranking (45 vs 42) reflects the fact that its single recorded benchmark is consistently strong, whereas the GTX 950M's Vulkan result drags its average down substantially. A buyer looking only at the OpenCL test would favor the GTX 950M; a buyer looking at overall standing among all GPUs would see the GTX 560 in a slightly better position.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural families. The GTX 560 is built on Fermi 2.0, using the GF114 chip, while the GTX 950M uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip. This is a generational leap in design philosophy: Fermi 2.0 was NVIDIA's second refinement of the Fermi architecture, whereas Maxwell was a major rework focused on efficiency and higher shader throughput per watt.

The manufacturing process differs as well. The GTX 560 is fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 950M uses a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The die size tells a striking story: the GTX 560 has a die size of 332 mm², while the GTX 950M's die is just 148 mm². Despite being less than half the size, the GTX 950M packs nearly the same transistor count, 1,870 million versus 1,950 million for the GTX 560. This results in a transistor density of 12.6 million transistors per mm² for the GTX 950M, more than double the GTX 560's 5.9 million per mm². The density improvement is a direct consequence of the newer 28 nm node.

Shader configuration differs significantly. The GTX 560 has 336 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 950M has 640 shading units, a higher count that reflects Maxwell's design of many small cores, but only 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs. The GTX 560's larger ROP count and wider memory bus (256 bit vs 128 bit) are hallmarks of a desktop-oriented, bandwidth-hungry design. The GTX 950M's narrower bus and fewer ROPs are typical of a mobile part where power and space constraints dominate.

Clock behavior also diverges. The GTX 560 has no recorded base or boost clock in the database; only its memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) is listed. The GTX 950M has a base clock of 993 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz, with a memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). The GTX 950M's boost capability is a Maxwell-era feature that allows dynamic frequency scaling under load.

Feature support shows one notable difference: the GTX 950M supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 560 has no Vulkan support listed. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 560's display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the GTX 950M's outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," reflecting its mobile nature.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M scores 9,745 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 7% higher than the GTX 560's score of 9,058.

Q: How does the GTX 560 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 560's score of 9,058 is 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA TITAN V CEO Edition (9,037), 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (9,022), and 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 550X (8,918). It is 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon 890M (9,210).

Q: Does the GTX 950M support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the GTX 950M lists Vulkan 1.4 support. The GTX 560 has no Vulkan support recorded in the database.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The GTX 560 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 128.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 950M has 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 28.80 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Which card has the higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 950M has a transistor density of 12.6 million transistors per mm², more than double the GTX 560's 5.9 million per mm², despite both being manufactured by TSMC.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The GTX 560 has an average benchmark score of 9,058, placing it at the 45th percentile among all GPUs. The GTX 950M has an average score of 8,135, placing it at the 42nd percentile, because its Vulkan score of 6,525 lowers its average below its OpenCL result.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification category.

Process node: The GTX 560 uses 40 nm, the GTX 950M uses 28 nm, both at TSMC.

Transistors: The GTX 560 has 1,950 million; the GTX 950M has 1,870 million.

Die size: The GTX 560 is 332 mm²; the GTX 950M is 148 mm².

Transistor density: The GTX 560 is 5.9 million per mm²; the GTX 950M is 12.6 million per mm².

Clocks: The GTX 560 has no base or boost clock listed, with a memory clock of 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The GTX 950M has a base clock of 993 MHz, a boost clock of 1124 MHz, and a memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective).

Memory: The GTX 560 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 950M has 4 GB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth.

Shading units: The GTX 560 has 336; the GTX 950M has 640.

Texture mapping units: The GTX 560 has 56; the GTX 950M has 40.

ROPs: The GTX 560 has 32; the GTX 950M has 16.

Pixel rate: The GTX 560 is 11.34 GPixel/s; the GTX 950M is 17.98 GPixel/s.

Texture rate: The GTX 560 is 45.36 GTexel/s; the GTX 950M is 44.96 GTexel/s.

FP32 performance: The GTX 560 is 1,088.6 GFLOPS; the GTX 950M is 1,438.7 GFLOPS.

TDP: The GTX 560 is 150 W; the GTX 950M is 75 W.

Slot width: The GTX 560 is dual-slot; the GTX 950M is IGP.

Power connectors: The GTX 560 requires 2x 6-pin; the GTX 950M requires none.

Suggested PSU: The GTX 560 lists 450 W; the GTX 950M has no suggested PSU listed.

Bus interface: The GTX 560 uses PCIe 2.0 x16; the GTX 950M uses PCIe 3.0 x8.

Display outputs: The GTX 560 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a; the GTX 950M is listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

Vulkan support: The GTX 560 has none listed; the GTX 950M supports Vulkan 1.4.

Dimensions: The GTX 560 is 210 mm (8.3 inches) long; the GTX 950M has no dimensions listed.

Release date: The GTX 560 was released on 2011-05-16; the GTX 950M on 2015-03-12.

Launch MSRP: The GTX 560 has a launch MSRP of 199 USD. The GTX 950M has no launch MSRP recorded.

The Verdict

The data points to two very different design goals. The GTX 560 is a desktop card from the GeForce 500 generation, built on a large 332 mm² die with a 256-bit memory bus and 128.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 32 ROPs and high texture rate of 45.36 GTexel/s suggest a design aimed at traditional rasterization workloads where memory bandwidth and fill rate matter. Its TDP of 150 W and dual-slot form factor confirm it is a card that expects a desktop power budget.

The GTX 950M, by contrast, is a mobile part from the GeForce 900M generation. Its 75 W TDP, IGP slot width, and lack of power connectors make it suitable for laptops. It compensates for a narrow 128-bit bus and DDR3 memory (28.80 GB/s) with a much higher shader count (640 units) and a modern architecture that delivers 1,438.7 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is 32% higher than the GTX 560's 1,088.6 GFLOPS. Its pixel rate of 17.98 GPixel/s is also higher, despite having half the ROPs.

For compute workloads measured by Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 950M is the winner with a 7% higher score. For users who prioritize overall standing among all GPUs, the GTX 560's 45th percentile average score edges out the GTX 950M's 42nd percentile, but that ranking is influenced by the GTX 950M's weaker Vulkan result. If the comparison is strictly about the OpenCL benchmark, the GTX 950M is the faster part. If the comparison is about memory bandwidth and traditional desktop rendering features, the GTX 560 has the advantage with its 256-bit bus and GDDR5 memory. Given that the GTX 950M wins the only direct head-to-head test and offers newer architectural features including Vulkan support, the recorded data favors the GTX 950M for general compute and modern API compatibility, while the GTX 560 remains notable for its desktop-class memory subsystem and higher ROP count.