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I am looking to buy a new GPU for a half gaming half graphics design system.

Current specs are:

  • i7-4790 CPU
  • GTX 750 GPU
  • 500 Watt PSU
  • 2x 1TB HDD

Design Software in Use:

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Sony Vegas Home Edition
  • AutoDesk Inventor 2016

Budget: $250

I am looking for a slightly more powerful GPU (one for both rendering and gaming at 1080p 60fps), however I would like something relatively cheap (it would be even better if I do not have to upgrade the PSU). I was looking at the GTX 950 and GTX 960, however I am not sure which one is superior for the price to performance ratio. I would like to stay away from AMD GPUs because they would require me to purchase a new PSU. The main question is, am I overlooking a better video card for my needs? Or would one suggest the GTX 950 or the GTX 960?

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    If you can install a Nvidia GPU, you can install an equivalent GPU. There may be other reasons for picking an nvidia card, but power supply compatibility shouldn't be one of them.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Commented Nov 16, 2015 at 13:27
  • Current budget is 250 USD
    – MrPublic
    Commented Nov 16, 2015 at 13:36
  • 2
    @JourneymanGeek OP might mean the higher power consumption of AMD GPUs would cause his system to go over his power supply capacity, though that has been less of a problem with Tonga.
    – timuzhti
    Commented Nov 28, 2015 at 8:14
  • 2x 1TB HDD -- just why? SSD+HDD would be a better option.
    – lahjaton_j
    Commented Feb 1, 2016 at 14:21
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    @lahjaton_j, We aren't here to criticize others' machines. There are plenty of reasons for needing more storage space, and the user clearly indicates they use design software which generally requires more storage space. Please keep spec criticisms out of the comments.
    – Andy
    Commented Feb 2, 2016 at 14:33

1 Answer 1

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The GTX 950 is definitely a better performance-per-dollar card than the GTX 960. The 950 costs slightly more than half the the 960 but delivers much more than half of a 960. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't buy the 960. Since you wanted to game at 1080p at 60 fps, the 950 would not be able to do that consistently on a slightly demanding title, but the 960 would be able to do that.

If you only want to play casual games at low to medium settings and want to save money, the 950 is what you should get. But if you want to play some more demanding titles and higher settings with a higher budget, go for the 960.

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  • Gaming at High/Ultra settings is not necessary, but could it be achieved by using 2x GTX 950's in SLI instead of a single GTX 960 (Keep in mind my PSU limit)?
    – MrPublic
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 13:50
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    @MrPublic You should try to keep away from SLI unless you want higher GPU performance but a higher performance GPU is not available (e.g. you want higher performance than a 980 TI then you can SLI the 980 TIs). SLI can be troublesome and some games don't support it causing a very unstable gameplay. Your PSU will also not be enough for 2 x GTX 950.
    – Peter Zhu
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 13:54
  • I believe I will go with the GTX 950, as my goal was a better "Performace-per-dollar."
    – MrPublic
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 13:59
  • Remember that performance per dollar should NOT be evaluated with the graphics card price. PC performance / PC price is a better indicator. In this case, it probably favors buying GTX 960.
    – lahjaton_j
    Commented Feb 1, 2016 at 14:21

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