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    Nvidia 960M Yea, or Neh?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by Jobothehob, Jun 30, 2015.

  1. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Alright. So I am about to pull the trigger on a new computer and I just have one question about the GPU.

    So I am currently using a Macbook Pro 2011 13in. Using a Intel 3000 Graphics processor. And it can't run anything. (It has trouble running Hearthstone and TF2!)
    I am wondering how good the Nvidia 960M is. How long will it last running medium taxing games in the future? How long till it becomes outdated? How long till I am met with the same situation as my mac, having a nice computer but can't run any games on it.

    The longer the response the better! I am a real fan of numbers and such, blah blah blah.

    Any response is great!
    Thanks,
    Jobothehob
     
    Jobothehob, Jun 30, 2015
    #1
  2. Cakefish

    Cakefish ¯\_(?)_/¯

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    Well, considering the HD 3000 struggled right from the get go, the GTX 960M will have a much longer lifespan and at higher quality settings than you're used to as well :)
     
    Cakefish, Jun 30, 2015
    #2
  3. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok thanks! I didn't know a lot about computers back then. I just had experience with my schools MacBooks, so I got a macbook.

    And I also didn't game much, just Minecraft and a few browser games.
     
    Jobothehob, Jun 30, 2015
    #3
  4. KING19

    KING19 Notebook Deity

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    If you're within your budget i cant see why not go for it, Its best to be futureproof especially with a notebook because you cant upgrade the gpu on most notebooks.
     
    KING19, Jun 30, 2015
    #4
  5. be77solo

    be77solo pc's and planes

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    be77solo, Jun 30, 2015
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    Mr Najsman and Marecki_clf like this.
  6. Marecki_clf

    Marecki_clf Homo laptopicus

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    It would help if you posted what laptop you intend to buy and what's your available budget. The community here will give you best possible advice.
     
    Marecki_clf, Jun 30, 2015
    #6
    Mr Najsman likes this.
  7. thegreatsquare

    thegreatsquare Notebook Deity

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    Last edited: Jul 1, 2015
    thegreatsquare, Jul 1, 2015
    #7
  8. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have $1200

    I was looking at the Lenovo Y50 15.6" with the touchscreen 1920x1080
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #8
  9. thegreatsquare

    thegreatsquare Notebook Deity

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    thegreatsquare, Jul 1, 2015
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  10. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    How reliable is a refurbished? Like buying used games, sometimes they're scratched and you can't return them?
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #10
  11. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Also, I am going for a 15" laptop that is below 7lbs.
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #11
  12. Raidriar

    Raidriar ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

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    I say work up and save an extra 200 and go for this:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4299296&cm_re=gtx_970M-_-34-299-296-_-Product

    Trust me on this. The problem with all those thin and light computers is the reduction in size also means a reduction in thermal capacity, so they may overheat/throttle more often than the Alienware will since it is larger (with a stronger CPU). It is also brand new, not refurb. Don't be concerned about heft. I'm a 5'8" guy that toted around a M17x R4 (10lbs, chunkier than this) and the M18x R2 (13 lbs, even CHUNKIER) and it was still manageable and both have outlasted all my friends laptops in terms of durability and performance.

    Or this:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4233094&cm_re=gtx_970M-_-34-233-094-_-Product
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2015
    Raidriar, Jul 1, 2015
    #12
  13. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    But how much longer will the 970M last compared to the 960M. Is paying 100-200 more worth that much better of a card? I am assuming that I will not be playing games like battlefield 4 in ultra graphics.

    I just want a computer that can run medium taxing games.
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #13
  14. Raidriar

    Raidriar ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

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    Definitely, you should always spring for the latest and greatest you can afford. It isn't just for games. As the internet gets populated with more and more graphically dense content, lower class video cards begin to struggle faster than stronger video cards. It is always nice to have the power when you need it, should you need it instead of regretting later down the road that you didn't spring for a 200$ to save you a lot of headache down the road. Been there, done that, and learned from my mistake.
     
    Raidriar, Jul 1, 2015
    #14
  15. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    But I still have the same question: is the 970M way better than the 960M? I know I can meet my budget with going for a 965M. I understand what your saying. I have an intel HD 3000 and after 4 years it is starting to have problems. according to cakefish the 3000 was having issues. It was having issues and it still lasted 4 years. For the 960M, it is a medium-high end card. Shouldn't it last at least 4 years?
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #15
  16. Cakefish

    Cakefish ¯\_(?)_/¯

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    The big difference between them (besides the fairly substantial performance gap) is the architecture. 970M is based upon Maxwell 2.0 which has full DirectX 12 support, whilst the 960M has partial support, due to being based upon Maxwell 1.0. This means that future games can potentially look and perform better on the newer hardware. The newer architecture additionally supports new enhanced colour compression, which increases the effective bandwidth - this is likely to become more important as time goes on due to future GPUs migrating to HBM (high bandwidth memory) from next year onwards.

    The 965M is also based upon Maxwell 2.0 so if it is within your budget (and you can find a suitable laptop model/brand that includes it) I would recommend going for that over the 960M. It will remain relevant for longer due to the reasons I have given above :)

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
     
    Cakefish, Jul 1, 2015
    #16
  17. baii

    baii Sone

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    depends on what games you (going to) play tbh.
     
    baii, Jul 1, 2015
    #17
  18. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am going to play games like Hearthstone, CS:GO, Civ V and Beyond Earth, DOTA 2, LOL, and some browser games
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #18
  19. killkenny1

    killkenny1 Too weird to live, too rare to die.

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    In that case, 960M will suffice.
     
    killkenny1, Jul 1, 2015
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  20. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks! so if I were to be playing Games as taxing as Battlefield 4 with Ultra settings then getting a better graphics card would be necessary.
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #20
  21. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
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  22. Cakefish

    Cakefish ¯\_(?)_/¯

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    JBL speakers, eh? If they are anything like the ones I had on my old Samsung, your ears will be transported to heaven!

    It says there is the choice between a 1TB SSHD and a 51GB SSD. Unless you really need that extra space, you'd be much better off with the SSD. I'm not sure whether you have ever used a system running on a SSD but it is a night and day difference. Trust me!
     
    Cakefish, Jul 1, 2015
    #22
  23. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok. Thanks!
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
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  24. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Wait, where did you see that you can change that option?
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #24
  25. RainMan_

    RainMan_ Notebook Evangelist

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    If you're still looking for feedback, I bought my Lenovo Y50 three weeks ago ( specs in sig ) and I love it! Given the games you play, it will be absolutely no trouble for the 960M. I'm willing to answer any question you have, good luck!
     
    RainMan_, Jul 1, 2015
    #25
  26. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Oh wow! Cool!

    I do have a question about it: I have heard from a variety of computer review sites that the screen isn't the best. Anything to say to that?
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #26
  27. RainMan_

    RainMan_ Notebook Evangelist

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    This is my first 1080p laptop screen so I'm not really sure but I have no complains, certainly better than my old Dell Inspiron. The 2015 model has a different display than that of 2014 by the way, I read somewhere that it's better. Stay away from the UHD display though, I heard it's terrible.
     
    RainMan_, Jul 1, 2015
    #27
  28. killkenny1

    killkenny1 Too weird to live, too rare to die.

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    The complains were addressed to 860M version of Y50, which had a TN panel. 960M refresh has IPS screen.
     
    killkenny1, Jul 1, 2015
    #28
  29. Jobothehob

    Jobothehob Notebook Enthusiast

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    Alright, cool!

    Anything else I should be aware of?
     
    Jobothehob, Jul 1, 2015
    #29
  30. killkenny1

    killkenny1 Too weird to live, too rare to die.

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    Has only one SATA slot and can get hot (within limits) while gaming.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2015
    killkenny1, Jul 1, 2015
    #30
  31. Mr Najsman

    Mr Najsman Notebook Deity

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    You seem to have made up your mind but since you like numbers I´ll throw in a comparison to give you some perspective on the expected gain from Intel 3000 to 960M:

    Notebookcheck

    As you can see the 960M has no problem running modern, taxing games at medium settings. Note that Notebookchecks "Medium" is at 1366x768 and not medium settings at 1080p.

    As to if 970M is "worth it", that´s a subjective opinion. To me it would be since it´s a considerably stronger card which will last longer. It can play future games for a longer period of time before you have to lower settings and ultimately have to buy a new laptop.
    Since your listed games are not very demanding and you´re ok with lowering settings 960M should provide you with sufficient performance for several years.
     
    Mr Najsman, Jul 2, 2015
    #31
  32. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    Huh, your Physics score is very very low. Is the Lenovo power limited? I know my T540P is severely limited (my 4800MQ runs at like 3.2ghz when stressed, instead of 3.9). In comparison, my 4720HQ on my GT80 runs at full power and my physics score is basically 10k.
     
    ryzeki, Jul 2, 2015
    #32
  33. RainMan_

    RainMan_ Notebook Evangelist

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    Sadly, yes. Lenovo turns off turbo boost when the CPU hits 65C which is a kind of stupid thing to do. This can be controlled via Throttlestop but running at full turbo boost causes CPU to spike to 90s. I'm currently trying to get it to run constantly @ 3GHz undervolted but I'm too busy to test it.

    Your physics score is 10k at which benchmark, 3DMark11 or FireStrike?
     
    RainMan_, Jul 2, 2015
    #33
  34. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    Firestrike. I got 9948 on it. On 3dmark11 i got 8133.

    http://www.3dmark.com/fs/4716218

    http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/9370763

    Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
     
    ryzeki, Jul 3, 2015
    #34
  35. RainMan_

    RainMan_ Notebook Evangelist

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    Ok, so I undervolted the CPU by 70mv and used ThrottleStop to lock the multiplier at 36x and I got 9291 on FireStrike, still lower than yours though but much better than without ThrottleStop. The CPU hit 89C with these settings so I'm not sure I can use them when gaming.

    http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/7611167
     
    RainMan_, Jul 3, 2015
    #35
  36. zizimonzter

    zizimonzter Notebook Consultant

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    As far as i know Physics also affected by GPU Performance, ryzeki has 980m SLI yours 960m so 9291 is a good score. CMIIW
     
    zizimonzter, Jul 3, 2015
    #36
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  37. ryzeki

    ryzeki Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    That is a great score. I am not sure what other limits might be there but you are very close now. As for your temps, they are high but nothing I haven't seen on my system haha :)

    They shouldn't be really that affected. Maybe up to a certain point though. My older GT60 with 4700MQ and 780m still gets around 9400 since it is a bit slower (3.4ghz vs 3.6ghz) and lets say 780m single is nowhere near 980m SLI.

    http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2629834
     
    ryzeki, Jul 3, 2015
    #37
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  38. hfm

    hfm Notebook Prophet

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    My CPU is in the mid 90s often under demanding games, nothing to be too concerned about
     
    hfm, Jul 3, 2015
    #38
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  39. killkenny1

    killkenny1 Too weird to live, too rare to die.

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    How are them sausages?
    Laptop components can withstand more heat than desktop, but what about you, how does all that warmth make you feel?
    I remember when I gamed on my lappy and put my hand near exhaust, it wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, though it did keep my cuppa tea warm.
    Also the table area under laptop would become hot which would lead to further unpleasantness to my legs. Sure it was nice in winter, kept you warm and cozy (not to mention the power adapter was also a nice heat source for feet), but come summer, and all hell broke loose. And my lappy wasn't even the hottest out there!
     
    killkenny1, Jul 4, 2015
    #39
  40. zizimonzter

    zizimonzter Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah i think it's not really that much affected, but i rarely got 9xxx on Physics.
    This is the max i can get with OC'ed 960m.

    http://www.3dmark.com/fs/5183815
     
    zizimonzter, Jul 4, 2015
    #40
  41. hfm

    hfm Notebook Prophet

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    Doesn't bother me. It's pretty much contained to the area in the middle near the display where you never touch. Gamer key areas (wasd) are a little warm but bearable. For the large percentage of games I end up using a 360 controller so it's a non-issue there.

    If you play nothing but games that use keys perhaps your priority is something that keeps that area cool, but that's not my priority.
    It's

    Oh, as far as legs, I use a lap king lap desk with a nice comfy bottom and "treaded" top. I don't see how anyone could possibly game on their lap without one no matter what notebook you favor.
     
    hfm, Jul 4, 2015
    #41
  42. T2050

    T2050 Notebook Deity

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    960M = ageing 860M, old tech with the 960M clock bumps, and DX11

    965M = latest tech, if you can find this, DX12

    970M = latest tech, DX12, might be overkill

    The 960M has the potential to be a poor performer in thin notebooks. Found GTA V to be slow on the 960M at 1080p. Using the 970M with GTA V the difference is like night and day.

    Never used the 965M but this could be the sweet spot for price, performance, and supports full DX12, if you can find the 965M the notebook you are looking for.
     
    T2050, Jul 7, 2015
    #42
  43. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    DX12 is largely irrelevant and the 860m and 960m also support DirectX 12. It will take years before DX12 will be a requirement anyway and by then will also likely be too underpowered. 965m offers a decent boost over 960m though.
     
    HTWingNut, Jul 7, 2015
    #43
  44. andy_mk3

    andy_mk3 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I would like to add my thoughts on the 960M. I have had my MSI GE62 for just under a week, and wasn't expecting amazing results from the 960M, but it was clear from reviews and benchmarks it would certainly be playable.

    Having now played a few games including GTA V, I am genuinely surprised by it. Playing at 1080p with nearly all settings on Very High, AA turned on too, I'm getting 30-40FPS, and it plays very smoothly, I am usually quite aware of games running below 60FPS, and my desktop has Crossfire 280X GPU's, so runs most things well. So while the 960M might well be 'old tech' and a re-brand of the 860M, it certainly does not disappoint. I was a little worried that I should have spent more to get a 970M, but I am no longer worried by that.
     
    andy_mk3, Jul 19, 2015
    #44
  45. berryal

    berryal Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm running a GTX 675m still and that serves fine with lower end games on good settings. A 960m should serve you fine.
     
    berryal, Jul 24, 2015
    #45