NVIDIA GeForce 840M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the recorded benchmark data?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 840M wins the only head-to-head benchmark. In Geekbench OpenCL, the 840M scores 5764 against the GTS 450's 4893, a 17.8% advantage. The 840M also holds a higher overall average benchmark score of 5322 versus 4893.

Q: How does each GPU rank against all other GPUs in the database?

A: The GeForce 840M sits at the 31st percentile, while the GeForce GTS 450 sits at the 28th percentile. This means the 840M places slightly higher in the overall distribution of recorded GPUs.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the GeForce 840M in the database?

A: The nearest rivals by average score are the AMD Radeon R7 M445 (5358, 0.7% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 930A (5317, 0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (5308, 0.3% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5284, 0.7% lower). The 840M's average score of 5322 is effectively in the same band as these cards.

Q: What are the closest rivals to the GeForce GTS 450 in the database?

A: The nearest rivals by average score are the AMD Radeon R7 M265 (4929, 0.7% higher), the AMD FirePro W5130M (4904, 0.2% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB (4901, 0.2% lower), and the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX (4867, 0.5% lower). The GTS 450's score of 4893 places it within a narrow cluster around 4900.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The GeForce 840M uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, delivering 16.02 GB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce GTS 450 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTS 450 has a much wider bus and higher bandwidth despite less capacity.

Q: Which card has a higher power draw and what are the physical requirements?

A: The GeForce GTS 450 has a TDP of 106 W, requires a dual-slot cooler, a 1x 6-pin power connector, and a suggested 300 W power supply. The GeForce 840M has a TDP of 33 W, uses an IGP slot width, and needs no power connectors. The 840M is far less demanding on system power.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and fabrication nodes. The GeForce 840M uses the GM108S chip built on Maxwell architecture, produced by TSMC on a 28 nm process. The GeForce GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip built on Fermi architecture, also produced by TSMC but on a 40 nm node. This process difference is significant: the 840M packs 1,020 million transistors into a 77 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The GTS 450 has 1,170 million transistors on a much larger 238 mm² die, giving a density of just 4.9 million per square millimeter. The 840M is substantially more efficient in transistor packing.

Core configurations differ sharply. The 840M has 384 shading units, 16 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. The GTS 450 has 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The 840M runs more shaders but fewer texture and pixel units. Clock behavior also diverges: the 840M has a base clock of 1029 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz, while the GTS 450 has no recorded base or boost clock values. Memory clocks are 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) for the 840M and 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) for the GTS 450.

API support shows both similarities and gaps. Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The 840M adds Vulkan 1.4 support, while the GTS 450 has no Vulkan support recorded. The bus interface also differs: the 840M uses PCIe 3.0 x8, while the GTS 450 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are portable-device dependent for the 840M, whereas the GTS 450 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 840M wins in raw compute performance. Its FP32 throughput is 863.2 GFLOPS versus 601.3 GFLOPS for the GTS 450, a 43.5% advantage. Pixel rate also favors the 840M at 8.992 GPixel/s versus 6.264 GPixel/s. The 840M wins the only recorded benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by 17.8%. Its higher percentile rank (31st versus 28th) and higher average benchmark score (5322 versus 4893) reinforce this lead. The 840M is also far more power-efficient, with a 33 W TDP compared to 106 W, and it supports Vulkan, which the GTS 450 lacks.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 wins in memory bandwidth and texture throughput. Its 57.73 GB/s bandwidth is 3.6 times higher than the 840M's 16.02 GB/s. Texture rate reaches 25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s. The GTS 450 also has twice the bus width (128-bit versus 64-bit) and twice the ROP count (16 versus 8). These factors make the GTS 450 better suited for texture-heavy workloads and scenarios where memory bandwidth is the limiting factor. It also has a larger physical footprint with a 210 mm length and 111 mm height, which may indicate a more substantial cooling solution.

Specification Differences

| Specification | GeForce 840M | GeForce GTS 450 |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GM108S | GF106 |

| Architecture | Maxwell | Fermi |

| Process node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 1,020 million | 1,170 million |

| Die size | 77 mm² | 238 mm² |

| Transistor density | 13.2M / mm² | 4.9M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1029 MHz | null |

| Boost clock | 1124 MHz | null |

| Memory clock | 1001 MHz (2 Gbps effective) | 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) |

| Memory size | 2 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory type | DDR3 | GDDR5 |

| Memory bus | 64 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 16.02 GB/s | 57.73 GB/s |

| Shading units | 384 | 192 |

| TMUs | 16 | 32 |

| ROPs | 8 | 16 |

| Pixel rate | 8.992 GPixel/s | 6.264 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 17.98 GTexel/s | 25.06 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 863.2 GFLOPS | 601.3 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 33 W | 106 W |

| Slot width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power connectors | None | 1x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | null | 300 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| Vulkan | 1.4 | null |

| Release date | 2014-03-11 | 2010-09-12 |

| Launch MSRP | null | 129 USD |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains a single head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The GeForce 840M scores 5764, while the GeForce GTS 450 scores 4893. The 840M wins with a delta of 17.8%. This is a decisive margin in a compute-oriented workload. The 840M's higher shading unit count and Maxwell architecture likely drive this result, though the recorded data only shows the final scores.

Beyond the direct comparison, the average benchmark scores reinforce the same ordering. The 840M averages 5322 across all recorded tests, while the GTS 450 averages 4893. The 840M's nearest rivals, such as the GeForce 930A (5317) and GeForce 940M (5284), are all within 0.7% of its average, placing it in a tight cluster of similar-performance mobile GPUs. The GTS 450's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon R7 M265 (4929) and AMD FirePro W5130M (4904), sit within 0.7% as well, but at a lower absolute level.

In synthetic throughput, the 840M leads in FP32 compute by 43.5% (863.2 GFLOPS versus 601.3 GFLOPS) and in pixel rate by 43.6% (8.992 GPixel/s versus 6.264 GPixel/s). The GTS 450 counters with a 39.4% higher texture rate (25.06 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s) and a 260% higher memory bandwidth (57.73 GB/s versus 16.02 GB/s). These are large swings in opposite directions, but the single recorded benchmark favors the 840M.

The Verdict

The data points to the NVIDIA GeForce 840M as the stronger overall GPU. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark with a 17.8% margin, holds a higher average score (5322 versus 4893), and ranks higher in the database at the 31st percentile against the GTS 450's 28th. Its FP32 compute output is 43.5% higher, and its pixel rate is 43.6% higher. It also draws far less power (33 W versus 106 W), requires no external power connector, and supports Vulkan 1.4. For compute workloads, general performance, and efficiency, the 840M is the clear choice.

The GeForce GTS 450 retains specific advantages that matter in certain scenarios. Its memory bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s is more than triple the 840M's 16.02 GB/s, and its texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s is 39.4% higher. With twice the ROPs (16 versus 8) and a 128-bit bus, the GTS 450 could be preferable for bandwidth-sensitive tasks or older texture-heavy applications. However, these strengths did not translate into a benchmark win in the recorded OpenCL test.

The verdict from the database is straightforward: choose the GeForce 840M for modern compute performance, lower power demands, and better overall benchmark results. Choose the GeForce GTS 450 only if the workload specifically relies on memory bandwidth or texture throughput, where its wider bus and GDDR5 memory give it a measurable edge. The 840M is the superior all-around product according to the recorded data.