GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q vs GeForce GTX 960

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q and GeForce GTX 960 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q will be the best choice, for others GeForce GTX 960 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q GeForce GTX 960
Power consumption (TDP) 115 Watt 120 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None 1x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 400 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 960 has 4% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q has 4 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 960.
  • GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q is used in Laptops, and GeForce GTX 960 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q is build with Pascal architecture, and GeForce GTX 960 - with Maxwell.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960 is 26 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q.
  • GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q is manufactured by 16 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 960 - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q is 7993 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 960.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 35−40
ultra / 1080p 21−24 21−24
QHD / 1440p 16−18 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 60−65
medium / 1080p 40−45 40−45
GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q and GeForce GTX 960 have the same average FPS in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 1070 Max Q GeForce GTX 960
Architecture Pascal Maxwell
Code name N17E-G2 Max-Q GM206
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 30 May 2017 22 January 2015
Pipelines 2048 1024
Core clock speed 1101 - 1215 MHz 1127 MHz
Boost Clock 1265 - 1379 MHz 1178 MHz
Transistor count 7,200 million 2,940 million
Manufacturing process technology 16 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 176.5 72 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 5,648 gflops 2,413 gflops
Length 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 8000 MHz 7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth 256.3 GB/s 112 GB/s
Shared memory - -
G-SYNC support + +
VR Ready +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 6.4
OpenGL 4.6 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.2.131 1.1.126
CUDA 6.1 +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.27 kh/s
CUDA cores 1024
Bus support PCI Express 3.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support 4 displays
HDCP +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 318 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Decred / DCR (Decred) 0.92 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 8 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 141.47 Sol/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
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