Arc A310 vs GeForce GTX 960
Performance-wise the Arc A310 is out front, significantly faster, roughly 33% up on the GeForce GTX 960. Value tips toward the GeForce GTX 960, though: $3,822 EUR cheaper for what you get.
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Arc A310 vs GeForce GTX 960: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Arc A310 vs GeForce GTX 960
The Arc A310 is significantly faster, around 33% ahead of the GeForce GTX 960. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the GeForce GTX 960 starts at $316 EUR against $4,138 EUR for the Arc A310. Despite being slower, the GeForce GTX 960 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~882% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The GeForce GTX 960 still sits about $117 EUR above its $199 EUR MSRP. The Arc A310 still sits about $4,008 EUR above its $130 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Arc A310 sips power at 30W next to the GeForce GTX 960's 120W, and still leads on performance-per-watt — quieter, cooler, and gentler on your PSU. Its more modern Alchemist architecture on a TSMC N6 process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Arc A310's 4GB (vs 2GB on the GeForce GTX 960) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.
Generation & Longevity
The Arc A310 is roughly 7 years newer than the GeForce GTX 960 (Alchemist vs Maxwell), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the Arc A310 brings Intel XeSS upscaling and AV1 encoding, while the GeForce GTX 960 offers NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: Arc A310 or GeForce GTX 960?
Choose the Arc A310 if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the GeForce GTX 960 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Arc A310 better than the GeForce GTX 960?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Arc A310 or the GeForce GTX 960?
Is the Arc A310 worth the extra $3,822 EUR over the GeForce GTX 960?
Does the Arc A310 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: Arc A310 or GeForce GTX 960?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Arc A310 | GeForce GTX 960 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Alchemist | Maxwell |
| Process Node | TSMC N6 | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (Shading Units / CUDA Cores) | 768 | 1,024✓ |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 6 | — |
| Tensor / AI Cores | 96 | — |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Arc A310 | GeForce GTX 960 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 2,000 MHz✓ | 1,127 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2,000 MHz✓ | 1,178 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | Arc A310 | GeForce GTX 960 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB✓ | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 64-bit | 128-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 15.5 Gbps✓ | 7 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 124 GB/s✓ | 112 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Arc A310 | GeForce GTX 960 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 30 W✓ | 120 W |
| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin |
| Released | Oct 2022 | Jan 2015 |
