GeForce GTX 960 vs Iris Graphics 550

When choosing between GeForce GTX 960 and Iris Graphics 550, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce GTX 960 and Iris Graphics 550.

Iris Graphics 550 is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Iris Graphics 550 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 Iris Graphics 550 here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 Iris Graphics 550
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 15 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x1
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pins
Memory type GDDR5 eDRAM
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 64 MB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort No outputs
Recommended system power (PSU) 400 Watt
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  • GeForce GTX 960 has 700% more power consumption, than Iris Graphics 550.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and Iris Graphics 550 uses PCIe 3.0 x1 interface.
  • Iris Graphics 550 has 60 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 960.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is used in Desktops, and Iris Graphics 550 - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Iris Graphics 550 - with Gen. 9 Skylake.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960 is 827 MHz higher, than Iris Graphics 550.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Iris Graphics 550 - by 14 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 9−10
ultra / 1080p 21−24 5−6
QHD / 1440p 16−18 0−1
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 21−24
medium / 1080p 40−45 10−12
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 960 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 241% more, than Iris Graphics 550.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 Iris Graphics 550
Architecture Maxwell Gen. 9 Skylake
Code name GM206 Skylake GT3e
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 22 January 2015 1 September 2015
Pipelines 1024 48
Core clock speed 1127 MHz 300 MHz
Boost Clock 1178 MHz 1100 MHz
Transistor count 2,940 million 189 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 72 billion/sec 52.80
Floating-point performance 2,413 gflops
Length 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Memory bus width 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 7.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth 112 GB/s
Shared memory - +
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 6.4
OpenGL 4.4 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 2.1
Vulkan 1.1.126 1.1.97
CUDA +
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
Decred / DCR (Decred) 0.92 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 8 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 141.47 Sol/s
Quick Sync +
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
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