They said it couldn't be done, but where there are higher density chips there's always a way. Today EVGA and Inno3D have both announced new versions of GTX 960 graphics cards with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, placing the cards in a more favorable mid-range position depending on the launch pricing.
EVGA's new 4GB NVIDIA GTX 960 SuperSC
Along with the expanded memory capacity EVGA's card features their ACX 2.0+ cooler, which promises low noise and better cooling. The SuperSC is joined by a standard ACX and the higher-clocked FTW variant, which pushes Base/Boost clocks to 1304/1367MHz out of the box.
Inno3D's press release provides fewer details, and the company appears to be launching a single new model featuring 4GB of memory which looks like a variant of their existing GTX 960 OC card.
The existing Inno3D GTX 960 OC card
The current 2GB version of the GTX 960 can be found starting at $199, so expect these expanded versions to include a price bump. The GTX 960, with only 1024 CUDA cores (half the count of a GTX 980) and a 128-bit memory interface, has been a very good performer nonetheless with much better numbers than last year's GTX 760, and is very competitive with AMD's R9 280/285. (It's a great overclocker, too.) The AMD/NVIDIA debate rages on, and NVIDIA's partners adding another 4GB offering to the mix will certainly add to the conversation, particularly as an upcoming 4GB version of the GTX 960 was originally said to be unlikely.
2GB+2GB? LOL
2GB+2GB? LOL
I think it would have been
I think it would have been much better if they replaced the 128bit GDDR5 vram with 256bit stuff. Just adding an extra 2GB at lower bit-rate isn’t going to do the card any justice.
It’s going to be interesting to see the benchmarks between the old 960’s an these new ones.
That’s not how it works. This
That's not how it works. This architecture only has 128 bits to communicate. Switching to 256 bit is only possible with 2x the number of components addressing that ram. That does exist – it's a 980 :).
Also, it shouldn't be another 2GB at a different bitrate. This should simply be a doubling of addressible RAM on the same 128 bit bus. Similar to what an 8GB 980 would be.
I’m still waiting to see if
I’m still waiting to see if we actually see a 960 Ti release
It is horrible that I even
It is horrible that I even have to ask this even, but is that last 2GB symmetrical performance-wise with the first 2GB?
The 960 has an ‘even’ number
The 960 has an 'even' number of L2/ROP units and shouldn't have to do any crossbar tricks to hit 4GB. It should run at the same speed across the full range in this config.
I think this is a bad idea
I think this is a bad idea being a amd and Nvidia fan you could just get a 290 or 280x over this unless you need low power consumption or low noise. I’m guessing these will retail for 230$
I bought a 290 about a month
I bought a 290 about a month ago for $220 after rebate so…..
I have to agree, the 960 was
I have to agree, the 960 was badly overpriced on launch (and still is), and these 4gb cards are only going to be more expensive. AMD really has the better options in this price range
well of course, AMD is
well of course, AMD is constantly dropping the prices of their GPUs to make them more affordable to compete the price of nvid GPUs and to make way for their own 300 line. Here’s the biggest thing between them though. If you’re trying to ‘upgrade’ a system but don’t have quality components such as a good mobo, cpu, or psu that can withstand the power hungry r9 290+ cards, then nvid’s “sweet spot cards” are going to be the go to since they are in a reasonable price range and come without a worry of need to overhaul your entire system. I’m not an Nvid fanboy, i’m just a college kid cutting corners where necessary, I bought a used xfx 270x for 115 to be used in practically an all AMD build.
That’s b.s. You just need a
That’s b.s. You just need a decent psu. Even the cheapest h81 motherboard would have no problem with a 290