NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in compute workloads?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti dominates. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 78,927 versus 14,509 for the GTX 965M, a 444% advantage. The RTX 3060 Ti also leads in Geekbench Vulkan with 47,784 points against 14,299, a 234.2% gap.

Q: What are the architecture generations of these two cards?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti uses the Ampere architecture on an 8 nm Samsung process, while the GTX 965M is built on Maxwell 2.0 using a 28 nm TSMC process. The RTX 3060 Ti is part of the GeForce 30 series; the GTX 965M belongs to the GeForce 900M series.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 965M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 80.19 GB/s. The difference in bandwidth is roughly 5.6 times in favor of the RTX 3060 Ti.

Q: Does the GTX 965M support ray tracing or Tensor cores?

A: No. The RTX 3060 Ti includes 38 RT cores and 152 Tensor cores. The GTX 965M lists neither RT cores nor Tensor cores in the database, reflecting its older Maxwell architecture.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti averages 16,129 points across all recorded benchmarks, while the GTX 965M averages 14,404 points. The RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 59th percentile of all GPUs, the GTX 965M at the 56th percentile.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti packs 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, giving a density of 44.4M per mm². The GTX 965M has 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, a density of 13.1M per mm².

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different eras of NVIDIA design. The RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using Samsung's 8 nm process, while the GTX 965M relies on Maxwell 2.0 and TSMC's 28 nm node. That process jump is the single largest architectural lever: the RTX 3060 Ti crams 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, for a density of 44.4M per mm². The GTX 965M, with 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die, achieves only 13.1M per mm². Despite similar die sizes, the Ampere part holds more than three times the transistor count.

Feature support diverges sharply. The RTX 3060 Ti includes dedicated ray tracing hardware with 38 RT cores and 152 Tensor cores for AI-accelerated workloads. The GTX 965M has neither, as Maxwell predates those units. The RTX 3060 Ti also reaches DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the GTX 965M is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Compute resources follow the same pattern. The RTX 3060 Ti fields 4,864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GTX 965M offers 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Ampere card delivers 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 and FP16 at a 1:1 ratio. The GTX 965M manages 1.946 TFLOPS of FP32 and has no recorded FP16 capability. Pixel and texture rates reinforce the gap: 133.2 GPixel/s and 253.1 GTexel/s for the RTX 3060 Ti versus 30.40 GPixel/s and 60.80 GTexel/s for the GTX 965M.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The RTX 3060 Ti uses 8 GB of GDDR6 across a 256-bit bus for 448.0 GB/s. The GTX 965M uses 2 GB of GDDR5 across a 128-bit bus for 80.19 GB/s. Clock behavior is notable: the RTX 3060 Ti runs a 1410 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, while the GTX 965M runs 924 MHz base and 950 MHz boost. The memory clock difference is stark as well, with the RTX 3060 Ti at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) versus 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the GTX 965M.

Physical and platform details separate them further. The RTX 3060 Ti is a dual-slot card using a 1x 12-pin power connector with a 550 W suggested PSU, over PCIe 4.0 x16. The GTX 965M is an MXM module with no power connectors and an MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, designed for portable systems. Display outputs also differ: the RTX 3060 Ti offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 965M's outputs are listed as portable-device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two direct comparisons between these GPUs, and both are decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 78,927 against 14,509 for the GTX 965M. That is a 444% advantage, meaning the Ampere card delivers more than five times the compute throughput in this workload. For context, the RTX 3060 Ti's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (0.7% behind), AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (1.4% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (1.4% ahead), and AMD Radeon R9 370X (1.7% behind). Its average benchmark score of 16,129 places it just above that cluster.

The Vulkan result tells the same story with a smaller but still enormous margin. The RTX 3060 Ti posts 47,784 points, while the GTX 965M manages 14,299, a 234.2% difference. The GTX 965M's overall average of 14,404 puts it in a much lower performance band, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (0.1% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (0.2% ahead), AMD Radeon Vega 11 (0.4% ahead), and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (0.6% ahead). Those rivals are all within a single percentage point of the GTX 965M, which shows how tightly grouped that older performance tier is.

Interpreting these scores requires understanding what they mean relative to the wider market. The RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 59th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 965M sits at the 56th percentile. A 3-percentile gap might sound modest, but it masks a massive absolute difference in raw scores. The percentile rankings reflect the long tail of low-end and integrated GPUs still in the database, which compress the distribution at the higher end. The head-to-head deltas of 444% and 234.2% are far more informative for comparing these two specific cards.

The RTX 3060 Ti's other recorded benchmarks provide additional context for its capabilities. It scores 20,349 in Passmark G3D, 10,006 in Passmark GPU Compute, 2,626 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 989 in Passmark G2D, and 234 in Passmark DirectX 9. The GTX 965M has no corresponding entries in those tests, so direct comparison is limited to the two Geekbench workloads. Still, the pattern is unambiguous: every shared metric shows the RTX 3060 Ti ahead by a wide margin.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Ampere | Maxwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 28 nm (TSMC) |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 5,200 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 398 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 13.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1410 MHz | 924 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | 950 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 80.19 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 4864 | 1024 |

| TMUs | 152 | 64 |

| ROPs | 80 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 38 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 152 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 133.2 GPixel/s | 30.40 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 253.1 GTexel/s | 60.80 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 16.20 TFLOPS | 1.946 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 16.20 TFLOPS (1:1) | Not recorded |

| TDP | 200 W | Not recorded |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | MXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 550 W | Not recorded |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_1) |

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2020-11-30 | 2015-01-08 |

| Launch MSRP | 399 USD | Not recorded |

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Ti wins every recorded comparison. In Geekbench OpenCL, its 78,927 score is 444% higher than the GTX 965M's 14,509. In Geekbench Vulkan, its 47,784 beats 14,299 by 234.2%. The wins tally is 2 for the RTX 3060 Ti, 0 for the GTX 965M.

The RTX 3060 Ti is the clear choice for compute-heavy applications, ray-traced workloads, and modern DirectX 12 Ultimate titles. Its 8 GB frame buffer and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for higher-resolution textures and larger datasets. The 38 RT cores and 152 Tensor cores open up hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI features that the GTX 965M cannot access at all. The 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 253.1 GTexel/s texture rate position it as a desktop-class performer from the GeForce 30 series.

The GTX 965M has no benchmark wins in the database. Its strengths are limited to its form factor and legacy positioning. As an MXM module with no power connectors, it belongs to portable systems where the RTX 3060 Ti's dual-slot desktop design cannot fit. Its 28 nm Maxwell architecture and 2 GB GDDR5 memory are sufficient for older DirectX 12 (12_1) titles at modest settings, but the data offers no recorded scenario where it outperforms the RTX 3060 Ti.

For users comparing these two in practical terms, the decision hinges on platform and era. The RTX 3060 Ti is a modern desktop GPU with end-of-life production status, launched on 2020-11-30 with a launch MSRP of 399 USD. The GTX 965M is also end-of-life, launched on 2015-01-08, and belongs to the GeForce 900M mobile generation. The RTX 3060 Ti's predecessor is GeForce 20 and its successor is GeForce 40; the GTX 965M's predecessor is GeForce 800M and its successor is GeForce 10 Mobile.

The Verdict

The data leaves no ambiguity: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the superior GPU by every recorded metric. Its 444% OpenCL lead and 234.2% Vulkan lead over the GTX 965M are not incremental improvements, they represent a generational chasm. The RTX 3060 Ti's 16.20 TFLOPS FP32, 8 GB GDDR6, and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth place it in a completely different performance class from the GTX 965M's 1.946 TFLOPS, 2 GB GDDR5, and 80.19 GB/s.

The GTX 965M's only argument is compatibility with portable systems. As an MXM module, it fits in laptops where a dual-slot desktop card cannot operate. Users with a GTX 965M system who need more performance would need to upgrade the entire platform, not just the GPU. For any desktop build, the RTX 3060 Ti is the obvious choice, especially given its 59th percentile ranking versus the GTX 965M's 56th percentile.

Neither card is in active production, but the RTX 3060 Ti is the more recent design by roughly five years. Its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, hardware ray tracing, and Tensor cores makes it relevant for contemporary software, while the GTX 965M is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1) and lacks those specialized units. The RTX 3060 Ti also carries a recorded launch MSRP of 399 USD, while the GTX 965M has no recorded MSRP in the database.

Choose the RTX 3060 Ti if you need maximum compute performance, modern API support, or ray tracing, and your system can accommodate a dual-slot, 200 W card with a 550 W suggested PSU. Choose the GTX 965M only if you are bound to an MXM-based portable chassis and have no other upgrade path. In a straight comparison, the RTX 3060 Ti wins 2 recorded benchmarks to 0, with margins that make the older card uncompetitive in every shared test.