GeForce GTX 960 vs Radeon HD 6850 X2

When comparing GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon HD 6850 X2, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between GeForce GTX 960 and Radeon HD 6850 X2 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 Radeon HD 6850 X2
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 254 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pins 2x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 400 Watt
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  • Radeon HD 6850 X2 has 111% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 960.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and Radeon HD 6850 X2 uses PCIe 2.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 960 has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6850 X2.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 6850 X2 - with TeraScale 2.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 960 is 327 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 6850 X2.
  • GeForce GTX 960 is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 6850 X2 - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 6850 X2 is 4193 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 960.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 12−14
ultra / 1080p 21−24 7−8
QHD / 1440p 16−18 2−3
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 27−30
medium / 1080p 40−45 16−18
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 960 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 176% more, than Radeon HD 6850 X2.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 960 Radeon HD 6850 X2
Architecture Maxwell TeraScale 2
Code name GM206 Barts
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 22 January 2015 19 September 2011
Pipelines 1024 960
Core clock speed 1127 MHz 800 MHz
Boost Clock 1178 MHz
Transistor count 2,940 million 1,700 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 72 billion/sec 38.40
Floating-point performance 2,413 gflops 2x 1,536.0 gflops
Length 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 7.0 GB/s 4200 MHz
Memory bandwidth 112 GB/s 134.4 GB/s
Shared memory -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1) 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 6.4 5.0
OpenGL 4.4 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 N/A
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
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
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