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GRID K520 vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

CPUCPUGPUGPU

GRID K520

2013Core: 745 MHz
Similar parts
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Buy on Amazon
VS

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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Buy on Amazon

GRID K520 vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) Performance Spectrum

GRID K520
2 GB 225
3,516
+0.5%
brand logoGeForce GTX 470M
brand logoGeForce MX330
brand logoGeForce GTX 465
brand logoGeForce GTX 860M
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 (Mobile)
brand logoGeForce RTX 3060 12GB
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
2 GB 30
3,500
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 5850
brand logoRadeon R9 M470
brand logoRadeon RX 550
brand logoGeForce GTX 860M
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
brand logoRadeon RX 6850M
brand logoRadeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
brand logoGeForce 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.

GRID K520 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.

GRID K520

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • ❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    2299.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,599 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($3,599 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • ❌650% higher power demand at 225W vs 30W.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $3,449 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 2288.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 1.0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 30W instead of 225W, a 195W 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

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GRID K520 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (3,516 vs 3,500), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GRID K520 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 (940M, GDDR5) makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,449 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $3,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2288.4% (23.3 vs 1.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GRID K520 has the stronger long-term case.

GRID K520 vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GRID K520

The GRID K520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,516 points. Launch price was $3,599.

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 GRID K520 scores 3,516 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID K520 is built on Kepler while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GRID K520) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)).

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
G3D Mark Score
3,516
3,500
Architecture
Kepler
Maxwell
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1536 ×2+300%
384
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GRID K520 and 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5).

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GRID K520) 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: 0 vs 2.

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell 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
0
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: NVDEC 1 vs NVDEC 1st Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GRID K520) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)).

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
Encoder
NVENC 1
—
Decoder
NVDEC 1
NVDEC 1st Gen
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID K520 draws 225W versus the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)'s 30W — a 152.9% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID K520) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
TDP
225W
30W-87%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
—
Height
111mm
—
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75
Perf/Watt
15.6
116.7+648%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GRID K520 came in at $3599, while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) launched at $150. On MSRP, Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) was 95.8% cheaper ($3449 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.0 (GRID K520) vs 23.3 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) — the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) offers 2230% better value. The newer card here is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) (2015 vs 2013).

FeatureGRID K520Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
MSRP
$3599
$150-96%
Performance per Dollar
1.0
23.3+2230%
Codename
GK104
Surface Book
Release
July 23 2013
October 1 2015
Ranking
#540
#782
Search GRID K520 on AmazonSearch Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) on Amazon

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