The Nvidia Maxwell GPU is a dedicated graphics card in the Microsoft Surface Book laptop. It is based on the Maxwell GM108 chip as the Geforce 940M with 384 shaders. Instead of the DDR3 graphics memory, the Surface Book graphics card features faster GDDR5 memory (both 64 Bit though).
Thanks to the faster graphics memory, the Surface Book Geforce is performing better than the average GeForce 940M. However, the 945M and GTX 950M are still noticeably faster. Demanding games therefore only run in low settings fluently.
The Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 (GT3e) is an integrated graphics card and the fastest GPU of the Broadwell generation. It is built into several high-end CPUs specified at 47 W TDP. The so-called GT3e GPU offers a fast eDRAM cache as well as 48 EUs (Execution Units) and therefore somewhat more shader power than the previous Iris Pro Graphics 5200. The clock range depends on the model it is built into (up to 1150 MHz with Turbo Boost).
Architecture and Features
Broadwell features a GPU based on the Intel Gen8 architecture, which has been optimized in various aspects compared to the previous Gen7.5 (Haswell). Inter alia, the shader arrays called "subslice" have been reorganized and now offer 8 Execution Units (EUs) each. Three subslices form a "slice" for a total of 24 EUs. Combined with other improvements such as larger L1 caches and an optimized frontend, the integrated GPU has become faster and more efficient than its predecessor.
The Iris Pro Graphics 6200 represents the high-end "GT3e" version of the Broadwell GPU family and consists of two slices with 48 EUs in total. In addition, there is also a fast eDRAM cache (128 MB), which can be found only on the Iris Pro.
All Broadwell GPUs support OpenCL 2.0 and DirectX 12 (FL 11_1). The video engine can now decode H.265 using both fixed function hardware as well as available GPU shaders. Up to three displays can be connected via DP 1.2/eDP 1.3 (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz) or HDMI 1.4a (max. 3840 x 2160 @ 24 Hz). HDMI 2.0, however, is not supported.
Performance
Depending on the benchmark, the Iris Pro Graphics 6200 performs similar to a dedicated GeForce GT 750M or GeForce 940M. Many games of 2014/2015 can be played fluently in WXGA resolution (1366 x 768) and medium detail settings. However, very demanding games such as The Witcher 3 will require lower resolutions and/or details.
Power Consumption
Utilizing a new 14 nm FinFET process, the Iris Pro Graphics 6200 is specified at 47 W TDP (entire chip including CPU, GPU and memory controller) and therefore suited for medium-sized notebooks. The TDP is flexible and can be further reduced (37 W), which has a significant impact on performance.
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA Maxwell GPU Surface Book → 100%n=7
Average Benchmarks Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 → 192%n=7
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card - Average benchmark values for this graphics card * Smaller numbers mean a higher performance 1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
Game Benchmarks
The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.