GeForce 945M vs Radeon RX 540

CPU

GPU

GeForce 945M

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 1020 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon RX 540

2017Core: 1124 MHzBoost: 1219 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce 945M vs Radeon RX 540 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 945M

0.5 GB 75

2,109

0.0%

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

RTX 500 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

2,134

+1.2%

Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12GB

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 945M vs Radeon RX 540 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 945M vs Radeon RX 540: 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 945M

2015

Why buy it

✅14.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2015 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 21.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Radeon RX 540

2017

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).
✅GeForce 945M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon RX 540 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 945M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 4 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?

GeForce 945M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 14.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 540 instead at 2,134 vs 2,109, 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?

Radeon RX 540 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce 945M is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2015. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 540 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce 945M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 945M vs Radeon RX 540 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 945M

The GeForce 945M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 27 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 1020 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,109 points.

Radeon RX 540

The Radeon RX 540 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 11 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1124 MHz to 1219 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,134 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 945M scores 2,109 and the Radeon RX 540 reaches 2,134 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 945M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon RX 540 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 945M) vs 512 (Radeon RX 540). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 945M) vs 1.248 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 540). Boost clocks: 1020 MHz vs 1219 MHz.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
G3D Mark Score	2,109	2,134+1%
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	640+25%	512
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.306 TFLOPS+5%	1.248 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1020 MHz	1219 MHz+20%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40+25%	32
L1 Cache	320 KB+150%	128 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 540 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce 945M does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce 945M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 540 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 945M has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 540 carries 4 GB. Radeon RX 540 gives you 700% 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 945M and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 540. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 945M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon RX 540) — the GeForce 945M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	4 GB+700%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	80 GB/s	80 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 945M) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 540). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12_0
Max Displays	2	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce 945M) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 540). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP6) vs UVD 6.3.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	VCE 3.4
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP6)	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,H.265,MPEG-2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 945M draws 75W versus the Radeon RX 540's 50W — a 40% difference. The Radeon RX 540 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 945M) vs 350W (Radeon RX 540). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 1mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
TDP	75W	50W-33%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	1mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	28.1	42.7+52%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 540 (2017 vs 2015).

Feature	GeForce 945M	Radeon RX 540
MSRP	—	$99
Codename	GM107	Lexa
Release	October 27 2015	November 11 2017
Ranking	#671	#602

Search GeForce 945M on Amazon

Search Radeon RX 540 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.