GeForce GTX 485M SLI vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 485M SLI

2011Core: 575 MHz
Similar parts
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VS

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 485M SLI 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 GTX 485M SLI 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 GTX 485M SLI

2011

Why buy it

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

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.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 22.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 233.3% higher power demand at 100W 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).
  • Draws 30W instead of 100W, a 70W 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 485M SLI is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.5% in PassMark G3D (3,360 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 GTX 485M SLI 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 GTX 485M SLI has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 485M SLI vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 485M SLI

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 6 2011. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 575 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,360 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 GTX 485M SLI scores 3,360 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book reaches 3,311 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is built on Fermi while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book).

FeatureGeForce GTX 485M SLIMaxwell GPU Surface Book
G3D Mark Score
3,360+1%
3,311
Architecture
Fermi
Maxwell
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
768+100%
384

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI 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 GTX 485M SLIMaxwell 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 GTX 485M SLI and 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book.

FeatureGeForce GTX 485M SLIMaxwell 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 GTX 485M SLI) vs 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTX 485M SLIMaxwell GPU Surface Book
DirectX
12 (11_0)
12 (11_0)
Vulkan
1.2+9%
1.1
OpenGL
4.0
4.6+15%
Max Displays
2
3+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs None (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs PureVideo VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book).

FeatureGeForce GTX 485M SLIMaxwell GPU Surface Book
Encoder
PureVideo HD VP4
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP4
PureVideo VP6
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI draws 100W versus the Maxwell GPU Surface Book's 30W — a 107.7% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 92°C vs 85.

FeatureGeForce GTX 485M SLIMaxwell GPU Surface Book
TDP
100W
30W-70%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
92°C
85-8%
Perf/Watt
33.6
110.4+229%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (2015 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GTX 485M SLIMaxwell GPU Surface Book
MSRP
$150
Codename
N11E-GTX-A1
Surface Book
Release
January 6 2011
October 1 2015
Ranking
#542
#779

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