NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX330 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 vs NVIDIA GeForce MX330

The GeForce GTX 960 and GeForce MX330 occupy very different positions in the NVIDIA lineup. The GTX 960 is a desktop-oriented discrete GPU built on the Maxwell architecture, while the MX330 is a mobile-class chip based on the Pascal architecture. Benchmark data from the database shows a clear performance hierarchy between them, with the older desktop part substantially outperforming the newer mobile part in compute workloads. Their average benchmark scores differ by roughly 9.6%, with the GTX 960 recording the higher average.

FAQ - 4 Q&A Pairs

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, with an average score of 9,273, versus 8,458 for the NVIDIA GeForce MX330.

Q: What is the transistor density of each chip?

A: The GTX 960 has a density of 12.9 million transistors per square millimeter, while the MX330 has a density of 24.3 million transistors per square millimeter.

Q: What are the power connector requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 960 requires a single 6-pin power connector and has a TDP of 120 W. The MX330 has no power connectors and a TDP of 10 W.

Q: Which card shows a larger win in the head-to-head OpenCL benchmark?

A: The GTX 960 leads by 139.7% in the geekbench_opencl test, scoring 18,925 versus the MX330’s 7,896.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two parts is significant. The GTX 960 uses the GM206 chip on the Maxwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 2,940 million transistors onto a 228 mm² die. The MX330, by contrast, is built on the GP108B chip, using the Pascal architecture on a 14 nm process at Samsung, with 1,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die. The die size and transistor count differences result in the MX330 having a much higher transistor density, 24.3 million per square millimeter, compared with 12.9 million per square millimeter for the GTX 960.

The GTX 960 operates with a base clock of 1,127 MHz and a boost clock of 1,178 MHz. The memory runs at 1,753 MHz, yielding an effective data rate of 7 Gbps. It has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The MX330, in contrast, has a base clock of 1,531 MHz and a boost of 1,594 MHz, with its memory at 1,752 MHz. It uses 384 shading units, 24 TMUs and 16 ROPs.

Memory configurations also differ. The GTX 960 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 112.2 GB/s. The MX330 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 56.06 GB/s.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two specific head-to-head benchmark comparisons between these two GPUs. In the geekbench_opencl test, the GTX 960 scores 18,925 against only 7,896 for the MX330, a difference of 139.7% in favor of the desktop card. Both parts use the Vulkan API, the GTX 960 scores 9,231, which is 2.4% better than the 9,019 of the MX330.

The overall average benchmark score puts the GTX 960 at 9,273 across all tests, while the MX330 sits at 8,458. The GTX 960 is in the 45th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the MX330 is in the 43rd percentile. The nearest rivals to the GTX 960 include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, with an average 9,302 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon R7 M380 with 9,313 (0.4% behind). The MX330 competes with the AMD Radeon Vega 8, with 9,221 (0.6% ahead), and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M at 8,462 (0.0% apart).

Specification Differences

The feature sets diverge in ways beyond the compute core. The GTX 960 is a dual-slot card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. It offers display outputs of one DVI and one HDMI, plus three DisplayPort 1.2 connections. The MX330 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), so its display outputs are dependent on the portable device. It uses a PCIe 3.0 x4 bus interface.

The two use different memory buses as noted above, and the DX support also differs. The GTX 960 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MX330 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 similarly.

The production status is also different. The GTX 960 is at end of life, having been released in January 2015. The MX330 is also end-of-life. The GTX 960 has a successor in the GeForce 10 series, while the MX330 lists no predecessor or successor in the database.

The Verdict

The recorded data gives a clear direction for most users. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is the stronger part in raw compute performance and memory bandwidth. It leads by 47.4% in OpenCL and by 2.4% in Vulkan tests. It has a much wider memory bus, at 128-bit versus 64-bit, and almost twice the memory bandwidth. It also offers more shading units, TMUs, and ROPs, making it the better choice for desktop and gaming uses where power consumption and size are not the limiting factors.

However, the NVIDIA MX330 has clear advantages in efficiency and design. It has a newer 14 nm process, a smaller 74 mm² die, and a much higher transistor density. It consumes only 10 W of power, versus 120 W for the GTX 960, and requires no auxiliary power connectors, which makes it suitable for thin-and-light laptops with limited power and thermal headroom. The GTX 960 is a dual-slot card that requires a 6-pin connector and a 300 W supply, so it belongs in a desktop with adequate space and cooling.

For users whose priority is power and performance in a desktop system, the GTX 960 is the clear choice from the measured data. For users who need a modest, energy-efficient GPU for a compact laptop, the MX330 is the appropriate pick. The database shows 2 wins for the GTX 960 and 0 for the MX330 in direct comparisons.