Graphics chip manufacturer nVidia today announced the launch of its GTX 960M and 950M, following-up on its 980M and 970M launch from months ago. A 965M launched during CES. The company indicates immediate availability of units shipping with the new models.
GTX 960M & GTX 950M Specs (Official)
GeForce GTX 960M | GeForce GTX 950M | |
Process | 28 nanometer | 28 nanometer |
Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell |
Processor Cores | 640 | 640 |
Clock | 1096 + Boost | Up to 914 MHz
|
Memory Clock | 2500 MHz | 1000 MHz 2500 MHz |
Memory Interface | GDDR5 | DDR3 GDDR5 |
Memory Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
DirectX version | 12 | 12 |
NVidia PR noted that notebook sizes of less than one inch are a driving factor for the selection of the 960M or 950M. The company reminded us of BatteryBoost, a technology that throttles the GPU when it goes unused, ensuring longer battery life, and Optimus, which “automatically optimizes the notebook to offer the best graphics performance or battery life.”
Perhaps more importantly, the new GPUs will support DirectX 12, as their desktop counterparts have been indicated to do.
It is our understanding that the 960M uses the same GM107 Maxwell chip as found in the GTX 860M. In this case, the 960M would host 640 CUDA cores and 4GB of GDDR5 (in the units we've seen) with a slightly faster base clock than the 860M (~7% performance gain). We have reached out to nVidia for complete GTX 960M & 950M specifications.
In the meantime, some photos of laptops using the new GPUs can be found in our gallery below. New laptops using the 960M & 950M include the Alienware 13, ASUS G501, Lenovo Y50 (which we highly recommend), and Acer V Nitro.
More to follow as specifications are fully detailed.
Update: NVIDIA has sent the official GTX 960M & 950M specifications, found in the table above.
- Steve “Lelldorianx” Burke.