Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) vs Radeon Pro W5500M

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 85W, a 55W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon Pro W5500M

2020

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5): it remains the more sensible modern option while Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌183.3% higher power demand at 85W vs 30W.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)

2015

Radeon Pro W5500M

2020

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 23.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 85W, a 55W reduction.

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5): it remains the more sensible modern option while Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 23.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌183.3% higher power demand at 85W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

So, is Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) better than Radeon Pro W5500M?

Yes. Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 3,500 vs 3,470 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is a 2015 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon Pro W5500M is a 2020 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon Pro W5500M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015, more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 2 GB, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $150 MSRP. Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $150 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 0.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon Pro W5500M is the newer 2020 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon Pro W5500M make more sense than Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)?

Yes. Radeon Pro W5500M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5). The trade-off is that Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) currently gives you 0.9% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) Benchmark Check

Radeon Pro W5500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
1080p
low	77 FPS	100 FPS
medium	65 FPS	88 FPS
high	43 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	41 FPS
1440p
low	61 FPS	90 FPS
medium	51 FPS	79 FPS
high	31 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	19 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	22 FPS	29 FPS
medium	21 FPS	28 FPS
high	13 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	16 FPS

Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Open Radeon Pro W5500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
1080p
low	97 FPS	100 FPS
medium	68 FPS	70 FPS
high	49 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	32 FPS
1440p
low	53 FPS	54 FPS
medium	31 FPS	32 FPS
high	22 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	16 FPS
4K
low	18 FPS	19 FPS
medium	11 FPS	12 FPS
high	9 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	7 FPS	7 FPS

Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Open Radeon Pro W5500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
1080p
low	158 FPS	156 FPS
medium	126 FPS	125 FPS
high	105 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	78 FPS
1440p
low	118 FPS	117 FPS
medium	94 FPS	94 FPS
high	79 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	79 FPS	78 FPS
medium	63 FPS	62 FPS
high	52 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	39 FPS

Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Open Radeon Pro W5500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
1080p
low	157 FPS	141 FPS
medium	126 FPS	113 FPS
high	105 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	78 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	103 FPS
medium	88 FPS	85 FPS
high	77 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	59 FPS
medium	50 FPS	47 FPS
high	41 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	29 FPS

Open Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)Open Radeon Pro W5500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) and Radeon Pro W5500M

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.

Radeon Pro W5500M

The Radeon Pro W5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 10 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1450 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,470 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) scores 3,500 and the Radeon Pro W5500M reaches 3,470 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) is built on Maxwell while the Radeon Pro W5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 384 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) vs 1,408 (Radeon Pro W5500M). Boost clocks: 993 MHz vs 1450 MHz.

Feature	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
G3D Mark Score	3,500	3,470
Architecture	Maxwell	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	384	1408+267%
Boost Clock	993 MHz	1450 MHz+46%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro W5500M has 4 GB. The Radeon Pro W5500M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit.

Feature	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 6.

Feature	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
Max Displays	2	6+200%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)) vs HEVC,H.264,VP9 (Radeon Pro W5500M).

Feature	Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5)	Radeon Pro W5500M
Encoder	—	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 1st Gen	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	HEVC,H.264,VP9

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Power & Dimensions

The Maxwell GPU Surface Book (940M, GDDR5) draws 30W versus the Radeon Pro W5500M's 85W — a 95.7% 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 W5500M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.