NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 are both end-of-life Kepler parts from the GeForce 700 generation, but they sit at opposite ends of the performance spectrum. The data shows a clear hierarchy, yet the GTX 760 remains a surprisingly close competitor in aggregate scoring. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, architectural differences, and target audiences for each card based strictly on the provided data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are decisively lopsided in favor of the GTX TITAN BLACK. Across the three shared benchmark tests, the TITAN BLACK wins all of them, with margins that range from substantial to staggering.

The largest gap appears in the Geekbench Metal test. Here, the TITAN BLACK scores 24,172 points against the GTX 760’s 4,524 points. That translates to a delta of 434.3%, meaning the TITAN BLACK delivers more than five times the performance of the GTX 760 in this particular API workload. This is a generational gulf in compute capability, likely reflecting the massive difference in shading units and memory bandwidth between the two cards.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows a similar, though less extreme, trend. The TITAN BLACK posts 27,218 points, while the GTX 760 manages 11,299 points. The delta here is 140.9%, meaning the TITAN BLACK is roughly 2.4 times faster. This test is more representative of general-purpose compute tasks, and the TITAN BLACK’s lead is still dominant.

Finally, in the Geekbench Vulkan test, the TITAN BLACK scores 29,561 points compared to the GTX 760’s 12,551 points. The delta is 135.5%, again putting the TITAN BLACK at over double the performance. While the GTX 760 shows relative strength in Vulkan compared to its Metal showing, it still cannot close the gap.

Looking at the aggregate data, the story becomes more nuanced. The GTX 760’s average benchmark score is 9,458, while the TITAN BLACK’s is 9,474. This puts the TITAN BLACK just 0.2% ahead in overall average, a margin that is effectively a tie. This is a critical data point: the TITAN BLACK’s dominance in compute-heavy Geekbench tests is not reflected in the Passmark suite, where the GTX 760 appears to be more competitive. The GTX 760’s nearest rivals list includes the TITAN BLACK with a delta of -0.2%, confirming that from a pure aggregate score perspective, these two cards are neck-and-neck.

However, the TITAN BLACK’s individual benchmark results paint a different picture of its peak capabilities. Its Passmark G3D score is 9,184, and its Passmark G2D score is 595. In legacy DirectX tests, it scores 133 in DirectX 9, 73 in DirectX 11, 47 in DirectX 10, and 34 in DirectX 12. Its Passmark GPU Compute score is 3,726. These figures show a card that is strong across the board, but the GTX 760’s average score suggests it is not far behind in these specific legacy workloads. The TITAN BLACK’s percentile vs all GPUs is 46, identical to the GTX 760’s 46, further underscoring their similar standing in the broader GPU landscape.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split verdict. For users whose workloads are dominated by modern, compute-intensive APIs like Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK is the unequivocal choice. Its performance leads of 434.3%, 140.9%, and 135.5% respectively are insurmountable. This card was designed for heavy compute, and the benchmark results reflect that.

For users focused on legacy DirectX performance, general 3D rasterization, or who are simply looking at the aggregate score, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 is the more rational pick. Its average benchmark score of 9,458 is within 0.2% of the TITAN BLACK’s 9,474, meaning that in the average workload, there is no practical performance difference. Given that the GTX 760 also has a lower TDP of 170 W compared to the TITAN BLACK’s 250 W, it is the more efficient option for typical gaming scenarios.

The TITAN BLACK’s wins in all three head-to-head tests are undeniable, but the near-identical average scores suggest that the GTX 760 is the more balanced card for a broader range of tasks. The TITAN BLACK is a specialist tool, while the GTX 760 is a generalist. The choice depends entirely on whether the user’s software stack leverages the compute power that the TITAN BLACK exclusively offers. The GTX 760 wins the aggregate, making it the sensible default for most users, while the TITAN BLACK is the only option for those who need its specific compute strengths.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK has an average benchmark score of 9,474, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 has an average score of 9,458. The TITAN BLACK leads by a margin of 0.2%.

Q: How much faster is the TITAN BLACK in Geekbench Metal?

A: The TITAN BLACK scores 24,172 points in Geekbench Metal, compared to the GTX 760’s 4,524 points. This represents a delta of 434.3% in favor of the TITAN BLACK.

Q: Does the GTX 760 win any head-to-head benchmark tests?

A: No. In the head-to-head benchmark comparison, the TITAN BLACK wins all three tests (Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan). The GTX 760 has zero wins.

Q: What is the memory size difference between the two cards?

A: The TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 760 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: What are the TDP ratings for each card?

A: The TITAN BLACK has a TDP of 250 W, while the GTX 760 has a lower TDP of 170 W.

Q: Which card has a higher memory bandwidth?

A: The TITAN BLACK has a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, whereas the GTX 760 has a memory bandwidth of 192.3 GB/s.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ significantly in their core specifications, explaining the performance gap in compute-heavy tasks.

The shading units are the most striking difference: the TITAN BLACK features 2,880, while the GTX 760 has 1,152. This 2.5x difference is directly reflected in the compute performance. The texture mapping units (TMUs) also differ, with the TITAN BLACK at 240 versus the GTX 760’s 96. The render output units (ROPs) are 48 on the TITAN BLACK and 32 on the GTX 760.

Memory configurations are also divergent. The TITAN BLACK has a 384-bit memory bus, while the GTX 760 uses a 256-bit bus. This, combined with the memory clock differences (1750 MHz for the TITAN BLACK versus 1502 MHz for the GTX 760), results in the TITAN BLACK’s 336.0 GB/s bandwidth versus the GTX 760’s 192.3 GB/s.

Clock speeds are the one area where the GTX 760 is higher. The GTX 760 has a base clock of 980 MHz and a boost clock of 1032 MHz, whereas the TITAN BLACK operates at 889 MHz base and 980 MHz boost. Despite lower clocks, the TITAN BLACK’s raw compute throughput is far higher, with an FP32 performance of 5.645 TFLOPS versus the GTX 760’s 2.378 TFLOPS.

The physical cards also differ. The TITAN BLACK is longer at 267 mm (10.5 inches), while the GTX 760 is 241 mm (9.5 inches). Power requirements differ as well: the TITAN BLACK uses a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connector setup and suggests a 600 W PSU, while the GTX 760 uses 2x 6-pin connectors and suggests a 450 W PSU.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture and use a 28 nm process at TSMC, but they are fundamentally different chips with different transistor budgets and feature sets.

The TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip, which contains 7,080 million transistors on a die size of 561 mm². In contrast, the GTX 760 uses the GK104 chip, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is marginally different, with the TITAN BLACK at 12.6M / mm² and the GTX 760 at 12.0M / mm².

The most significant architectural difference is in the API support. While both cards support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.175, they differ in DirectX support. The TITAN BLACK supports DirectX 12 (11_1), while the GTX 760 supports DirectX 12 (11_0). This indicates that the TITAN BLACK has a more advanced feature level for DirectX 12, potentially enabling certain rendering features that the GTX 760 cannot access.

The core configuration differences—the 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs on the TITAN BLACK versus 1,152, 96, and 32 respectively on the GTX 760—are the defining architectural characteristics. The GK110B is a much larger and more complex chip, designed for high-end compute. The GK104, while still a capable Kepler part, is a smaller, more power-efficient design. The TITAN BLACK’s higher pixel rate (58.80 GPixel/s vs 24.77 GPixel/s) and texture rate (235.2 GTexel/s vs 99.07 GTexel/s) are direct consequences of this larger architecture.