NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Comparison

The GeForce GTX 960M and the GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK represent two very different philosophies from NVIDIA: a mobile part built for efficiency and a desktop flagship built for raw throughput. The benchmark data shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the specifics of that gap, and the architectural reasons behind it, are worth examining in detail.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two cards share only two common benchmark results in the data set: Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. The TITAN BLACK wins both decisively. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN BLACK scores 27,218 against the GTX 960M's 11,045. That is a delta of -59.4% from the perspective of the GTX 960M, meaning the TITAN BLACK outperforms it by roughly 146% in this test. The gap widens further in Geekbench Vulkan, where the TITAN BLACK posts 29,561 versus the GTX 960M's 8,245, a delta of -72.1%, translating to a performance advantage of about 258% for the TITAN BLACK.

These are not marginal differences; they represent a completely different performance class. The GTX 960M's average benchmark score across all its tests is 9,645, while the TITAN BLACK's is 9,474. This is a curious inversion: despite losing both head-to-head tests by massive margins, the GTX 960M has a slightly higher average score. This is explained by the composition of the benchmark suites. The GTX 960M's average is derived from only its two Geekbench results, both of which are relatively strong for its class. The TITAN BLACK, however, is also tested across Passmark's DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and GPU compute suites, many of which pull its overall average down.

Looking at the TITAN BLACK's individual Passmark scores reveals a mixed profile: it scores 133 in DirectX 9, 47 in DirectX 10, 73 in DirectX 11, and 34 in DirectX 12. Its Passmark G3D score of 9,184 is substantial, but its GPU compute score of 3,726 is comparatively modest. The GTX 960M, lacking these Passmark results in the data, does not have its average diluted by legacy API tests. The head-to-head data, however, is unambiguous: for compute and modern graphics API workloads, the TITAN BLACK is in another league, leading by 59.4% and 72.1% respectively.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on the same 28 nm process node at TSMC, and both have a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². Beyond that, their internal designs diverge sharply. The GTX 960M uses the GM107 chip, a Maxwell architecture part with 1,870 million transistors on a 148 mm² die. The TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip, based on the older Kepler architecture, but it is a far larger and more complex chip: 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die. That is roughly 3.8 times the transistor count and 3.8 times the die area.

These physical differences translate directly into shader resources. The GTX 960M has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 render output units (ROPs). The TITAN BLACK has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. In every category, the TITAN BLACK has between 3 and 6 times the resources. Clock speeds tell a different story: the GTX 960M runs at a base of 1097 MHz with a boost of 1176 MHz, while the TITAN BLACK is slower in raw clock terms at 889 MHz base and 980 MHz boost. The TITAN BLACK compensates with sheer width, achieving a pixel rate of 58.80 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 235.2 GTexel/s, versus 18.82 GPixel/s and 47.04 GTexel/s for the GTX 960M.

Memory subsystems also differ fundamentally. The GTX 960M uses 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, producing 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s — over four times the bandwidth. The TITAN BLACK's memory clock is 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the GTX 960M's is 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The TITAN BLACK also has higher FP32 compute: 5.645 TFLOPS versus 1.505 TFLOPS. Both cards support DirectX 12 (the GTX 960M at 11_0 feature level, the TITAN BLACK at 11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 for the GTX 960M versus Vulkan 1.2.175 for the TITAN BLACK.

The power and physical envelopes are equally contrasting. The GTX 960M is a 75 W MXM module with no power connectors, designed for laptops. The TITAN BLACK is a 250 W dual-slot desktop card requiring a 600 W power supply and both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The TITAN BLACK measures 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 38 mm in width. The GTX 960M's display outputs are portable-device dependent, while the TITAN BLACK offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the data, the TITAN BLACK wins every single benchmark where both cards appear. There is no test in the shared set where the GTX 960M comes out ahead. The TITAN BLACK's wins are not narrow; they are decisive multi-fold advantages. In Geekbench Vulkan, the TITAN BLACK's score of 29,561 is more than 3.5 times the GTX 960M's 8,245. In Geekbench OpenCL, the TITAN BLACK's 27,218 is nearly 2.5 times the GTX 960M's 11,045.

The GTX 960M's only "win" in the data is contextual: its average benchmark score of 9,645 is 1.8% higher than the TITAN BLACK's average of 9,474, as noted in the TITAN BLACK's nearestRivals list. This is a statistical artifact of different test suites, not a performance victory. The GTX 960M also sits at the 46th percentile of all GPUs, exactly the same percentile as the TITAN BLACK, which also sits at 46. This parity in percentile ranking, despite the massive head-to-head losses, further underscores that the TITAN BLACK's average is dragged down by legacy Passmark tests.

For use cases, the TITAN BLACK is the clear choice for any workload involving OpenCL compute or Vulkan rendering. Its 5.645 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth make it suited for heavy compute tasks like GPU-accelerated rendering or large data processing. The GTX 960M, with its 1.505 TFLOPS and 80.19 GB/s bandwidth, is a capable mobile GPU for lighter workloads, but it cannot match the TITAN BLACK in raw throughput. The GTX 960M's advantage lies in its form factor and power draw: 75 W and an MXM module mean it fits in notebooks where the TITAN BLACK's 250 W dual-slot design is physically impossible.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The GeForce GTX 960M has an average benchmark score of 9,645, which is 1.8% higher than the GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK's average score of 9,474, according to the nearestRivals data.

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

A: The TITAN BLACK scores 29,561 in Geekbench Vulkan versus the GTX 960M's 8,245, a delta of -72.1% from the GTX 960M's perspective, meaning the TITAN BLACK is approximately 258% faster.

Q: Do both GPUs have the same transistor density?

A: Yes, both the GTX 960M (GM107 chip) and the GTX TITAN BLACK (GK110B chip) are manufactured on a 28 nm TSMC process with a transistor density of 12.6M per mm².

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The GTX 960M has 80.19 GB/s of bandwidth on a 128-bit bus, while the TITAN BLACK has 336.0 GB/s on a 384-bit bus, making the TITAN BLACK's bandwidth over four times higher.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The TITAN BLACK has 2,880 shading units, while the GTX 960M has 640. The TITAN BLACK also has 240 TMUs and 48 ROPs, versus 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs on the GTX 960M.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 960M is rated at 75 W TDP and requires no power connectors, while the TITAN BLACK is rated at 250 W TDP and requires a 600 W power supply with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every major specification. The GTX 960M uses the GM107 chip with a Maxwell architecture and 1,870 million transistors, while the TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip with a Kepler architecture and 7,080 million transistors. Die size differs: 148 mm² for the GTX 960M versus 561 mm² for the TITAN BLACK. Clock speeds are lower on the TITAN BLACK: 889 MHz base and 980 MHz boost, versus 1097 MHz base and 1176 MHz boost on the GTX 960M. Memory differs in size (4 GB vs 6 GB), bus width (128-bit vs 384-bit), bandwidth (80.19 GB/s vs 336.0 GB/s), and clock (1253 MHz vs 1750 MHz). The GTX 960M has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs; the TITAN BLACK has 2,880 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Pixel rate is 18.82 GPixel/s versus 58.80 GPixel/s; texture rate is 47.04 GTexel/s versus 235.2 GTexel/s; FP32 is 1.505 TFLOPS versus 5.645 TFLOPS. TDP is 75 W versus 250 W. The GTX 960M is an MXM module with no power connectors, while the TITAN BLACK is dual-slot with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin, and a 600 W PSU recommendation. Bus interface differs: MXM-B (3.0) versus PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent on the GTX 960M versus 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2 on the TITAN BLACK. Vulkan support differs: 1.4 on the GTX 960M versus 1.2.175 on the TITAN BLACK. The TITAN BLACK has a launch MSRP of 999 USD.

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion for performance: the GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK is the superior GPU in every measurable computation and graphics workload shared between the two. Its wins in Geekbench OpenCL (27,218 vs 11,045) and Geekbench Vulkan (29,561 vs 8,245) are not close. The TITAN BLACK's 5.645 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and 2,880 shading units provide a massive resource advantage that no clock speed difference can overcome.

Who should pick the GTX 960M? Users constrained by a notebook form factor. The GTX 960M's 75 W TDP, MXM module design, and lack of power connectors make it the only viable option for portable systems. Its 46th percentile ranking and average score of 9,645, which edges the TITAN BLACK's 9,474, show that it holds its own in its own benchmark context. But this is a comparison of mobility versus might. The TITAN BLACK, with its 250 W TDP, dual-slot cooler, and 600 W PSU requirement, is a desktop-only part. The verdict is clear: if your system can physically house the TITAN BLACK, the benchmark results show it is overwhelmingly faster. If portability is non-negotiable, the GTX 960M is the only one of the two that can even be considered. The TITAN BLACK's 999 USD launch MSRP reflects its top-tier positioning at release, but the performance data alone is sufficient to justify its dominance in this head-to-head.