NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 vs. GTX 960 SLI
Category : Versus
Published by Hiwa Pouri on 03.02.15
Maybe you're one of the gamers out there who simply can't have enough power coming from the graphics department or maybe you want to assemble a gaming rig with a given budget and you want to get the very maximum out of it. In both cases the following article might be interesting and it might be quite surprising to see how two GTX 960 in SLI stack up against a mighty GTX 980.



  Article in English   Artikel in Deutsch   Article en français   Articolo in italiano


Test Setup

Motherboard
  • ASUS Maximus VII Hero (BIOS 0224)
CPU
  • Intel Core i7-4770K @ 4.0 GHz (Turbo On / HT On)
Memory
  • G.Skill Ares Dual Channel 2x8GB @ CL11-12-11-28-1T-Auto DDR3-1600 MHz
Graphics Cards
  • nVidia GeForce GTX 960 SLI
  • nVidia GeForce GTX 980
Drivers
  • Windows 7 x64 (up to date)
  • nVidia ForceWare 347.25
Games
Games and OS
  • Windows 7 x64
  • All games were up to date on the
System Drive
PSU
  • Seasonic Platinum SS-1000XP / 1000 Watts




Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief  
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport  
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs  
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light  
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity  
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4  
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption  
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices  
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index  
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

3DMark - Fire Strike



Performance, 1920x1080 (1080p) Score Graphics Score %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 11'240 13'442 108.24 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 10'384 13'967 100.00 %
  More is better


Extreme, 2560x1440 (1440p) Score Graphics Score %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 5'688 6'135 102.21 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 5'565 6'341 100.00 %
  More is better


Ultra, 3840x2160 (2160p) Score Graphics Score %
nVidia GeForce GTX 980 2'888 2'940 216.49 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 1'334 1'146 100.00 %
  More is better


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Unigine Heaven 4.0 Extreme Preset



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Score Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 2'220 88.3 138.06 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 1'608 63.8 100.00 %
  More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Score Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 1'182 47.0 125.61 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 941 37.3 100.00 %
  More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Score Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 500 19.8 164.47 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 304 12.0 100.00 %
  More is better


Unigine Heaven Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Preset: Custom
  • Quality: Ultra
  • Tesselation: Extreme
  • Stereo 3D: Disabled
  • Multi Monitor: Disabled
  • Anti Aliasing: 8x
  • Full Screen: On
  • Resolution: Custom
  • Preset: Custom
  • Quality: Ultra
  • Tesselation: Extreme
  • Stereo 3D: Disabled
  • Multi Monitor: Disabled
  • Anti Aliasing: 8x
  • Full Screen: On
  • Resolution: Custom
  • Preset: Custom
  • Quality: Ultra
  • Tesselation: Extreme
  • Stereo 3D: Disabled
  • Multi Monitor: Disabled
  • Anti Aliasing: 8x
  • Full Screen: On
  • Resolution: Custom


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Bordlands -  The Pre-Sequel



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 194.60 88.83 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 219.07 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 151.54 98.22 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 154.29 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 70.76 103.85 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 68.14 100.00 %
More is better


Borderlands The Pre-Sequel Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • VSNYC: Off
  • Framerate: Unlimited
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
  • Bullet Decals: High
  • Foliage Distance: Far
  • Texture Quality: High
  • Game Detail: High
  • Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Depth Of Field: On
  • FXAA: on
  • View Distance: Ultra High
  • Physx Effects: Low
  • Texture Fade: On
  • Colorblind: Off
  • VSNYC: Off
  • Framerate: Unlimited
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
  • Bullet Decals: High
  • Foliage Distance: Far
  • Texture Quality: High
  • Game Detail: High
  • Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Depth Of Field: On
  • FXAA: on
  • View Distance: Ultra High
  • Physx Effects: Low
  • Texture Fade: On
  • Colorblind: Off
  • VSNYC: Off
  • Framerate: Unlimited
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
  • Bullet Decals: High
  • Foliage Distance: Far
  • Texture Quality: High
  • Game Detail: High
  • Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Depth Of Field: On
  • FXAA: on
  • View Distance: Ultra High
  • Physx Effects: Low
  • Texture Fade: On
  • Colorblind: Off


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

BattleField 4



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 88.37 102.43 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 89.20 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 56.71 104.53 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 54.25 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 30.38 140.06 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 21.38 100.00 %
More is better


Battlefield 4 Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Texture Filtering: Ultra
  • Lighting Quality: Ultra
  • FX Quality: Ultra
  • Post Process Quality: Ultra
  • Mesh Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Decoration: Ultra
  • Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
  • Antialiasing Post: High
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Texture Filtering: Ultra
  • Lighting Quality: Ultra
  • FX Quality: Ultra
  • Post Process Quality: Ultra
  • Mesh Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Decoration: Ultra
  • Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
  • Antialiasing Post: High
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Texture Filtering: Ultra
  • Lighting Quality: Ultra
  • FX Quality: Ultra
  • Post Process Quality: Ultra
  • Mesh Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Decoration: Ultra
  • Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
  • Antialiasing Post: High
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Watch Dogs



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 56.22 95.97 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 58.58 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS  
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 37.42 96.64 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 38.72 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS  
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 19.12 152.35 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 12.55 100.00 %
More is better


Watch Dogs Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Vsync: Off
  • Color Blind Support: Off
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Shadow Quality: Ultra
  • FX Quality: Ultra
  • Mesh Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Decoration: Ultra
  • Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
  • Antialiasing Post: High
  • Motion Blur: On
  • Anisotropic Filter: 16x
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
  • Vsync: Off
  • Color Blind Support: Off
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Shadow Quality: Ultra
  • FX Quality: Ultra
  • Mesh Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Decoration: Ultra
  • Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
  • Antialiasing Post: High
  • Motion Blur: On
  • Anisotropic Filter: 16x
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
  • Vsync: Off
  • Color Blind Support: Off
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Shadow Quality: Ultra
  • FX Quality: Ultra
  • Mesh Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Quality: Ultra
  • Terrain Decoration: Ultra
  • Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
  • Antialiasing Post: High
  • Motion Blur: On
  • Anisotropic Filter: 16x
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Tomb Raider



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 52.20 87.00 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 60.00 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 32.00 142.86 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 22.40 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 14.40 192.00 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 7.50 100.00 %
More is better


Tomb Raider Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Preset: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16x
  • Antialiasing: 4x SSAA
  • Shadow: Ultra
  • Shadow Resolution: High
  • Level of Detail: Ultra
  • Post Processing: On
  • Tessellation: On
  • High Precision: On
  • Hair Quality: TressFX
  • Reflections: High
  • Depth of Field: Ultra
  • SSAO: Ultra
  • Preset: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16x
  • Antialiasing: 4x SSAA
  • Shadow: Ultra
  • Shadow Resolution: High
  • Level of Detail: Ultra
  • Post Processing: On
  • Tessellation: On
  • High Precision: On
  • Hair Quality: TressFX
  • Reflections: High
  • Depth of Field: Ultra
  • SSAO: Ultra
  • Preset: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Ultra
  • Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16x
  • Antialiasing: 4x SSAA
  • Shadow: Ultra
  • Shadow Resolution: High
  • Level of Detail: Ultra
  • Post Processing: On
  • Tessellation: On
  • High Precision: On
  • Hair Quality: TressFX
  • Reflections: High
  • Depth of Field: Ultra
  • SSAO: Ultra


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Sniper Elite 3



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 54.26 124.51 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 43.58 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 31.20 172.28 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 18.11 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 16.15 142.67 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 11.32 100.00 %
More is better


Sniper Elite 3 Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Graphics Detail: Ultra
  • AntiAliasing: High
  • Texture Detail: Ultra
  • Draw Distance: Ultra
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16
  • Supersampling: 4.0x
  • Motion Blur: Yes
  • Ambient Occlusion: Yes
  • V-Sync: No
  • Use Tessellation: Yes
  • Use Obscurance Fields: Yes
  • Graphics Detail: Ultra
  • AntiAliasing: High
  • Texture Detail: Ultra
  • Draw Distance: Ultra
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16
  • Supersampling: 4.0x
  • Motion Blur: Yes
  • Ambient Occlusion: Yes
  • V-Sync: No
  • Use Tessellation: Yes
  • Use Obscurance Fields: Yes
  • Graphics Detail: Ultra
  • AntiAliasing: High
  • Texture Detail: Ultra
  • Draw Distance: Ultra
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16
  • Supersampling: 4.0x
  • Motion Blur: Yes
  • Ambient Occlusion: Yes
  • V-Sync: No
  • Use Tessellation: Yes
  • Use Obscurance Fields: Yes


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Crysis 3



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 35.74 109.30 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 32.79 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 23.00 118.80 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 19.36 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 12.54 142.50 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 8.80 100.00 %
More is better


Crysis 3 Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Anti Aliasing: MSAA High 8x
  • Texture Resolution: Very High
  • Vsync: No
  • System Spec: Very High
  • Game Effects: Very High
  • Object: Very High
  • Particles: Very High
  • Post Processing: Very High
  • Shading: Very High
  • Shadows: Very High
  • Water: Very High
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
  • Motion Blur Amount: High
  • Lense Flares: Yes
  • Anti Aliasing: MSAA High 8x
  • Texture Resolution: Very High
  • Vsync: No
  • System Spec: Very High
  • Game Effects: Very High
  • Object: Very High
  • Particles: Very High
  • Post Processing: Very High
  • Shading: Very High
  • Shadows: Very High
  • Water: Very High
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
  • Motion Blur Amount: High
  • Lense Flares: Yes
  • Anti Aliasing: MSAA High 8x
  • Texture Resolution: Very High
  • Vsync: No
  • System Spec: Very High
  • Game Effects: Very High
  • Object: Very High
  • Particles: Very High
  • Post Processing: Very High
  • Shading: Very High
  • Shadows: Very High
  • Water: Very High
  • Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
  • Motion Blur Amount: High
  • Lense Flares: Yes


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 82.74 117.86 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 71.90 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 49.17 128.65 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 38.22 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 22.17 554.25 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 4.00 100.00 %
More is better


Call of Duty: Advanced Wirefare Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Vsync: No
  • Render Resolution: Native
  • Texture Quality: manual
  • Texture Resolution: Extra
  • Normal Map Resolution: Extra
  • Specular Map Resolution: Extra
  • Anisotropic Filtering: High
  • Shadows: On
  • Shadow Map Resolutiopn: High
  • Cache Sun Shadow Maps: On
  • Cache Spot Shadow Maps: On
  • Depth of Field: High Quality
  • Motion Blur: High Quality
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Normal
    • Medium Distance Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Sub Surface Scattering: On
  • Depth PrepaSS: oN
  • Post Process Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2x
  • Super Sampling: 4x
  • Shader Preload: On
  • Shader Preload During Cinematics: On
  • Bullet Impacts: On
  • Dynamic Light Limit: 8
  • Vsync: No
  • Render Resolution: Native
  • Texture Quality: manual
  • Texture Resolution: Extra
  • Normal Map Resolution: Extra
  • Specular Map Resolution: Extra
  • Anisotropic Filtering: High
  • Shadows: On
  • Shadow Map Resolutiopn: High
  • Cache Sun Shadow Maps: On
  • Cache Spot Shadow Maps: On
  • Depth of Field: High Quality
  • Motion Blur: High Quality
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Normal
    • Medium Distance Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Sub Surface Scattering: On
  • Depth PrepaSS: oN
  • Post Process Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2x
  • Super Sampling: 4x
  • Shader Preload: On
  • Shader Preload During Cinematics: On
  • Bullet Impacts: On
  • Dynamic Light Limit: 8
  • Vsync: No
  • Render Resolution: Native
  • Texture Quality: manual
  • Texture Resolution: Extra
  • Normal Map Resolution: Extra
  • Specular Map Resolution: Extra
  • Anisotropic Filtering: High
  • Shadows: On
  • Shadow Map Resolutiopn: High
  • Cache Sun Shadow Maps: On
  • Cache Spot Shadow Maps: On
  • Depth of Field: High Quality
  • Motion Blur: High Quality
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Normal
    • Medium Distance Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Sub Surface Scattering: On
  • Depth PrepaSS: oN
  • Post Process Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2x
  • Super Sampling: 4x
  • Shader Preload: On
  • Shader Preload During Cinematics: On
  • Bullet Impacts: On
  • Dynamic Light Limit: 8


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Thief



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 80.5 96.64 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 83.3 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 54.9 101.10 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 54.3 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 30.0 370.37 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 8.1 100.00 %
More is better


Thief Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Vsync: Off
  • Preset: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Very High
  • Shadow Quality: Very High
  • Depth of Field Quality: High
  • Texture Filtering Quality: 16x Anisotropic
  • SSAA: High
  • Automatically limit Texture Quality: On
  • Screen Space Reflection: On
  • Parallax Occlusion Mapping: On
  • FXAA: On
  • Contact Hardening Shadows: On
  • Tesselation: On
  • Image Based Reflection: On
  • Vsync: Off
  • Preset: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Very High
  • Shadow Quality: Very High
  • Depth of Field Quality: High
  • Texture Filtering Quality: 16x Anisotropic
  • SSAA: High
  • Automatically limit Texture Quality: On
  • Screen Space Reflection: On
  • Parallax Occlusion Mapping: On
  • FXAA: On
  • Contact Hardening Shadows: On
  • Tesselation: On
  • Image Based Reflection: On
  • Vsync: Off
  • Preset: Custom
  • Texture Quality: Very High
  • Shadow Quality: Very High
  • Depth of Field Quality: High
  • Texture Filtering Quality: 16x Anisotropic
  • SSAA: High
  • Automatically limit Texture Quality: On
  • Screen Space Reflection: On
  • Parallax Occlusion Mapping: On
  • FXAA: On
  • Contact Hardening Shadows: On
  • Tesselation: On
  • Image Based Reflection: On


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

GRID Autosport



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 120.20 136.62 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 87.98 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 102.11 162.57 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 62.81 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 62.00 277.28 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 22.26 100.00 %
More is better


GRID Autosport Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Full Screen: On
  • Vsync: Off
  • Nigh Lightning: Ultra
  • Advanced Fog: On
  • Particles: Ultra
  • Cloths: Ultra
  • Ambient Occlusion: Ultra
  • Soft Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Ground Cover: Ultra
  • Vehicle Details: Ultra
  • Vehicle Reflections: Ultra
  • Objects: Ultra
  • Trees: Ultra
  • Crowds: Ultra
  • Water: High
  • Advanced Lighting: Enabled
  • Global Illumination: On
  • Texture Quality: High
  • Shader Quality: High
  • Anisotropic Filtering: Ultra
  • Smoke: Shadows: on
  • Full Screen: On
  • Vsync: Off
  • Nigh Lightning: Ultra
  • Advanced Fog: On
  • Particles: Ultra
  • Cloths: Ultra
  • Ambient Occlusion: Ultra
  • Soft Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Ground Cover: Ultra
  • Vehicle Details: Ultra
  • Vehicle Reflections: Ultra
  • Objects: Ultra
  • Trees: Ultra
  • Crowds: Ultra
  • Water: High
  • Advanced Lighting: Enabled
  • Global Illumination: On
  • Texture Quality: High
  • Shader Quality: High
  • Anisotropic Filtering: Ultra
  • Smoke: Shadows: on
  • Full Screen: On
  • Vsync: Off
  • Nigh Lightning: Ultra
  • Advanced Fog: On
  • Particles: Ultra
  • Cloths: Ultra
  • Ambient Occlusion: Ultra
  • Soft Ambient Occlusion: On
  • Ground Cover: Ultra
  • Vehicle Details: Ultra
  • Vehicle Reflections: Ultra
  • Objects: Ultra
  • Trees: Ultra
  • Crowds: Ultra
  • Water: High
  • Advanced Lighting: Enabled
  • Global Illumination: On
  • Texture Quality: High
  • Shader Quality: High
  • Anisotropic Filtering: Ultra
  • Smoke: Shadows: on


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Sleeping Dogs - Benchmark



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 82.5 99.04 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 83.3 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 49.3 103.57 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 47.6 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 19.8 341.38 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 5.8 100.00 %
More is better


Sleeping Dogs Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Full Screen: On
  • Graphics Level: Extreme
  • Enable Quality Anti Aliasing: Extreme
  • Enable High Res Textures: On
  • Shadow Resolution: High
  • Shadow Filtering: High
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: High
  • Enable Vsync: Off
  • Enable Quality Motion Blur: High
  • World Density: Extreme
  • Full Screen: On
  • Graphics Level: Extreme
  • Enable Quality Anti Aliasing: Extreme
  • Enable High Res Textures: On
  • Shadow Resolution: High
  • Shadow Filtering: High
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: High
  • Enable Vsync: Off
  • Enable Quality Motion Blur: High
  • World Density: Extreme
  • Full Screen: On
  • Graphics Level: Extreme
  • Enable Quality Anti Aliasing: Extreme
  • Enable High Res Textures: On
  • Shadow Resolution: High
  • Shadow Filtering: High
  • Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: High
  • Enable Vsync: Off
  • Enable Quality Motion Blur: High
  • World Density: Extreme


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Metro: Last Light - Benchmark



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 52.64 101.82 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 51.70 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 37.00 110.48 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 33.49 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 18.12 107.53 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 16.85 100.00 %
More is better


Metro: Last Light Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Quality: Very High
  • Texture Filtering: AF16x
  • Motion Blur: Normal
  • SSAA: On
  • Tesselation: Very High
  • Scene: D6
  • Runs: 3
  • Quality: Very High
  • Texture Filtering: AF16x
  • Motion Blur: Normal
  • SSAA: On
  • Tesselation: Very High
  • Scene: D6
  • Runs: 3
  • Quality: Very High
  • Texture Filtering: AF16x
  • Motion Blur: Normal
  • SSAA: On
  • Tesselation: Very High
  • Scene: D6
  • Runs: 3


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Assassin’s Creed Unity



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 48.30 146.90 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 32.88 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 30.12 211.82 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 14.22 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 15.68 270.34 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 5.80 100.00 %
More is better


Assassin’s Creed Unity Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Blood Fx : On
  • Companion app : On
  • Graphics Quality: Ultra High
  • VSync: Of
  • Streching: on
  • Envirnoment Quality: Ultra High
  • Texture Quality: Ultra High
  • Shadow Quality : PCSS
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
  • Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
  • Bloom: On
  • Blood Fx : On
  • Companion app : On
  • Graphics Quality: Ultra High
  • VSync: Of
  • Streching: on
  • Envirnoment Quality: Ultra High
  • Texture Quality: Ultra High
  • Shadow Quality : PCSS
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
  • Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
  • Bloom: On
  • Blood Fx : On
  • Companion app : On
  • Graphics Quality: Ultra High
  • VSync: Of
  • Streching: on
  • Envirnoment Quality: Ultra High
  • Texture Quality: Ultra High
  • Shadow Quality : PCSS
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
  • Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
  • Bloom: On


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Far Cry 4



High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 58.60 126.51 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 46.32 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 38.64 122.59 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 31.52 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) Average FPS %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 18.11 205.80 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 8.80 100.00 %
More is better


Far Cry 4 Settings
1080p 1440p 2160p
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Motion Blur : On
  • Textures: Ultra
  • VSync: Off
  • Shadow: Ultra
  • Post FX: Ultra
  • Geometry: Ultra
  • Vegetation: Ultra
  • Terrain: Ultra
  • Water: Ultra
  • Environment: Ultra
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
  • Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
  • Godrays: Volumetric fog
  • Fur : On
  • Trees relief : On
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Motion Blur : On
  • Textures: Ultra
  • VSync: Off
  • Shadow: Ultra
  • Post FX: Ultra
  • Geometry: Ultra
  • Vegetation: Ultra
  • Terrain: Ultra
  • Water: Ultra
  • Environment: Ultra
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
  • Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
  • Godrays: Volumetric fog
  • Fur : On
  • Trees relief : On
  • Graphics Quality: Custom
  • Motion Blur : On
  • Textures: Ultra
  • VSync: Off
  • Shadow: Ultra
  • Post FX: Ultra
  • Geometry: Ultra
  • Vegetation: Ultra
  • Terrain: Ultra
  • Water: Ultra
  • Environment: Ultra
  • Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
  • Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
  • Godrays: Volumetric fog
  • Fur : On
  • Trees relief : On


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Power Consumption



Power Consumption Idle* Watts %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 68 89.47 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 76 100.00 %
*Entire system Less is better


Power Consumption Load (FurMark)* Watts %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 222 61.67 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 360 100.00 %
*Entire system Less is better




Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Price

  Price
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980


Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Performance Index

High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 111.98 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 126.66 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 100.00 %
More is better


High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 980 225.42 %
nVidiaGeForce GTX 960 SLI 100.00 %
More is better



Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion
[pagebreak]

Conclusion

First of all lets talk about prices. Let's consider that the two GTX 960 reference design together cost 390 Euro. Compare that to the 510 Euro you'd have to pay for the cheapest reference GTX 980 we can find. Therefore this one high-end card is significantly more expensive than the two mid-range models. To be precise the price difference is almost 31 percent.

To dive a bit deeper into the results, we start with performance differences in 3DMark graphics score where we see that one GTX 980 is 8 percent quicker in FireStrike Performance than two GTX 960 in SLI, 2 percent running FireStrike Extreme and 116 percent faster when executing FireStrike Ultra. In the next theoretical test we ran, Unigine Heaven High Preset, we see that the GTX 980 is on average 38 percent quicker in 1080p, 26 percent when running 1440p and 64 percent using our 2160p preset. In the case of games it turns out that the performance differences highly depend on the resolution combined with details level. In other words we see that the GTX 960's memory is the bottlenecking factor, since 2 Gigabyte are simply not enough for UHD with high levels of detail. When running 1080p resolution we see that the two 960s are faster in eight out of 13 games we have in our charts. In The Borderlands The Pre-Sequel the GTX 960 SLI is about 13 percent quicker than the single GTX 980 and Tomb Raider at 1080p shows the SLI setup is 15 percent ahead. A closer look at Assasin's Creed Unity shows the other end of the scale, where a single GTX 980 scores 47 percent better than the two GTX 960s and it's the same story when looking at Far Cry 4, where the difference is about 27 percent. In the case of GRID Autosport we find 37 percent and Sniper Elite 3 shows 25 pecent higher frame rates on the GTX 980 than on two GTX 960. Switching resolutions to 1440p and 2160p shows that the two GTX 960's actually struggle to provide enough frames per second in order to generate a smooth gaming experience. Especially at 2160p we see that the 2 Gigabyte GDDR5 memory on the GTX 960 cards is simply not enough to make games run at playable frame rates.  
 
Overall the two GTX 960 cards are performing really well and there is no doubt the two of them are quick. It's a pity there is not GTX 960 with 4 Gigabyte VRAM. Since it's rather clear that 2 Gigabyte GDDR5 memory is not enough to run 1440p or 2160p smoothly we would have been very curious to see how two GTX 960's with 4 Gigabyte VRAM each stacked up against one GTX 960 with the same amount of VRAM. Last but no least we also had a look at power consumption and we notice that two GTX 960's in SLI make our system burn 12 percent more power than one GTX 980 in Idle. Under load the difference shoots up to a whopping 62 percent. If you're about to spend roughly 390 Euros on two GTX 960's these days we'd recommend you to opt for one single GTX 970. Although frame rates will be lower at 1080p, especially with higher resolutions you will see a huge benefit since there is twice the VRAM. Apart from that, if you should have the funds, the GTX 980 is, without the shadow of a doubt, the most powerful graphics card money can buy today.

Page 1 - Test Setup Page 11 - Thief
Page 2 - 3DMark Fire Strike Page 12 - GRID Autosport
Page 3 - Unigine Heaven 4.0 Page 13 - Sleeping Dogs
Page 4 - Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Page 14 - Metro Last Light
Page 5 - BattleField 4 Page 15 - Assassin’s Creed Unity
Page 6 - Watch Dogs Page 16 - Far Cry 4
Page 7 - Tomb Raider Page 17 - Power Consumption
Page 8 - Sniper Elite 3 Page 6 - Prices
Page 9 - Crysis 3 Page 19 - Performance Index
Page 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Page 20 - Conclusion