ASUS GeForce GTX 960 STRIX - The New Sweet Spot for Gamers?
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Is the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 a perfect addition to the Nvidia product lineup at its (approximately) 200 dollar price point, or is it a bit of a swing and a miss? Crunchyroll link: crunchyroll.com Graphics card OC doc: docs.google.com Sponsor link: linustechtips.com Pricing & discussion: linustechtips.com Support us: linustechtips.com Join our community forum: bit.ly twitter.com @LinusTech Intro Screen Music Credit: Adhesive Wombat -
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The ASUS GeForce GTX 960 STRIX review centers on whether this card hits the elusive “sweet spot” around a $200 price point for gamers. The host emphasizes build quality and the STRIX design’s advantages, including a beefy aluminum cooling system with quad heat pipes and two 75 mm fans that only spin under heavy load, delivering silent operation at idle and light gaming loads like League of Legends. He notes the lack of a true reference GTX 960 in the wild, so the evaluation hinges on STRIX’s out-of-the-box performance, overclockability, and efficiency improvements from NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture. The discussion covers core features such as a fully fledged GM206 Maxwell core, support for dynamic super resolution and MFAA, and the significant power efficiency gains versus previous generations. The video also frames the GTX 960 as a potential media center card thanks to built-in H.265 encoding, HDMI 2.0 for 4K60, and 5K/quad 4K display capabilities, while cautioning that demanding AAA titles at 4K60 remain unlikely. In conclusion, the card is characterized as a strong but not earth-shattering option for budget gamers, delivering solid 1080p performance, respectable overclocking headroom, and competitive power consumption within its price tier, aligning with expectations for a $200 class GPU. The host also notes NVIDIA’s strategy and manufacturing choices that influence the card’s performance ceiling, suggesting realistic outcomes based on the GM206 core and current market offerings.
Topics · technology · hardware · gaming
Questions answered
- What is the GTX 960 STRIX primarily designed to do well at its price point?
- It targets solid 1080p gaming performance with strong power efficiency and cooling, aiming to offer good value for budget gamers around $200.
- Why does the GTX 960 use the GM206 Maxwell core and how does that affect performance?
- The GM206 core provides a fully fledged Maxwell architecture that improves efficiency and supports features like MFAA and dynamic super resolution, contributing to better power use and overall gaming performance within its segment.
- Can the GTX 960 STRIX handle 4K gaming or high refresh rates at 4K?
- No, the card is not designed for demanding 4K60 gaming; its strengths lie in 1080p gaming and media-center capabilities with HDMI 2.0 and 4K support for display output rather than sustained 4K gaming at high settings.