NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 in raw compute performance?

A: The GTX 965M records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 14,509, while the GTX 590 scores 12,830. This gives the GTX 965M a 13.1% lead in that specific benchmark.

Q: Which GPU delivers higher memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 590 offers 164.0 GB/s of bandwidth thanks to its 384-bit bus, while the GTX 965M provides 80.19 GB/s over a 128-bit interface. The GTX 590 nearly doubles the GTX 965M in this metric.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes of these two chips?

A: The GTX 965M uses the GM204 chip with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, while the GTX 590 uses the GF110 chip with 3,000 million transistors on a 520 mm² die. The GTX 965M packs transistors more densely at 13.1M per mm² versus 5.8M per mm² for the GTX 590.

Q: Do both GPUs support DirectX 12?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12, but at different feature levels. The GTX 965M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 590 supports DirectX 12 (11_0). Vulkan support is present on the GTX 965M (version 1.4), but the GTX 590 has no recorded Vulkan support.

Q: What is the power requirement difference between the two cards?

A: The GTX 590 has a TDP of 365 W and requires a 750 W suggested power supply with two 8-pin connectors. The GTX 965M has no recorded TDP and uses no external power connectors, drawing power entirely through its MXM module slot.

Q: Which card is newer and what are their production statuses?

A: The GTX 965M was released on January 8, 2015, while the GTX 590 launched on March 23, 2011. Both are listed as end-of-life in the database, but the GTX 965M sits in the GeForce 900M generation, while the GTX 590 belongs to the GeForce 500 generation.

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents an unusual generational clash. The GTX 965M, a mobile part from 2015, outperforms the GTX 590, a desktop dual-GPU flagship from 2011, in the recorded OpenCL workload by 13.1%. The GTX 965M's average benchmark score of 14,404 places it at the 56th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 590's average of 12,830 sits at the 52nd percentile. For users prioritizing raw compute throughput in OpenCL applications, the GTX 965M is the clear winner, despite being designed for portable devices.

However, the GTX 590 retains advantages that matter in specific contexts. Its memory subsystem is substantially wider, with 384-bit bus versus 128-bit, and it delivers 164.0 GB/s of bandwidth compared to 80.19 GB/s. The GTX 590 also packs 48 ROPs against the GTX 965M's 32, which can benefit certain rasterization-heavy workloads. Yet the GTX 965M counters with more shading units (1,024 versus 512), higher pixel rate (30.40 GPixel/s versus 19.46 GPixel/s), and higher texture rate (60.80 GTexel/s versus 38.91 GTexel/s).

Who should pick which? For mobile users or those needing a compact MXM module solution with no external power connectors, the GTX 965M is the only viable option between the two. For desktop builders with a 750 W power supply and space for a 279 mm dual-slot card, the GTX 590 offers higher memory bandwidth but at a significant power cost of 365 W. The recorded data favors the GTX 965M in compute performance, and its newer Maxwell architecture provides DirectX 12_1 support and Vulkan 1.4, features the Fermi-based GTX 590 lacks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the GTX 965M scores 14,509 against the GTX 590's 12,830, yielding a 13.1% advantage for the mobile part. This is a substantial margin in a compute-oriented workload, reflecting the architectural efficiency gains of Maxwell 2.0 over Fermi 2.0.

Examining the nearest rivals provides context for both cards' standings. The GTX 965M's average score of 14,404 places it just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385), 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352), and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315). These are close margins, indicating the GTX 965M sits in a tight competitive cluster where small performance differences separate it from integrated and entry-level discrete solutions.

The GTX 590's average score of 12,830 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (12,831, 0% delta), 0.1% ahead of the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, recorded as -0.1% delta meaning the GTX 590 trails), 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870), and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (12,773). The GTX 590 thus occupies a lower performance tier, roughly 11% behind the GTX 965M's cluster.

The wins tally in the head-to-head comparison is one for the GTX 965M and zero for the GTX 590, confirming the newer mobile GPU's dominance in the only recorded benchmark. Notably, the GTX 590 lacks a Vulkan benchmark result in the database, while the GTX 965M records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 14,299, further indicating the GTX 965M's broader API support.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every major specification. The GTX 965M uses a 28 nm process node from TSMC, while the GTX 590 uses a 40 nm node from the same foundry. Transistor counts diverge sharply: 5,200 million for the GTX 965M versus 3,000 million for the GTX 590, despite the GTX 590's larger die size of 520 mm² compared to 398 mm². Transistor density favors the GTX 965M at 13.1M per mm² versus 5.8M per mm².

Clock speeds show the GTX 965M running at 924 MHz base and 950 MHz boost, while the GTX 590 has no recorded base or boost clocks. Memory clocks also differ: the GTX 965M operates at 1253 MHz with 5 Gbps effective speed, while the GTX 590 runs at 854 MHz with 3.4 Gbps effective. Memory capacity varies, with the GTX 965M offering 2 GB GDDR5 and the GTX 590 offering 1536 MB GDDR5.

The bus interface is another key divider: the GTX 965M uses MXM-B (3.0) and is a slot-width MXM Module, while the GTX 590 uses PCIe 2.0 x16 and is a dual-slot desktop card. The GTX 590 measures 279 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, while the GTX 965M has no recorded dimensions. Power delivery differs fundamentally: the GTX 965M has no power connectors and draws from the MXM slot, while the GTX 590 requires two 8-pin connectors and a 750 W suggested power supply, with a 365 W TDP.

Display outputs also differ: the GTX 965M is "Portable Device Dependent," while the GTX 590 provides three DVI outputs and one mini-DisplayPort. The GTX 590's launch MSRP was 699 USD, while the GTX 965M has no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 965M is built on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture using the GM204 chip, part of the GeForce 900M generation. The GTX 590 uses the Fermi 2.0 architecture with the GF110 chip, belonging to the GeForce 500 generation. These architectural generations are separated by roughly four years of design evolution, with the GTX 965M releasing in 2015 and the GTX 590 in 2011.

Shader configuration differs significantly. The GTX 965M features 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 590 has 512 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. Both share the same TMU count, but the GTX 965M doubles the shading units while the GTX 590 has 50% more ROPs. The GTX 965M achieves a pixel rate of 30.40 GPixel/s and texture rate of 60.80 GTexel/s, while the GTX 590 manages 19.46 GPixel/s and 38.91 GTexel/s respectively.

Floating-point performance further illustrates the gap: the GTX 965M delivers 1.946 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the GTX 590 delivers 1,244.2 GFLOPS (approximately 1.244 TFLOPS). Neither card has recorded FP16, ray tracing core, or tensor core capabilities.

API support reflects the architectural differences. The GTX 965M supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 590 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support recorded. The GTX 965M's Maxwell architecture enables the higher DirectX feature level and Vulkan compatibility, while Fermi's older design caps at the 11_0 feature level.

The GTX 965M's predecessor is listed as GeForce 800M, with successor GeForce 10 Mobile. The GTX 590's predecessor is GeForce 400, with successor GeForce 600. These lineage markers confirm the GTX 965M as a later-generation mobile part, while the GTX 590 represents the tail end of the Fermi desktop era. The GTX 965M's higher transistor density and newer process node allowed NVIDIA to pack more compute units into a smaller die, despite the GTX 590's physically larger chip.