GeForce 940MX vs Radeon R9 255

NVIDIA

GeForce 940MX

2016Core: 795 MHzBoost: 861 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 255

2014Core: 918 MHz
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GeForce 940MX vs Radeon R9 255 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 940MX vs Radeon R9 255 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 940MX vs Radeon R9 255: 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 940MX

2016

Why buy it

  • Costs $39 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
  • Delivers 39.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.1 vs 10.8 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $139 MSRP).
  • Draws 23W instead of 190W, a 167W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 255 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon R9 255

2014

Why buy it

  • 65.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 39% HIGHER MSRP
    $139 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 10.8 vs 15.1 G3D/$ ($139 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 726.1% higher power demand at 190W vs 23W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 255 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 65.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 940MX instead at 1,509 vs 1,501, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 940MX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2016 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 940MX makes the most sense to buy today. It is $39 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $139, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 39.7% (15.1 vs 10.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 255 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 940MX vs Radeon R9 255 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 940MX

The GeForce 940MX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 28 2016. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 795 MHz to 861 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 23W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,509 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 255

The Radeon R9 255 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 2 2014. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 918 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,501 points. Launch price was $249.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 940MX scores 1,509 and the Radeon R9 255 reaches 1,501 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 940MX is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R9 255 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 512 (GeForce 940MX) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 255). Raw compute: 0.8817 TFLOPS (GeForce 940MX) vs 3.29 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 255).

FeatureGeForce 940MXRadeon R9 255
G3D Mark Score
1,509
1,501
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512
1792+250%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.8817 TFLOPS
3.29 TFLOPS+273%
ROPs
8
32+300%
TMUs
32
112+250%
L1 Cache
256 KB
448 KB+75%
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 940MX gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 255 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 940MXRadeon R9 255
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 940MX has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 255 carries 2 GB. Radeon R9 255 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 940MX and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 255. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 940MX) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 255) — the GeForce 940MX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 940MXRadeon R9 255
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
2 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 940MX draws 23W versus the Radeon R9 255's 190W — a 156.8% difference. The GeForce 940MX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 940MX) vs 400W (Radeon R9 255). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce 940MXRadeon R9 255
TDP
23W-88%
190W
Recommended PSU
350W-13%
400W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
65.6+730%
7.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 940MX came in at $100, while the Radeon R9 255 launched at $139. On MSRP, GeForce 940MX was 28.1% cheaper ($39 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.1 (GeForce 940MX) vs 10.8 (Radeon R9 255) — the GeForce 940MX offers 39.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 940MX (2016 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce 940MXRadeon R9 255
MSRP
$100-28%
$139
Performance per Dollar
15.1+40%
10.8
Codename
GM107
Tonga
Release
June 28 2016
September 2 2014
Ranking
#764
#365

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