Smaller Streaming Multiprocessors (SMM) with only 128 ALUs (Kepler: 192) and an optimized scheduler should lead to better utilization of the shaders. Nvidia promises that a Maxwell SMM with 128 ALUs can offer 90 percent of the performance of a Kepler SMX with 192 ALUs. GM108 features 3 SMMs and thus 384 shader cores, 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs (64-bit interface).Īnother optimization is the massively enlarged L2 cache. The 940M offers 384 shader units as well as 2 GB of DDR3 memory (64 bit, 2000 MHz effective).Ĭompared to the previous and technically very similar GeForce 840M, the GeForce 940M is clocked just slightly higher.Ĭompared to Kepler, Maxwell has been optimized in several details to increase power efficiency. The NVIDIA GeForce 940M is a mid-range DirectX 11-compatible graphics card for laptops unveiled in March 2015. It is based on Nvidia's Maxwell architecture (GM108 chip) and manufactured in 28 nm. GPU Boost 2.NVIDIA GeForce 940M ► remove from comparison
The 900M series also supports Optimus to automatically switch between an integrated graphics card and the Nvidia GPU.ĭirectX 12 (FL 11_0), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.5ĭisplayPort 1.3 HBR / 1.4 HDR Ready, HDMI 2.0, AMD FreeSync Therefore, the GPU is best suited for laptops 13 - 14 inches in size and above. The power consumption of the GeForce 940M should be about 30 Watts or lower. Of course, VP6 supports all features of previous generations (4K support, PIP, video encoding via NVENC API). Unfortunately, HDMI 2.0 is still not supported. GM108 integrates the sixth generation of the PureVideo HD video engine (VP6), offering a better decoding performance for H.264 and MPEG-2 videos. However, very demanding games such as Assassin's Creed Unity will require lower resolutions and/or details. Similar to Fermi and Kepler, the GM107/GM108 support DirectX 12 with feature level 11_0 only.ĭue to its just 5 percent higher core clock, the GeForce 940M is only marginally faster than the previous GeForce 840M and similar to the older GeForce GT 750M (DDR3 version). Many games of 2014/2015 can be played fluently in WXGA resolution (1366 x 768) and medium detail settings. The larger size can process some of the memory traffic to allow for a relatively narrow memory interface without significantly reducing performance.
NVIDIA GeForce 940M ► remove from comparison In our tests with The Witcher 3, the GPU needed in the Pavilion 15t 80 Watt and positiones itself between the much more power efficient MX150 and the GTX 1050.
The power envelope of the faster Radeon Pro 460 is rated at 35 Watt according to the AMD blog post.
See more details on the Polaris architecture here. The features of the Radeon RX 550 are identical to the faster RX 460 and all other Polaris chips. In our tests it reaches the Radeon Pro 455 and bests the Nvidia GeForce MX150, but stays behind the GeForce GTX 1050. It features 640 shaders (10 CUs) and (at least in the Pavilion 15t) all cores are activated in the mobile version (where 512 are activated in the desktop RX 550).Īccording to the specified peak performance, the chip should be similar fast as a Radeon Pro 455 in the MacBook Pro 2016. The Polaris 12 chip (codename Lexa) is a smaller chip than the Polaris 11 and 21 and uses the improved 14nm process that allows higher clock rates than the first generation (Radeon RX 400 series). It is manufactured in an improved 14 nm FinFET process at Globalfoundries or Samsung. The AMD Radeon RX 550 is mobile mid-range graphics card for laptops based on the Polaris 12 chip. AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop) ► remove from comparison