NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the GTX 1050 and the GTX 960 with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The GTX 1050 and the GTX 960 perform almost identically; price and features make the difference.
GTX 1050
- Index (1080p)
- 12/100
- VRAM
- 2 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $109 · ≈ €100
- $/FPS (value)
- $8.38 · ≈ €7.71
- Upscaling
- FSR
GTX 960
- Index (1080p)
- 12/100
- VRAM
- 2 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $199 · ≈ €183
- $/FPS (value)
- $15.31 · ≈ €14.08
- Upscaling
- FSR
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | GTX 1050 | GTX 960 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 13 | 13 | = |
| 1440p | 7 | 7 | = |
| 4K | 5 | 5 | = |
Which one for your resolution?
Tie
Tie
Tie
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the GTX 1050 and GTX 960: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | GTX 1050 | GTX 960 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| VRAM | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| TDP | 75W | 120W |
| Tier | Entry-level | Entry-level |
| Score 1080p | 12 | 12 |
| Score 1440p | 8 | 8 |
| Score 4K | 3 | 3 |
| Price (MSRP) | $109 | $199 |
| Architecture | Pascal | Maxwell |
| Process Node | Samsung 14nm | TSMC 28nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 640 | 1024 |
| RT Cores | — | — |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 40 | 64 |
| ROPs | 32 | 32 |
| Base Clock | 1354 MHz | 1127 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1455 MHz | 1178 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 1.86 TFLOPS | 2.41 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Clock | 7000 MHz | 7000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 112 GB/s | 112 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Transistor Count | 3.3B | 2.9B |
| Release Date | 2016-10-25 | 2015-01-22 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
GTX 1050
- TDP
- 75W
- FPS/W
- 0.17
GTX 960
- TDP
- 120W
- FPS/W
- 0.11
The GTX 1050 is more efficient: it draws 45W less and delivers more per watt, though the GTX 1050 is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | GTX 1050 | GTX 960 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 14 | 14 | Tie |
 | 13 | 13 | Tie |
 | 10 | 10 | Tie |
 | 11 | 11 | Tie |
 | 11 | 11 | Tie |
| 11 | 11 | Tie | |
 | 13 | 13 | Tie |
 | 14 | 14 | Tie |
 | 16 | 16 | Tie |
 | 12 | 12 | Tie |
Verdict
It's a tie: both GPUs win in 0 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. Performance is practically tied at every resolution, so the decision comes down to price and current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the GTX 1050 with the GTX 960.
Which is better, the GTX 1050 or the GTX 960?
On average at 1080p, the GTX 1050 is 0% faster than the GTX 960. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the GTX 1050 averages 5 FPS and the GTX 960 5 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 0% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
1050 vs 960: what's the real difference?
In performance, the GTX 1050 beats the GTX 960 by around 0% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 1050 and the 960 on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
