GPU Comparison

The Verdict

The database places these two NVIDIA parts in adjacent percentile tiers, but the performance gap is substantial. The GTX 760 sits at the 46th percentile of all GPUs, while the 945M lands at the 42nd percentile. That three-point spread understates the real difference: in the only directly comparable OpenCL benchmark, the GTX 760 scores 11,299 versus 8,099 for the 945M, a 39.5% advantage. The GTX 760 is the clear choice for anyone seeking desktop-class compute throughput, while the 945M exists in a different performance universe despite its newer architecture.

The GTX 760's average benchmark score of 9,458 places it within 0.2% of the GTX TITAN BLACK, a far more expensive desktop flagship. The 945M's average of 8,099 sits just 0.4% behind the GTX 650 Ti Boost, a card from two generations prior. What this means is simple: the GTX 760 belongs to a desktop performance tier that the 945M cannot reach. The 945M is a mobile part designed for laptops, and its data reflects that constraint. For anyone choosing between these two, the answer depends entirely on form factor. If a desktop GPU is acceptable, the GTX 760 wins outright. If a laptop is mandatory, the 945M is the only option.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX 760 averages 9,458 across all recorded tests, while the 945M averages 8,099. The GTX 760 leads by roughly 16.8% in aggregate performance.

Q: How close is the GTX 760 to the GTX TITAN BLACK?

A: The GTX 760's average score of 9,458 is only 0.2% lower than the GTX TITAN BLACK's 9,474. In practical terms, the database shows them as near-equals in average performance.

Q: What is the 945M's closest rival in the database?

A: The 945M's average of 8,099 is 0.4% above the GTX 650 Ti Boost's 8,067 and 0.4% below the GTX 950M's 8,135. It sits squarely between those two parts.

Q: Does the 945M support a newer Vulkan version?

A: Yes. The 945M lists Vulkan 1.4 support, while the GTX 760 is limited to Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor density?

A: The 945M packs 12.6 million transistors per square millimeter, slightly ahead of the GTX 760's 12.0 million. Both use a 28 nm TSMC process, but the 945M's smaller die achieves a denser layout.

Q: What is the GTX 760's launch MSRP?

A: The GTX 760 launched with an MSRP of 249 USD. The 945M has no recorded launch MSRP in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different NVIDIA generations and use fundamentally different chip designs. The GTX 760 is built on the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, a large desktop-oriented die measuring 294 mm² and containing 3,540 million transistors. The 945M uses the Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip, a much smaller 148 mm² die with 1,870 million transistors. Both are fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, but the transistor density tells an interesting story: the 945M achieves 12.6 million transistors per mm², slightly higher than the GTX 760's 12.0 million per mm². This reflects Maxwell's design efficiency improvements over Kepler.

The core configurations differ dramatically. The GTX 760 deploys 1,152 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The 945M halves most of these: 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Neither chip includes ray tracing cores or tensor cores. The GTX 760's larger core count drives its compute rates: 2.378 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, 99.07 GTexel/s texture fill, and 24.77 GPixel/s pixel throughput. The 945M produces 1,305.6 GFLOPS, 40.80 GTexel/s, and 16.32 GPixel/s respectively. In every throughput metric, the GTX 760 roughly doubles the 945M.

Memory architectures also diverge. The GTX 760 uses GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, achieving 192.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The 945M uses DDR3 on a 128-bit bus, limited to 28.80 GB/s. Both carry 2 GB of VRAM, but the memory subsystem difference is massive: the GTX 760 has 6.7 times the bandwidth of the 945M. This single factor likely explains much of the performance gap in memory-intensive workloads.

The feature sets differ in API support. The GTX 760 lists Vulkan 1.2.175, while the 945M supports Vulkan 1.4. Both share DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The newer Vulkan revision on the 945M suggests better long-term driver support for modern APIs, but the raw compute advantage remains with the GTX 760.

Specification Differences

The recorded specifications differ across nearly every measurable field. The GTX 760 runs at 980 MHz base and 1032 MHz boost, while the 945M runs at 928 MHz base and 1020 MHz boost. The GTX 760 clocks slightly higher, but the difference is modest. Memory clocks diverge sharply: the GTX 760's GDDR5 operates at 1502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective data rate, while the 945M's DDR3 runs at 900 MHz with only 1800 Mbps effective. This compounds the bus width difference (256-bit versus 128-bit) to create the bandwidth chasm.

Power and cooling requirements separate these parts entirely. The GTX 760 draws 170 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler, uses 2x 6-pin power connectors, and needs a 450 W suggested PSU. The 945M draws just 75 W TDP, uses an MXM module form factor, requires no external power connectors, and has no suggested PSU rating. The GTX 760 measures 241 mm in length (9.5 inches), while the 945M has no recorded dimensions because it is a mobile module. The GTX 760 offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The 945M's display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by laptop implementation.

The GTX 760 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 for its bus interface, while the 945M uses MXM-B (3.0). The GTX 760 launched in June 2013 with a 249 USD MSRP and succeeded the GeForce 600 series. The 945M launched in October 2015, succeeded the GeForce 800M series, and was itself succeeded by GeForce 10 Mobile. Both are end-of-life products. The GTX 760 has three recorded benchmarks (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan), while the 945M has only one (Geekbench OpenCL). This data asymmetry explains why the head-to-head comparison uses OpenCL as the shared metric.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 760 scores 11,299, while the 945M scores 8,099. The GTX 760 wins with a 39.5% advantage. This is not a marginal victory; it is a categorical one. The GTX 760's OpenCL score alone exceeds the 945M's total by more than 3,200 points, a gap larger than the entire performance envelope of many entry-level GPUs.

The GTX 760 also holds additional benchmark records that the 945M cannot contest. Its Geekbench Vulkan score is 12,551, and its Geekbench Metal score is 4,524. The 945M has no recorded Vulkan or Metal scores, so direct comparison is impossible. However, the OpenCL result is consistent with the architectural differences. The GTX 760's 192.3 GB/s memory bandwidth versus the 945M's 28.80 GB/s, combined with 1,152 shading units versus 640, explains why the desktop part wins by such a wide margin.

In the context of their respective rival groups, the GTX 760's performance is more impressive. The GTX 760 sits 1.6% above the AMD Radeon R7 M380 and 1.7% above the GTX 850M, both mobile-oriented parts. It also trails the GTX TITAN BLACK by only 0.2%, a desktop flagship. The 945M, by contrast, sits 0.4% below the GTX 950M and 0.4% above the GTX 650 Ti Boost, indicating its position is mid-pack among older and lower-tier parts. The GTX 760 competes with much stronger hardware despite being older.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 760 wins in every measurable performance category. Its FP32 compute of 2.378 TFLOPS is 82% higher than the 945M's 1,305.6 GFLOPS. Its texture rate of 99.07 GTexel/s is 143% higher. Its pixel rate of 24.77 GPixel/s is 52% higher. Its memory bandwidth of 192.3 GB/s is 568% higher. In the OpenCL benchmark, it wins by 39.5%. For any workload that stresses compute, texture filtering, or memory throughput, the GTX 760 is the definitive choice.

The 945M wins in efficiency and portability. Its 75 W TDP is less than half the GTX 760's 170 W, and it requires no external power connectors. Its MXM form factor makes it suitable for laptops, while the GTX 760's dual-slot, 241 mm length demands a desktop chassis with adequate power supply headroom. The 945M's Vulkan 1.4 support is newer than the GTX 760's 1.2.175, which may benefit future software that targets the latest API revision. Its higher transistor density (12.6M vs 12.0M per mm²) hints at a more efficient design per unit area.

For users who need desktop-class performance in a stationary machine, the GTX 760 is the only sensible pick. Its benchmark data places it within a rounding error of the GTX TITAN BLACK, a far more premium product at launch. For users who require a mobile solution, the 945M is the only option, and its performance is respectable for its class: it sits within 0.4% of the GTX 950M and above the GTX 650 Ti Boost. The data does not support any scenario where the 945M outperforms the GTX 760, but it does support a scenario where the 945M is the right tool because the GTX 760 physically cannot fit the use case.