Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) vs Radeon Pro 560

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Pro 560

2017Core: 907 MHz
Similar parts
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Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) vs Radeon Pro 560 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.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) vs Radeon Pro 560: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $350 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 235.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 7.0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $500 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.

Radeon Pro 560

2017

Why buy it

  • More future proof: GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 233.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $500 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.7% in PassMark G3D (3,500 vs 3,475), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) 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 $350 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 235.7% (23.3 vs 7.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) vs Radeon Pro 560 Technical Specifications

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

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.

AMD

Radeon Pro 560

The Radeon Pro 560 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 907 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,475 points.

Graphics Performance

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) scores 3,500 and the Radeon Pro 560 reaches 3,475 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is built on Maxwell while the Radeon Pro 560 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) vs 1,024 (Radeon Pro 560).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Radeon Pro 560
G3D Mark Score
3,500
3,475
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
384
1024+167%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Radeon Pro 560
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) and 64-bit on the Radeon Pro 560.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Radeon Pro 560
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) draws 30W versus the Radeon Pro 560's 75W — a 85.7% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) vs 350W (Radeon Pro 560). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Radeon Pro 560
TDP
30W-60%
75W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
116.7+152%
46.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) came in at $150, while the Radeon Pro 560 launched at $500. On MSRP, Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) was 70% cheaper ($350 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 23.3 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) vs 7.0 (Radeon Pro 560) — the Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) offers 232.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro 560 (2017 vs 2015).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Radeon Pro 560
MSRP
$150-70%
$500
Performance per Dollar
23.3+233%
7.0
Codename
Surface Book
Polaris 21
Release
October 1 2015
April 18 2017
Ranking
#782
#543

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