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Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

CPUCPUGPUGPU

Maxwell GPU Surface Book

2015Core: 954 MHzBoost: 993 MHz
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VS

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

2020
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Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 Performance Spectrum

Maxwell GPU Surface Book
2 GB 30
3,311
0.0%
brand logoGeForce 945A
brand logoRadeon HD 6870
brand logoGeForce GTX 950M
brand logoRadeon R7 260
brand logoGeForce RTX 2050
brand logoArc A580
brand logoRadeon RX 6600 XT
brand logoGeForce RTX 5060
Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
2 GB 30
3,390
+2.4%
brand logoRadeon R7 450
brand logoRadeon HD 6970M
brand logoRadeon HD 8770
brand logoRadeon HD 6990
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU
brand logoRadeon RX 6600 XT
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.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7: 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

  • ✅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.
  • ❌
    50% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.1 vs 33.9 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

2020

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 53.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.9 vs 22.1 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • ✅Maxwell GPU Surface Book is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.4% in PassMark G3D (3,390 vs 3,311), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 10nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 53.6% (33.9 vs 22.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book vs Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 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.

Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7

The Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is manufactured by an unknown manufacturer. It was released in August 15 2020. It features the Gen. 11 Ice Lake architecture. It has 96 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 10 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,390 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book scores 3,311 and the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 reaches 3,390 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book is built on Maxwell while the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 uses Gen. 11 Ice Lake, both on 28 nm vs 10 nm. Shader units: 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 96 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
G3D Mark Score
3,311
3,390+2%
Architecture
Maxwell
Gen. 11 Ice Lake
Process Node
28 nm
10 nm
Shading Units
384+300%
96
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
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 128-bit on the Maxwell GPU Surface Book and 64-bit on the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 12.1 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
DirectX
12 (11_0)
12.1
Vulkan
1.1
1.2+9%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs QuickSync (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7). Decoder: PureVideo VP6 vs QuickSync. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1,MPEG-2 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
Encoder
None
QuickSync
Decoder
PureVideo VP6
QuickSync
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book draws 30W versus the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7's 30W — a 0% difference. The Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 350W (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 85.

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
TDP
30W
30W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
0mm
Height
0mm
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85
85
Perf/Watt
110.4
113.0+2%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Maxwell GPU Surface Book came in at $150, while the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 launched at $100. On MSRP, Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 was 33.3% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 22.1 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book) vs 33.9 (Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7) — the Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 offers 53.4% better value. The newer card here is Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureMaxwell GPU Surface BookTiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7
MSRP
$150
$100-33%
Performance per Dollar
22.1
33.9+53%
Codename
Surface Book
Tiger Lake Xe
Release
October 1 2015
August 15 2020
Ranking
#779
#508
Search Maxwell GPU Surface Book on AmazonSearch Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 on Amazon

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