Maxwell GPU Surface Book
Radeon E8870PCIe
Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Radeon E8870PCIe 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 vs Radeon E8870PCIe 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
Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Radeon E8870PCIe: 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
2015Why buy it
- ✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 63.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 22.1 vs 13.5 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $250 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 30W instead of 37W, a 7W 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 E8870PCIe
2014Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌66.7% HIGHER MSRP$250 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.5 vs 22.1 G3D/$ ($250 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
- ❌23.3% higher power demand at 37W vs 30W.
Quick Answers
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Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Radeon E8870PCIe Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
Maxwell GPU Surface Book
The Maxwell GPU Surface Book 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: 3,311 points.
Radeon E8870PCIe
The Radeon E8870PCIe is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 25 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 575 MHz to 625 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 37W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,368 points.
Graphics Performance
The Maxwell GPU Surface Book scores 3,311 and the Radeon E8870PCIe reaches 3,368 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is built on Maxwell while the Radeon E8870PCIe uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 640 (Radeon E8870PCIe). Boost clocks: 993 MHz vs 625 MHz.
| Feature | Maxwell GPU Surface Book | Radeon E8870PCIe |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 3,311 | 3,368+2% |
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 384 | 640+67% |
| Boost Clock | 993 MHz+59% | 625 MHz |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Maxwell GPU Surface Book | Radeon E8870PCIe |
|---|---|---|
| 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 and 64-bit on the Radeon E8870PCIe.
| Feature | Maxwell GPU Surface Book | Radeon E8870PCIe |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Bus Width | 128-bit+100% | 64-bit |
Power & Dimensions
The Maxwell GPU Surface Book draws 30W versus the Radeon E8870PCIe's 37W — a 20.9% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 350W (Radeon E8870PCIe). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.
| Feature | Maxwell GPU Surface Book | Radeon E8870PCIe |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 30W-19% | 37W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 350W |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 0mm | — |
| Height | 0mm | — |
| Slots | 0 | — |
| Temp (Load) | 85 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 110.4+21% | 91.0 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the Maxwell GPU Surface Book came in at $150, while the Radeon E8870PCIe launched at $250. On MSRP, Maxwell GPU Surface Book was 40% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 22.1 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 13.5 (Radeon E8870PCIe) — the Maxwell GPU Surface Book offers 63.7% better value. The newer card here is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (2015 vs 2014).
| Feature | Maxwell GPU Surface Book | Radeon E8870PCIe |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $150-40% | $250 |
| Performance per Dollar | 22.1+64% | 13.5 |
| Codename | Surface Book | Venus |
| Release | October 1 2015 | January 25 2014 |
| Ranking | #779 | #734 |
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