GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book

NVIDIA

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2

2011Core: 783 MHz
Similar parts
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VS

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 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 GTS 450 Rev. 2 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 GTS 450 Rev. 2

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $21 less on MSRP ($129 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Delivers 17% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.8 vs 22.1 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 253.3% higher power demand at 106W vs 30W.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 106W, a 76W reduction.
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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.
  • 16.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$129 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.1 vs 25.8 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (3,331 vs 3,311), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 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?
GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $21 cheaper on MSRP at $129 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 17% (25.8 vs 22.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 15 2011. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,331 points.

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 GTS 450 Rev. 2 scores 3,331 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book reaches 3,311 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book).

FeatureGeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell GPU Surface Book
G3D Mark Score
3,331
3,311
Architecture
Fermi 2.0
Maxwell
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
192
384+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 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 GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell 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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 and 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book.

FeatureGeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell GPU Surface Book
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell GPU Surface Book
DirectX
12 (11_0)
12 (11_0)
Vulkan
1.2+9%
1.1
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
2
3+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs None (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs PureVideo VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book).

FeatureGeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell GPU Surface Book
Encoder
PureVideo HD VP4
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP4
PureVideo VP6
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 draws 106W versus the Maxwell GPU Surface Book's 30W — a 111.8% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 210mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 68°C vs 85.

FeatureGeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell GPU Surface Book
TDP
106W
30W-72%
Recommended PSU
400W
350W-13%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
210mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
68°C-20%
85
Perf/Watt
31.4
110.4+252%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 came in at $129, while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book launched at $150. On MSRP, GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 was 14% cheaper ($21 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 25.8 (GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2) vs 22.1 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) — the GeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2 offers 16.7% better value. The newer card here is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (2015 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GTS 450 Rev. 2Maxwell GPU Surface Book
MSRP
$129-14%
$150
Performance per Dollar
25.8+17%
22.1
Codename
GF116
Surface Book
Release
March 15 2011
October 1 2015
Ranking
#739
#779

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