NVIDIA is the number one graphics card brand of most players with its high-end graphics cards equipped with Ray Tracing and DLSS technologies. Especially thanks to the incredible FPS support offered by DLSS technology, GTX cards are no longer preferred. Now, after the RTX 30 series, NVIDIA is preparing to introduce the RTX 40 series. All eyes are on the new RTX graphics cards.
What about users who want to buy second-hand graphics cards or give their old GTX cards another chance? These users can generally turn to GTX 1000 series cards in order not to be too old and to have performance, but there may be those who plan to go older or have question marks in their minds. In this article, we are specifically addressing those users and discussing the GTX 950 graphics card, which was released on August 20, 2015. Well, it’s 2022, is the GTX 950 still bought? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
Is the GTX 950 still worth buying? Pros and cons:
GTX 950 pros:
Our card’s update support continues:
It seems like the GTX 950 won’t give you any trouble with the graphics card driver update, which is one of the must-haves for gamers. NVIDIA continues to update graphics cards for a long time. Although our card is from 2015, it supports the latest NVIDIA update, GeForce Game Ready 516.94. The fact that the graphics card’s update support is still continuing is a big plus because many performance problems can be fixed in new updates and it is possible to benefit from new technologies.
Our card offers high performance in most competitive games:
Especially today’s competitive games such as League of Legends and VALORANT can run smoothly on any system. In addition, if you have a high Hz monitor and want high FPS values, the GTX 950 can reach ideal values with appropriate game settings. If you don’t follow current games and have a fixed list of competitive games, you can get enough performance in most games with this graphics card. Especially considering that most players lower the game’s graphics settings to the lowest and lower the resolution settings, the GTX 950 will not have a hard time at this point.
You can find the card at a good price on the used market:
Since old video cards are not sold as new, they find a place for themselves in second-hand markets. GTX 950 graphics card is one of them. It is possible to find this 7-year-old graphics card at an affordable price in the second-hand market. Although it is discussed that it is suitable, it is possible to agree on a reasonable price with a reliable seller. You can find a retailer who will sell your old computer or switch to a new graphics card and buy it from them.
You probably won’t have to upgrade your system entirely:
In general, users may feel the need to renew their old processors when switching to a new graphics card. Old processors can have difficulty feeding new and powerful cards, which can cause bottlenecks. Since the GTX 950 graphics card is a 7-year-old card from 2015, if your processor is not too old, the system will work well enough. You can find the most accurate result by searching for tests such as your processor model + GTX 950. We will also tell you the games you can play in the rest of the article and we will write the processor models where the tests were made. Keep reading the article.
GTX 950 cons:
The card’s driver update support may end:
As everyone knows, NVIDIA does not quickly cut driver update support for graphics cards. When you buy a new graphics card, it usually takes years of updates. Although the GTX 950 is a 7-year-old graphics card, it continues to receive updates, but we have no information on how long it will take. In the next year or 2-3 years, NVIDIA may discontinue support for the 900 series and focus on support for the 1000 series and RTX series.
Those who want high graphics and resolution may be disappointed:
In today’s gaming, the ultra-level graphics and the popularization of resolutions such as 2K and 4K increase the demand for more powerful graphics cards. Our GTX 950 graphics card is far from meeting these graphics and resolution levels. If you are going to buy this video card, you should not go above 1080p resolution, play games at minimum or medium settings, and even in some cases be ready to go down to resolutions such as 900p or 720p.
You have to take into account the disadvantages in the second-hand markets:
Although the second-hand market is known for its advantages in most cases, it also has certain disadvantages. Especially with the economic problems in our country, many fraudsters defraud buyers in these market places. Some sellers can also sell their products at very exorbitant prices. Some products may not be new enough, and because they are not repaired, they may break down quickly or be completely broken. These issues are also of great importance in graphics cards. Make sure your dealer is familiar and reliable, if possible, and research the market thoroughly.
You will be deprived of RTX and DLSS technologies:
Ray Tracing and DLSS technologies, which are indispensable for today’s gaming, are now fully approved by all players. With the impressive FPS gain and Ray Tracing technology offered by DLSS, the gameplay has reached a whole new level with the fascinating and completely realistic environment. Unfortunately, the GTX 950 does not support either of these technologies.
The games you can play and the performance you will get with the GTX 950:
- Grand Theft Auto V
- League of Legends
- VALORANT
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Forza Horizon 5
- Red Dead Redemption 2
Editor’s Note: According to the tests, the values below are the average FPS values. Factors such as the processor brand, model and generation or RAM size in the system used can affect the FPS values.
Grand Theft Auto V: 69.5 FPS on high settings
Grand Theft Auto V, one of the best-selling and most successful games of Rockstar Games, has been taking its place in game tests for years. Especially the fact that GTA Online is still played by many players shows us that the game still maintains its popularity. You can gather with your friends and create various playlists and experience different game modes on many maps. According to Userbenchmark data, in tests with the Intel i5 4460 processor, the GTX 950 reaches 69.5 FPS in Grand Theft Auto V at 1080p high settings. It is also worth noting that this setting is not the highest settings.
League of Legends: 113 FPS on highest setting
League of Legends, the very popular game of Riot Games, is still played by millions of players today. League of Legends, which can run on almost any computer, especially with the low system requirements it wants, has achieved an average of 113 FPS at the highest setting of 1080p with the GTX 950 graphics card on the Intel i7 6700 processor computer, according to Userbenchmark data.
VALORANT: 250 FPS on low setting
VALORANT is undoubtedly on its way to becoming the most popular FPS game of recent times. In the VALORANT game, which has an increasingly dense audience, especially in our country, an average of 250 FPS was obtained in 1080p low setting in the test conducted with 8 GB RAM and Ryzen 5 3600 processor. The reason why we chose a test with low graphics settings here is that most players play the game at low settings. Especially since gamers prefer monitors with high Hz values, you can easily play with this card even if your monitor is 240 Hz. It is possible to increase these values even more with a better processor or 16 GB of RAM.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive: 134 FPS at highest setting
Players who do not prefer VALORANT generally continue to prefer Counter Strike: Global Offensive, which they have been playing for a long time. In CS: GO, the latest game in Valve’s famous Counter Strike series, which made a big impression, the GTX 950 achieves an average of 134 FPS at the highest setting of 1080p in the tests conducted with the Intel i5 6500 processor. It is possible to capture 250-300 FPS values by taking the settings to the lowest and the resolution a little lower. If you have a monitor with a high refresh rate, you can easily play this game with all its fluency.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: 70 FPS on medium settings
Ubisoft’s popular 5v5 competitive FPS game Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has a unique player base, although not as much as other games. In the game, which is much more tactical and contains many playable operator characters, the GTX 950 achieves an average of 70 FPS at 1080p medium settings in the tests performed with the AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor overclocked to 3.7 GHz. It is possible to see 90-100 FPS values by lowering the settings a little more. These values will be sufficient for most users, especially since 60 FPS and above are considered fluent for most players.
Forza Horizon 5: 55 FPS on low settings
We didn’t forget the racing game lovers and we added Forza Horizon 5 to our list. Unfortunately, the last 2 games on our list show that the card is seriously underpowered in some cases. In tests for Forza Horizon 5, an average of 55 FPS was captured at 1080p low settings with the Intel i5 3450 processor and GTX 950. This value can sometimes drop to 40-45 FPS, and very rarely it goes up to around 60 FPS. Even at low settings, the fact that the FPS is barely above 60 shows us that the power of the GTX 950 is not enough for this game.
Red Dead Redemption 2: 35 FPS on low settings
We said that the card is more suitable for competitive games, but we wanted to close with Red Dead Redemption 2 for our followers who love story games. This game is a game that shows that the power of the GTX 950 is starting to fall short. Red Dead Redemption 2, one of the most popular games of Rockstar Games, is a 4-year-old game, but it is still a production that forces most systems. In tests with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor, the GTX 950 achieved an average of 35 FPS at 1080p low settings. Although this value is sufficient for some players, it is a bit sad that the FPS is around 35 even though we have set the settings to low. In this game, which has quality gameplay, atmosphere and graphics, the GTX 950 unfortunately performs poorly. However, our followers who are used to playing 1080p 30 FPS games and will not complain about low settings can play the game by taking these values with the GTX 950.
Conclusion: Is the GTX 950 still worth buying?
In conclusion, we can say that our card can perform well enough in most competitive games with low system requirements, but when it comes to current games and high graphics settings, our card falls short. Due to the lack of RTX and DLSS support, the uncertainty of the future of update support and insufficient performance in current games, we can say that it is best for players to turn to minimum GTX 1000 series or completely RTX series cards in 2022. The last choice is, of course, you users. You can share your ideas with us in the comments section.
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