PNY GTX 950 2GB and GTX 960 4GB XLR8 OC Gaming Review

PNY's GTX 950 and GTX 960 XLR8 OC graphics card are good options for the entry to mid-range segment. While there is nothing particularly innovative or exciting about what PNY is bringing to the market, both cards still have a recipe for success with good cooling and acoustic performance paired with a generous factory overclock.

In terms of pricing the PNY GTX 950 2GB XLR8 OC is about £135 in the UK and $150 in the U.S, making it competitive with similar overclocked models from MSI and EVGA. The PNY GTX 960 4GB XLR8 OC is around £180/$200 which is again competitive with rival brands. We do feel though, that the 4GB GTX 960 is lacking in benefit over the 2GB model – you're paying an extra 10-15% for 2GB of VRAM that's unlikely to be used by most popular games, as our results demonstrated.

*UK readers should note there could be continuing fluctuation with GPU prices due to the volatility of the British Pound Sterling in the currency market, following to result of the UK EU referendum.*

Nonetheless, the 4GB GTX 960 does offer an interesting stop-gap measure for the rather large price gap that exists between the GTX 970 in North America where GTX 970s start at $280. Here in the UK GTX 970's can be had for as little as £220 making the GTX 960 4GB questionable. In general the PNY GTX 950 seems like the more competitive option given how close it performs to the PNY GTX 960, though the 2GB PNY XLR8 OC GTX 960 would have some merit too.

The PNY XLR8 options are provided with a 3 year warranty which is competitive with big-name brands (MSI, EVGA, etc.) and better than many other brands who offer only a 2 year warranty, whether PNY's support is up to scratch is not something we've been able to assess.

In terms of downsides there are very few to speak of. Some may find the styling a little bland and the plastic shroud on the cheap side. The slimming down of the rear I/O may also polarise people. On the one hand, the fewer DisplayPort connections PNY offer versus the stock Nvidia configuration (1 vs. 3) provides less flexibility. Yet the extra DVI port is more likely to be utilised by the target audience for this price point.

There are also a number of equivalently clocked GTX 950 and GTX 960 options from rival brands at more competitive prices, here in the UK at least, but pricing will always vary by region and retailer so this is a point prospective buyers should assess for their individual circumstances.

Pros:

• 3 year warranty.
• Good factory overclock.
• Cool and quiet operation, passive fan mode.

Cons:

• Little benefit of 4GB on the PNY GTX 960 XLR8 OC.
• GTX 960 struggles to keep pace with the R9 380.
• Less display outputs than default Nvidia configuration.

KitGuru says: PNY's XLR8 Gaming OC GTX 950 and GTX 960 graphics card offer strong overclocks, an excellent factory cooling solution and generous warranty terms. If you're in the market for a mid-range GPU add these to your shortlist.

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