NVIDIA GeForce 940M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data for these two GPUs is sparse, with each product having only one available test result in the database, and no overlapping test names. This makes a direct numerical comparison impossible based on the current measurements. The NVIDIA GeForce 940M has results for Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, scoring 6,018 and 4,549 respectively, yielding an average benchmark score of 5,284. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB has a single result from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, scoring 4,791, which also serves as its average benchmark score.

Because the tests are entirely different workloads, the raw scores cannot be compared head-to-head. The 940M’s average score of 5,284 places it in the 31st percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the GeForce GTX 980M (average score 5,308, a 0.4% difference), the GeForce 930A (5,317, 0.6% difference), and the GeForce 840M (5,322, 0.7% difference). The 940M is essentially at parity with these cards, sitting within a single percentage point of each.

The RTX 3080 12 GB, despite being a far more powerful product in terms of specifications, has an average score of 4,791, which places it in the 28th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (average score 4,788, a 0.1% difference), the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (4,752, 0.8% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (4,844, a 1.1% difference), and the GeForce GTX 560M (4,855, a 1.3% difference). The RTX 3080 12 GB’s score is within a narrow band of these significantly older and lower-tier products, which is a result of the specific DX12 Steel Nomad workload being used.

The database shows zero benchmark wins for either product in the head-to-head section, as there are no common tests. The percentile rankings are notable: the 940M ranks higher (31st) than the RTX 3080 12 GB (28th), but this reflects the different benchmark suites and the fact that the 940M’s averages are derived from more traditional compute tests, while the RTX 3080 12 GB’s score comes from a modern DX12 rendering workload. The data does not support a claim of overall performance superiority for either card, as the test conditions are not comparable.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent entirely separate eras of NVIDIA design. The GeForce 940M is built on the Maxwell architecture, using the GM107 chip manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,870 million transistors on a die size of 148 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 12.6 million per mm². The RTX 3080 12 GB uses the Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, fabricated by Samsung on an 8 nm process. This chip houses 28,300 million transistors across a 628 mm² die, achieving a density of 45.1 million per mm². The difference is stark: the RTX 3080 12 GB packs over 15 times more transistors into a die that is more than four times larger.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The 940M uses 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, with a memory clock of 900 MHz (1,800 Mbps effective) and a bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s. The RTX 3080 12 GB features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1,188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) and a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. That is a 63-fold increase in memory bandwidth, which directly affects fill-rate-bound workloads and high-resolution texturing.

Compute resources diverge massively. The 940M has 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The RTX 3080 12 GB has 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Additionally, the RTX 3080 12 GB includes 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores, which are features entirely absent from the 940M. These dedicated cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features such as DLSS, which the Maxwell-based card cannot perform in hardware. The pixel rate is 17.57 GPixel/s for the 940M versus 164.2 GPixel/s for the RTX 3080 12 GB. Texture rate is 35.14 GTexel/s versus 478.8 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 1,124.4 GFLOPS versus 30.64 TFLOPS, and the RTX 3080 12 GB also has FP16 throughput at 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio), while the 940M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Clock speeds also differ. The 940M runs at a base of 1,020 MHz and a boost of 1,098 MHz. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a base of 1,260 MHz and a boost of 1,710 MHz. The power envelopes are not comparable: the 940M is rated at 75 W TDP with no power connectors, designed for an MXM module slot. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a 350 W TDP, uses a single 12-pin power connector, and requires a 750 W suggested PSU. The bus interface is MXM-B (3.0) for the 940M versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 3080 12 GB. The API support also differs, with the 940M supporting DirectX 12 (11_0) and the RTX 3080 12 GB supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), both offering OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the available data, the GeForce 940M wins in scenarios measured by Geekbench compute tests. Its average benchmark score of 5,284 is higher than the RTX 3080 12 GB’s average of 4,791, and it sits in a higher percentile (31st versus 28th). In the database’s recorded measurements, the 940M’s OpenCL score of 6,018 and Vulkan score of 4,549 indicate that in these specific synthetic compute workloads, the older Maxwell card performs competitively relative to its peers. The 940M is also a low-power part at 75 W, making it suitable for thin-and-light portable devices where the RTX 3080 12 GB’s 350 W TDP and dual-slot footprint would be physically impossible to integrate. Its MXM module form factor and lack of power connectors position it for mobile platforms where thermal and power budgets are constrained.

The RTX 3080 12 GB wins in every architectural metric. Its 30.64 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than 27 times higher than the 940M’s 1,124.4 GFLOPS. Its 912.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth versus 14.40 GB/s enables it to feed its 8,960 shading units effectively, whereas the 940M’s 64-bit bus is a severe bottleneck. The RTX 3080 12 GB also has hardware ray tracing via 70 RT cores and AI acceleration via 280 tensor cores, features that the 940M lacks entirely. For modern 3D rendering workloads, particularly those that utilize DirectX 12 Ultimate features or ray tracing, the RTX 3080 12 GB is the only viable option between the two. The 12 GB GDDR6X frame buffer, versus 2 GB DDR3, allows for high-resolution textures and large scenes that would exceed the 940M’s capacity. The RTX 3080 12 GB’s PCIe 4.0 x16 interface also provides far greater host bandwidth than the MXM-B 3.0 interface on the 940M.

In practice, the 940M is suited to legacy applications, basic productivity, and older titles at modest settings, where its low power draw is an asset. The RTX 3080 12 GB is suited to demanding current-generation games, 3D rendering, and compute tasks that can leverage its tensor and RT cores. The database’s benchmark scores do not reflect this gap because the tests are not shared, but the specification differences are unambiguous.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 940M has an average benchmark score of 5,284, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB has an average benchmark score of 4,791.

Q: Why does the RTX 3080 12 GB have a lower percentile ranking despite being a newer product?

A: The RTX 3080 12 GB is ranked in the 28th percentile of all GPUs, while the 940M is in the 31st percentile. This is because the RTX 3080 12 GB’s score comes from a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, while the 940M’s comes from Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan tests, which are different workloads with different performance characteristics.

Q: What are the nearest rivals to the 940M according to the database?

A: The nearest rivals are the GeForce GTX 980M (average score 5,308, 0.4% difference), the GeForce 930A (5,317, 0.6% difference), the GeForce 840M (5,322, 0.7% difference), and the GeForce GTX 760M (5,236, 0.9% difference).

Q: What are the nearest rivals to the RTX 3080 12 GB according to the database?

A: The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R5 M255 (average score 4,788, 0.1% difference), the AMD Radeon R5 M335 (4,752, 0.8% difference), the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (4,844, 1.1% difference), and the GeForce GTX 560M (4,855, 1.3% difference).

Q: Does the RTX 3080 12 GB support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 3080 12 GB has 70 RT cores dedicated to hardware ray tracing. The GeForce 940M has no RT cores and does not support hardware ray tracing.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two GPUs?

A: The 940M has a memory bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s with 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus. The RTX 3080 12 GB has a memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s with 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce 940M | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Architecture | Maxwell | Ampere |

| Chip | GM107 | GA102 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 8 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Samsung |

| Transistors | 1,870 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 148 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1,020 MHz | 1,260 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1,098 MHz | 1,710 MHz |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 12 GB |

| Memory Type | DDR3 | GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus Width | 64 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 14.40 GB/s | 912.4 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 512 | 8,960 |

| TMUs | 32 | 280 |

| ROPs | 16 | 96 |

| RT Cores | None | 70 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 280 |

| Pixel Rate | 17.57 GPixel/s | 164.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 35.14 GTexel/s | 478.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Compute | 1,124.4 GFLOPS | 30.64 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Compute | None recorded | 30.64 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 75 W | 350 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None recorded | 750 W |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Release Date | 2015-03-12 | 2022-01-10 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |