GeForce GTX 680M SLI vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 680M SLI

2012Core: 720 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - GPU

GeForce GTX 680M SLI

2 GB 75

3,569

+2.0%

GeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2 GB 30

3,500

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

Radeon RX 6850M

Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary

GeForce RTX 5060

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 680M SLI

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GeForce GTX 680M SLI

2012

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 680M SLI better than Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,569 vs 3,500 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 680M SLI is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 680M SLI is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 680M SLI is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 680M SLI is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $150 MSRP, and you are getting 2.0% higher G3D Mark. Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) make more sense than GeForce GTX 680M SLI?

Yes. Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (30W vs 75W), and staying closer to $150 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GeForce GTX 680M SLI. The trade-off is that GeForce GTX 680M SLI currently gives you 2.0% higher G3D Mark. Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 680M SLI Benchmark Check

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
1080p
low	77 FPS	77 FPS
medium	64 FPS	65 FPS
high	49 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	28 FPS
1440p
low	67 FPS	61 FPS
medium	55 FPS	51 FPS
high	38 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	19 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	22 FPS
medium	23 FPS	21 FPS
high	15 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	11 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680M SLI Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
1080p
low	71 FPS	97 FPS
medium	47 FPS	68 FPS
high	35 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	31 FPS
1440p
low	40 FPS	53 FPS
medium	22 FPS	31 FPS
high	16 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	15 FPS
4K
low	14 FPS	18 FPS
medium	8 FPS	11 FPS
high	7 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	7 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680M SLI Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
1080p
low	161 FPS	158 FPS
medium	128 FPS	126 FPS
high	107 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	120 FPS	118 FPS
medium	96 FPS	94 FPS
high	80 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	79 FPS
medium	64 FPS	63 FPS
high	54 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	39 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680M SLI Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
1080p
low	161 FPS	157 FPS
medium	128 FPS	126 FPS
high	107 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	120 FPS	110 FPS
medium	96 FPS	88 FPS
high	80 FPS	77 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	64 FPS
medium	54 FPS	50 FPS
high	44 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	30 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680M SLI Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680M SLI and Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

GeForce GTX 680M SLI

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 4 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 2688 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,569 points.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) 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: 3,500 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI scores 3,569 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 680M SLI is built on Kepler while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,688 (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
G3D Mark Score	3,569+2%	3,500
Architecture	Kepler	Maxwell
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2688+600%	384

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
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 feature 2 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) vs 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6+2%	4.5
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: VP5 vs NVDEC 1st Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680M SLI	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
Encoder	NVENC (1st Gen)	—
Decoder	VP5	NVDEC 1st Gen
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680M SLI draws 75W versus the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)'s 30W — a 85.7% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 680M SLI) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75.