Within the graphics card market the $199 to $250 price point has historically been a space where manufacturers have offered a near-perfect blend of price and performance for gamers who can't justify spending $400 and more for an upgrade. This also happens to be where AMD and NVIDIA move a ton of volume so getting the formula right is a key component towards success or failure of a given generation. With the new $199 GTX 960, NVIDIA is hoping they have a card which appeals to the millions of buyers still sporting cards like the GTX 460, GTX 560 and GTX 660.

With the GM206-based GTX 960 intending to replace some of the most popular cards NVIDIA has ever produced, there are some huge expectations riding on it. However, it finds itself within a hotly contested segment that's full of excellent alternatives. On AMD's side there's the newer $210 R9 285 which incorporates their Tonga architecture and a full stable of high end features like TrueAudio and Freesync from the higher end R9 290-series.