{"id":80451,"date":"2015-08-24T15:30:06","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T13:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=80451"},"modified":"2015-08-27T12:30:28","modified_gmt":"2015-08-27T10:30:28","slug":"locally-the-gtx-950-just-isnt-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/hardware\/80451-locally-the-gtx-950-just-isnt-worth-it","title":{"rendered":"Locally, the GTX 950 just isn\u2019t worth it"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no doubting that big, meaty graphics cards do fairly well in the PC gaming hardware market. Far from definitive, Steam\u2019s Hardware Survey suggests quite a number of high-end GPUs being used<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That said, the real money is made off of lower-end cards. They\u2019re cards that manage 1080p resolution just fine, and that won\u2019t cost an arm and a leg.<\/p>\n

To that effect, NVIDIA has launched their latest entry-level card, the GTX 950. It\u2019s a good performer, to be sure, but makes little sense in the South African market.<\/p>\n

Spec wise, it uses a cut-down GM206, the same GPU that powers the GTX 960. On paper, and when testing benchmarks in a vacuum, it\u2019s a real beaut.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
NVIDIA GPU Specification Comparison<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nGTX 960<\/span><\/td>\nGTX 950<\/span><\/td>\nGTX 750 Ti<\/span><\/td>\nGTX 650 Ti<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CUDA Cores<\/strong><\/td>\n1024<\/td>\n768<\/td>\n640<\/td>\n768<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Texture Units<\/strong><\/td>\n64<\/td>\n48<\/td>\n40<\/td>\n64<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ROPs<\/strong><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Core Clock<\/strong><\/td>\n1126MHz<\/td>\n1024MHz<\/td>\n1020MHz<\/td>\n925MHz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boost Clock<\/strong><\/td>\n1178MHz<\/td>\n1188MHz<\/td>\n1085MHz<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory Clock<\/strong><\/td>\n7GHz GDDR5<\/td>\n6.6GHz GDDR5<\/td>\n5.4GHz GDDR5<\/td>\n5.4GHz GDDR5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Memory Bus Width<\/strong><\/td>\n128-bit<\/td>\n128-bit<\/td>\n128-bit<\/td>\n128-bit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VRAM<\/strong><\/td>\n2GB<\/td>\n2GB<\/td>\n2GB<\/td>\n1GB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FP64<\/strong><\/td>\n1\/32 FP32<\/td>\n1\/32 FP32<\/td>\n1\/32 FP32<\/td>\n1\/24 FP32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TDP<\/strong><\/td>\n120W<\/td>\n90W<\/td>\n60W<\/td>\n110W<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Architecture<\/strong><\/td>\nMaxwell 2<\/td>\nMaxwell 2<\/td>\nMaxwell 1<\/td>\nKepler<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GPU<\/strong><\/td>\nGM206<\/td>\nGM206<\/td>\nGM107<\/td>\nGK106<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transistor Count<\/strong><\/td>\n2.94B<\/td>\n2.94B<\/td>\n1.87B<\/td>\n2.54B<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manufacturing Process<\/strong><\/td>\nTSMC 28nm<\/td>\nTSMC 28nm<\/td>\nTSMC 28nm<\/td>\nTSMC 28nm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Launch Date<\/strong><\/td>\n01\/22\/15<\/td>\n08\/20\/15<\/td>\n02\/18\/14<\/td>\n10\/09\/12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Launch Price<\/strong><\/td>\n$199<\/td>\n$159<\/td>\n$149<\/td>\n$149<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

*Table courtesy of Anandtech<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s those specs that has the world excited by the launch<\/a> of what is actually a relatively middling graphics card.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where things go a little awry for the GTX 950 in South Africa.<\/p>\n

The GTX 960\u2019s international retail price is $199<\/strong> (R2, 637.37<\/strong> at the time of writing) and the GTX 950 comes in at $159<\/strong> (R2, 107.24<\/strong> at the time of writing), a difference of approximately R500<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Of course, local inflation hikes those prices up, moving both cards to around the R3, 000 mark<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The cheapest available GTX 950, for example, is the MSI GTX 950 Overclocked Edition. It\u2019s available at Evetech<\/a> for a reasonable R2, 833.95<\/strong>, though pre-ordering it now will drop it down to R2, 699<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"MSI<\/a>

MSI GTX 950 Overclocked Edition 2GB.<\/p><\/div>\n

RebelTech<\/a>, on the other hand, has the EVGA GTX 950 Superclocked Edition for R2, 934<\/strong>. Not bad.<\/p>\n

\"EVGA<\/a>

EVGA GeForce GTX 950, 2GB.<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately, good as those prices may be, it does not put them R500 below the GTX 960.<\/p>\n

In fact, RebelTech\u2019s<\/a> Galax GTX 960 Exoc is a mere R165<\/strong> more, at R3, 099<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"GALAX<\/a>

GALAX GeForce GTX 960 EXOC 2GB.<\/p><\/div>\n

Only if you factor in the pre-order price of the MSI card from Evetech will you come close to that elusive R500 gap.<\/p>\n

The question is then, is it worth paying R200<\/strong> odd more for the GTX 960? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the earliest benchmarks thus far.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
GTX 960 vs GTX 950 Benchmark Comparison – Average Frames Per Second.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nGTX 960 (1080p\/1440p)<\/span><\/td>\nGTX 950 (1080p\/1440p)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Far Cry 4 – Ultra Settings
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n		46\/29<\/td>\n39\/25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shadow of Mordor – Ultra Settings
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n		40\/26<\/td>\n40\/25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bioshock Infinite – Ultra Settings
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n		94\/59<\/td>\n93\/58<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metro: Last Light – Ultra Settings<\/strong><\/td>\n51\/35<\/td>\n47\/31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Battlefield 4 – Ultra Settings<\/strong><\/td>\n51\/32<\/td>\n43\/29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crysis 3 – Ultra Settings<\/strong><\/td>\n38\/21<\/td>\n31\/20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

*Benchmark scores courtesy of Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Granted, some of the GTX 950s scores come reasonably close to that of the GTX 960, but in many other cases it\u2019s no contest.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking about 1080p here. We wouldn\u2019t recommend 1440p for either card, minus a select few games. Less than 30 fps really isn\u2019t going to be an ideal experience.<\/p>\n

The thing we want you to keep in mind is that these are the average frames per second, gained over the sum of 3 separate tests. That means that while both cards will encounter lower frames than the ones listed above, a good deal more of the GTX 960\u2019s will be above 40 fps, rather than 30 fps for the GTX 950.<\/p>\n

Moreover, when you consider that the GTX 950 uses a cut-down GTX 960, and so the very same microarchitecture, both will struggle in the very same graphically intensive scenarios. You will want the extra grunt of the GTX 960 to reduce the regularity of it, and mitigate the effect wherever possible.<\/p>\n

For slightly less than R200, it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re willing to bet that cheaper GTX 950s will arrive, but they are unlikely to beat Evetech\u2019s pre-order special for at least the next few months.<\/p>\n

\"EVGA<\/a>

EVGA GeForce GTX 950.<\/p><\/div>\n

In fact, with a TDP of 90W, the GTX 950 will require a single six-pin power connector, much like the GTX 960. So it will require almost the exact same rig as the GTX 960.<\/p>\n

We won\u2019t argue that the GTX 950 isn\u2019t cheaper. It\u2019s that price difference, particularly in the international market, that NVIDIA is betting on securing it as the favoured card of PC gamers shooting for 1080p.<\/p>\n

After all, according to surveys like Steam\u2019s Hardware Survey<\/a>, 1920 x 1080 is still the most popular gaming resolution.<\/p>\n

But when you factor in future proofing, average frame rates, average price after inflation and TDP requirements, the GTX 960 is a better all-round card \u2013 at least in South Africa.<\/p>\n

It may not have impressed as much as the GTX 950 is internationally, but we\u2019ve got to consider local needs and preferences.<\/p>\n

Our recommendation: if you\u2019re coming from the likes of a GTX 650 or GTX 750 Ti, we would recommend that GTX 960. And shoot for the 4GB card if you can.<\/p>\n

However, if you absolutely have to spend under R3, 000 on a graphics card, we would be only too happy to recommend the GTX 950. It\u2019s just a tad more expensive than AMD\u2019s equivalent, the R7\u00a0370, but it\u2019s quite a bit faster.<\/p>\n

On the flipside, if you\u2019re looking to spend just a little more than the price of the average GTX 960, we would recommend the R9\u00a0380.<\/p>\n

So there you have it R7\u00a0370 < GTX 950 < GTX 960 < R9\u00a0380<\/strong>. Get either of the latter two.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local inflation sheds a different light on the GTX 950 and GTX 960’s price difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":221,"featured_media":80465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1051,14338,10519,2420,47,14590,15335,1085,1600,45,6524,14430,14436,2163],"class_list":["post-80451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hardware","tag-amd","tag-benchmark","tag-comparison","tag-geforce","tag-gpu","tag-gtx-950","tag-gtx-960","tag-hardware-2","tag-local","tag-nvidia","tag-price","tag-r7-370","tag-r9-380","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80605,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80451\/revisions\/80605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}