GRID M6-8Q vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

GRID M6-8Q

2015Core: 722 MHz
Similar parts
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VS

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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GRID M6-8Q 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.

GRID M6-8Q 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 M6-8Q

2015

Why 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.
  • 900% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,500 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($1,500 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 233.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 30W.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $1,350 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 880.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 100W, a 70W 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 M6-8Q is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.9% in PassMark G3D (3,568 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 M6-8Q 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 $1,350 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $1,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 880.9% (23.3 vs 2.4), 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 M6-8Q has the stronger long-term case.

GRID M6-8Q vs Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GRID M6-8Q

The GRID M6-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 722 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,568 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 GRID M6-8Q scores 3,568 and the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID M6-8Q is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GRID M6-8Q) vs 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)).

FeatureGRID M6-8QMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
G3D Mark Score
3,568+2%
3,500
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Maxwell
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1536+300%
384

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGRID M6-8QMaxwell 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 M6-8Q and 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5).

FeatureGRID M6-8QMaxwell 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_1 (GRID M6-8Q) vs 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.

FeatureGRID M6-8QMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
DirectX
12_1
12 (11_0)
Max Displays
0
2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID M6-8Q draws 100W versus the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)'s 30W — a 107.7% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID M6-8Q) vs 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGRID M6-8QMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
TDP
100W
30W-70%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
35.7
116.7+227%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GRID M6-8Q came in at $1500, while the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) launched at $150. On MSRP, Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) was 90% cheaper ($1350 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.4 (GRID M6-8Q) vs 23.3 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) — the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) offers 870.8% better value.

FeatureGRID M6-8QMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)
MSRP
$1500
$150-90%
Performance per Dollar
2.4
23.3+871%
Codename
GM204
Surface Book
Release
August 30 2015
October 1 2015
Ranking
#535
#782

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