NVIDIA GeForce 930M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce 930M is the pick for anyone who needs a low-power mobile GPU with slightly better raw compute performance. The data shows it wins the only head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, with a score of 5046 against the GTS 450's 4893, a 3% advantage. It also supports Vulkan 1.4, which the GTS 450 does not. However, the GTS 450 counters with substantially higher fill rates and memory bandwidth, making it the better choice for older, fill-rate-bound games at low resolutions, provided you can tolerate a 106 W desktop card that needs a 6-pin power connector. If you are building a compact, power-efficient system, the 930M's 33 W TDP and IGP form factor are far easier to integrate, but its 64-bit DDR3 memory interface will bottleneck any serious gaming workload. Choose the 930M for efficiency and modern API support; choose the GTS 450 for raw pixel pushing and texture throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations. The GTS 450 uses the GF106 chip on the Fermi architecture, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The 930M uses the GM108S chip on the Maxwell architecture, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. The transistor counts are close: the GTS 450 has 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, giving a density of 4.9M per mm². The 930M has 1,020 million transistors on a much smaller 77 mm² die, yielding 13.2M per mm², reflecting the denser modern process.

Core composition differs significantly. The GTS 450 has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The 930M has 384 shading units, but only 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs. Maxwell's architecture allows more shaders per unit area, but the 930M's smaller ROP and TMU counts directly impact its pixel and texture rates. The GTS 450 achieves 6.264 GPixel/s and 25.06 GTexel/s, while the 930M manages only 4.392 GPixel/s and 13.18 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, the GTS 450 outputs 601.3 GFLOPS versus 421.6 GFLOPS for the 930M.

Memory subsystems are fundamentally different. The GTS 450 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 57.73 GB/s of bandwidth. The 930M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus, delivering only 12.80 GB/s. Clock speeds also differ: the GTS 450's memory runs at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective), while the 930M's memory runs at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective), and the 930M's core is locked at 549 MHz base and boost. The GTS 450 has no listed base or boost core clock in the database. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but only the 930M lists Vulkan 1.4 support.

Where Each One Wins

The 930M wins in compute-oriented tasks. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 5046 beats the GTS 450's 4893. It also has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 3729, a test the GTS 450 cannot run due to no Vulkan support. The 930M's 384 shading units, despite lower clock speeds, help it in compute workloads that scale with shader count. Its 33 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it can be placed in slim laptops or compact systems without external power, making it the practical choice for mobile productivity and light compute.

The GTS 450 wins in traditional graphics throughput. Its 57.73 GB/s bandwidth is 4.5 times higher than the 930M's 12.80 GB/s, which matters for texture streaming and high-resolution buffers. Its pixel rate of 6.264 GPixel/s and texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s are both roughly 1.4 to 1.9 times higher than the 930M's respective rates. For older DirectX 11 games that are fill-rate bound, the GTS 450 should maintain higher frame rates despite losing the compute benchmark. The GTS 450 also has a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface versus the 930M's PCIe 3.0 x8, but the bandwidth difference is unlikely to matter for the workloads these GPUs can handle.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the only shared benchmark?

A: The 930M wins Geekbench OpenCL with 5046 points versus 4893 for the GTS 450, a 3% delta in favor of the 930M.

Q: Why does the GTS 450 have higher fill rates despite losing the compute test?

A: The GTS 450 has 32 TMUs and 16 ROPs, versus 24 TMUs and 8 ROPs on the 930M. Combined with higher memory bandwidth (57.73 GB/s vs 12.80 GB/s), the GTS 450 achieves 25.06 GTexel/s and 6.264 GPixel/s, while the 930M manages 13.18 GTexel/s and 4.392 GPixel/s.

Q: Can the 930M run Vulkan games?

A: Yes, the 930M lists Vulkan 1.4 support and has a recorded Geekbench Vulkan score of 3729. The GTS 450 has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: Which card needs more power and cooling?

A: The GTS 450 has a 106 W TDP, a dual-slot form factor, and requires a 1x 6-pin power connector with a suggested 300 W PSU. The 930M has a 33 W TDP, uses an IGP form factor, and requires no power connectors.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: The GTS 450 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus at 902 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). The 930M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus at 800 MHz (1600 Mbps effective). The GTS 450's bandwidth advantage is 57.73 GB/s vs 12.80 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher compute ceiling?

A: The GTS 450 has 601.3 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the 930M has 421.6 GFLOPS. However, the 930M's higher Geekbench OpenCL score suggests its shader architecture is more efficient per FLOP in that workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records exactly one shared benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The 930M scores 5046, and the GTS 450 scores 4893. The delta is -3% from the perspective of the GTS 450, meaning the 930M is 3% ahead. This is a narrow margin, and both cards sit near the same percentile tier: the GTS 450 is at the 28th percentile of all GPUs, while the 930M is at the 26th percentile.

Looking at nearest rivals helps contextualize these scores. The GTS 450's nearest rivals include the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB at 4901 (-0.2%), the AMD FirePro W5130M at 4904 (-0.2%), and the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX at 4867 (+0.5%). The 930M's nearest rivals include the GeForce GT 645M at 4411 (-0.5%), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 at 4360 (+0.7%), and the GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 at 4335 (+1.2%). Notably, the 930M's average benchmark score across all tests is 4388, which is lower than its OpenCL score of 5046 because its Vulkan score of 3729 drags the average down. The GTS 450's average benchmark score is simply 4893, matching its single OpenCL result.

The GTS 450's wins are not reflected in benchmark scores but in specification-level capabilities. Its texture rate of 25.06 GTexel/s is nearly double the 930M's 13.18 GTexel/s. Its pixel rate of 6.264 GPixel/s is 42% higher than 4.392 GPixel/s. Its memory bandwidth of 57.73 GB/s is 4.5 times higher. These are the numbers that matter for rasterization workloads, even if OpenCL favors the 930M. The 930M's only clear benchmark victory is the OpenCL test, and it also has the Vulkan test that the GTS 450 cannot participate in, giving it a second de facto win in API coverage.

Specification Differences

The following table lists only the fields where the two GPUs differ, per the recorded data.

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 | NVIDIA GeForce 930M |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | Maxwell |

| Generation | GeForce 400 | GeForce 900M |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

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

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 77 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | 13.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | null | 549 MHz |

| Boost Clock | null | 549 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 902 MHz, 3.6 Gbps effective | 800 MHz, 1600 Mbps effective |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 57.73 GB/s | 12.80 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 192 | 384 |

| TMUs | 32 | 24 |

| ROPs | 16 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 6.264 GPixel/s | 4.392 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.06 GTexel/s | 13.18 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 601.3 GFLOPS | 421.6 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 106 W | 33 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | IGP |

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

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | null |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

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

| Vulkan | null | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2010-09-12 | 2015-03-12 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 200 | GeForce 800M |

| Successor | GeForce 500 | GeForce 10 Mobile |

| Launch MSRP | 129 USD | null |

| Geekbench OpenCL | 4893 | 5046 |

| Geekbench Vulkan | null | 3729 |

| Avg Benchmark Score | 4893 | 4388 |

| Percentile | 28 | 26 |

Both GPUs share the same manufacturer, foundry (TSMC), DirectX 12 (11_0) support, OpenGL 4.6 support, and end-of-life production status. The GTS 450 has a length of 210 mm (8.3 inches) and height of 111 mm (4.4 inches), while the 930M has no recorded dimensions due to its mobile IGP nature.