Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Radeon HD 6990M

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6990M

2011Core: 715 MHz
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Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Radeon HD 6990M 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 HD 6990M: 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

2015

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 22.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 100W, a 70W reduction.
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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 HD 6990M

2011

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 22.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 233.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Maxwell GPU Surface Book is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (3,311 vs 3,264), 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 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Maxwell GPU Surface Book makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Radeon HD 6990M 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.

AMD

Radeon HD 6990M

The Radeon HD 6990M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 12 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 715 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,264 points.

Graphics Performance

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book scores 3,311 and the Radeon HD 6990M reaches 3,264 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6990M uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6990M).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookRadeon HD 6990M
G3D Mark Score
3,311+1%
3,264
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
1120+192%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookRadeon HD 6990M
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 video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book and System on the Radeon HD 6990M.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookRadeon HD 6990M
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 6990M's 100W — a 107.7% difference. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6990M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookRadeon HD 6990M
TDP
30W-70%
100W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
85
Perf/Watt
110.4+239%
32.6
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (2015 vs 2011).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookRadeon HD 6990M
MSRP
$150
Codename
Surface Book
Blackcomb
Release
October 1 2015
July 12 2011
Ranking
#779
#691

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