Thanks again to the Tones crew so we could compare two other mobile GPU solutions: the GTX 950M equipped with the faster 4GB GDDR5 and the higher clocked GTX 960M also with on-board GDDR5.

While being monitored by Fraps we played multiple times the same maps in Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Rainbow Six Siege and the new Star Wars Battlefront game. The latter game was benchmarked in online multiplayer mode. We opted to test two resolutions: the native Full-HD resolution (1920 x 1080) or the maybe more mobile friendly 1366 x 768 resolution. The Full-HD resolution was tested with the high detail preset while the lower resolution was tested at medium detail settings.

We spot that the GDDR5 version is indeed a tad faster than the utilized GDDR3 one of the Pavilion, this especially in the lower 1366 resolution with indeed a performance difference between 10-15%. At the Full-HD resolution, plus the high detail preset lower the difference to plus minus 10% average over the three tested games. The GTX 960M is in a class of its own and allows lag free gaming even at the high detail preset. Take note below are average scores so the minimum FPS is lower than the listed chart numbers.

We enjoyed several hours of multiplayer action on the HP Pavilion Gaming notebook, though during large map battles with a lot of fast paced action it was advisable to customize the detail setting. Lowering to the Medium detail preset and then turning off for example HBAO rendering kept the average frame rate above 40 FPS at Full-HD resolution and steady sailing over 70FPS at 1366 x 768.

Remember we are still gaming on a mobile platform, thus some games will require some manual tweaking to get higher aka lag free performance at the cost of some image quality. It is all about balance my friends!