GeForce 770M vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book

NVIDIA

GeForce 770M

2013Core: 811 MHzBoost: 797 MHz
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VS

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 770M vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce 770M vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce 770M

2013

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 22.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 22.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Maxwell GPU Surface Book is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2% in PassMark G3D (3,311 vs 3,246), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 770M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Maxwell GPU Surface Book makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Maxwell GPU Surface Book is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 770M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 770M vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce 770M

The GeForce 770M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 30 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 811 MHz to 797 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,246 points. Launch price was $189.99.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is manufactured by an unknown manufacturer. It was released in October 1 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 954 MHz to 993 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,311 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 770M scores 3,246 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book reaches 3,311 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 770M is built on Kepler while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 960 (GeForce 770M) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Boost clocks: 797 MHz vs 993 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
G3D Mark Score
3,246
3,311+2%
Architecture
Kepler
Maxwell
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
960+150%
384
Boost Clock
797 MHz
993 MHz+25%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 770M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 770M has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book carries 2 GB. Maxwell GPU Surface Book gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 770M and 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book.

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
2 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (GeForce 770M) vs 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
DirectX
11.1
12 (11_0)+8%
Vulkan
1.1
1.1
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+33%
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1 (GeForce 770M) vs None (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs PureVideo VP6. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 (GeForce 770M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book).

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
Encoder
NVENC 1
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP5
PureVideo VP6
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 770M draws 75W versus the Maxwell GPU Surface Book's 30W — a 85.7% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 770M) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85.

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
TDP
75W
30W-60%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
0mm
Height
0mm
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
85
Perf/Watt
43.3
110.4+155%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (2015 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce 770MMaxwell GPU Surface Book
MSRP
$150
Codename
GK106
Surface Book
Release
May 30 2013
October 1 2015
Ranking
#603
#779

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