GeForce 940M vs GeForce RTX 3070

NVIDIA

GeForce 940M

2015Core: 1072 MHzBoost: 1176 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce 940M vs GeForce RTX 3070 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 940M vs GeForce RTX 3070 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 940M vs GeForce RTX 3070: 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 940M

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 33W instead of 220W, a 187W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB 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 44.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • 1073.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 566.7% higher power demand at 220W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1073.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1856.9% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 1,133), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, and 46 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3070 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce 940M vs GeForce RTX 3070 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 940M

The GeForce 940M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1072 MHz to 1176 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,133 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 940M scores 1,133 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 1856.9%. The GeForce 940M is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 940M) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 0.9032 TFLOPS (GeForce 940M) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1176 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score
1,133
22,172+1857%
Architecture
Maxwell
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
384
5888+1433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.9032 TFLOPS
20.31 TFLOPS+2149%
Boost Clock
1176 MHz
1725 MHz+47%
ROPs
8
96+1100%
TMUs
24
184+667%
L1 Cache
0.19 MB
5.8 MB+2953%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce 940M is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 940M has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 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 940M and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 940M) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
8 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
448 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
256-bit+100%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 940M) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
DirectX
12 (11_0)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.1
1.4+27%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce 940M) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP6) vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce 940M) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
Encoder
NVENC (Maxwell)
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
PureVideo HD (VP6)
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 940M draws 33W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 147.8% difference. The GeForce 940M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 940M) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 242mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
TDP
33W-85%
220W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
Legacy
8-pin
Length
0mm
242mm
Height
0mm
112mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
75
75°C
Perf/Watt
34.3
100.8+194%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce 940MGeForce RTX 3070
MSRP
$499
Codename
GM108
GA104
Release
March 13 2015
September 1 2020
Ranking
#847
#63

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