GeForce GTX 960A
Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
GeForce GTX 960A vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) 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 960A vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
GeForce GTX 960A vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5): 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 960A
2015Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
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.
- ❌32.7% HIGHER MSRP$199 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.4 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
- ❌150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.
Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
2015Why buy it
- ✅Costs $49 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 34% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 17.4 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W reduction.
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
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GeForce GTX 960A vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 960A
The GeForce GTX 960A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1029 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,465 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 960A scores 3,465 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 960A is built on Maxwell while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Boost clocks: 1085 MHz vs 993 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 3,465 | 3,500+1% |
| Architecture | Maxwell | Maxwell |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 640+67% | 384 |
| Boost Clock | 1085 MHz+9% | 993 MHz |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 960A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | 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 ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 960A and 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 | 12 (11_0) |
| Max Displays | 0 | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs NVDEC 1st Gen.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 1st Gen | — |
| Decoder | NVDEC 1st Gen | NVDEC 1st Gen |
| Codecs | — | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 960A 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 960A) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 75W | 30W-60% |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 350W |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 1mm | — |
| Slots | 0 | 0 |
| Temp (Load) | — | 75 |
| Perf/Watt | 46.2 | 116.7+153% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 960A came in at $199, while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) launched at $150. On MSRP, Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) was 24.6% cheaper ($49 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.4 (GeForce GTX 960A) vs 23.3 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) — the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) offers 33.9% better value.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 960A | Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $199 | $150-25% |
| Performance per Dollar | 17.4 | 23.3+34% |
| Codename | GM107 | Surface Book |
| Release | March 13 2015 | October 1 2015 |
| Ranking | #546 | #782 |
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