NVIDIA GeForce 940M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce 940M and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB represent two distant generations of mobile graphics, separated by a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows a stark contrast: the 940M is an end-of-life Maxwell product from the GeForce 900M series, while the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is an active Blackwell 2.0 part from the GeForce 50-series. Their benchmark profiles, however, are not directly comparable due to different test suites, making an analysis of their respective strengths necessary based on the available metrics.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce 940M wins in the context of legacy and lightweight application support. Its benchmark results are limited to two tests, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 6018 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 4549. These scores place it at the 31st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5284. This indicates a card that, while modest by modern standards, was capable of handling older DirectX 11-era workloads and basic GPU compute tasks. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (avg score 5308, deltaPct -0.4), the GeForce 930A (5317, -0.6), and the GeForce 840M (5322, -0.7), showing that its performance cluster is tightly grouped with other low-power mobile parts. The 940M’s wins are thus defined by its ability to run these specific legacy benchmarks at all, a feat the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB does not attempt in the provided data.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB wins decisively in raw modern performance and feature set. Its benchmark results are extensive, including a Passmark G3D score of 22618, a Passmark GPU Compute score of 11224, and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4019. These scores demonstrate massive computational throughput, with its FP32 performance reaching 23.70 TFLOPS. The data shows it far outpaces the 940M in every conceivable metric of raw power, though direct numerical comparison is impossible due to different benchmark suites. Its average benchmark score of 4970 is lower than the 940M’s 5284, but this is an artifact of the different test sets; the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is being measured against much more demanding modern workloads. Its percentile rank of 29 is also a reflection of the broader, more powerful GPU landscape it competes in. The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB wins on any modern gaming or compute task that utilizes its features, such as ray tracing (36 RT cores) and tensor cores (144).

The Verdict

The choice between these two GPUs is not a competition but a selection based on era and application. The data clearly indicates that the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is the superior hardware in absolute terms, with a 16 GB GDDR7 memory pool, 4608 shading units, and a 5 nm process node. It is designed for contemporary DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads and features real-time ray tracing capabilities. Anyone building or upgrading a system for modern gaming, content creation, or AI-adjacent tasks should select the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB. Its active production status and launch MSRP of 429 USD (stated once here) confirm its position as a current-generation product.

Conversely, the GeForce 940M is a historical piece. Its specification sheet, with a 2 GB DDR3 memory and a 64-bit bus, limits it to older, less demanding titles. The data suggests it is only suitable for users with legacy software requirements or those maintaining vintage systems. Its end-of-life production status and 2015 release date make it a collector’s item or a replacement part for a decade-old laptop, not a viable choice for new hardware. The verdict is unambiguous: the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is for current and future workloads, while the 940M is for the past.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Direct head-to-head benchmark data is not available in the fact pack, with the `headToHeadBenchmarks` field being empty. However, we can analyze the performance gulf by examining the individual scores. The 940M’s peak Geekbench OpenCL score of 6018 is its strongest result, yet this test is not run on the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB. Conversely, the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB’s Passmark G3D score of 22618 is a massive figure that dwarfs any legacy score, but the 940M has no comparable Passmark result.

The most illustrative comparison comes from the compute capabilities. The 940M delivers 1,124.4 GFLOPS of FP32 performance. The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB delivers 23.70 TFLOPS, which is 23,700 GFLOPS. This is a 21-fold increase in raw floating-point throughput, a figure derived directly from the fact pack data. Similarly, memory bandwidth jumps from 14.40 GB/s on the 940M to 448.0 GB/s on the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, a 31-fold increase. These are the largest disparities. The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB’s texture rate of 370.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 123.5 GPixel/s also vastly exceed the 940M’s 35.14 GTexel/s and 17.57 GPixel/s, respectively. While no shared test exists, the architectural and specification data alone demonstrate that the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB would win any conceivable head-to-head matchup by an enormous margin.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 940M has a higher average benchmark score of 5284, compared to the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB’s 4970. This is due to the different tests used, not indicative of real-world performance superiority.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, while the GeForce 940M has a bandwidth of just 14.40 GB/s.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB support ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB includes 36 dedicated RT cores, a feature entirely absent from the GeForce 940M, which has none.

Q: What is the process node for each chip?

A: The GeForce 940M uses a 28 nm process node, while the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is built on a 5 nm process node, both manufactured by TSMC.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB has 4608 shading units, compared to the 512 shading units found on the GeForce 940M.

Q: What is the production status of these GPUs?

A: The GeForce 940M is marked as "End-of-life", while the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is listed as "Active".

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures. The GeForce 940M uses the Maxwell architecture, specifically the GM107 chip. This architecture was designed for efficiency and DirectX 12 (11_0) feature level support. It has no dedicated RT cores or tensor cores, relying purely on its 512 shading units for all processing. The transistor density is 12.6M per mm², reflecting the older 28 nm process. The 940M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In contrast, the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, using the GB206 chip. This is a modern, feature-rich design that includes 36 RT cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and 144 tensor cores for AI processing and DLSS. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), a significant step up in feature level. The architecture is built for the 5 nm process, achieving a transistor density of 121.0M per mm², which is nearly ten times denser than the 940M. This architectural leap allows for the massive increase in shading units (4608 vs 512) and texture mapping units (144 vs 32).

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two GPUs differ on nearly every measurable field. The GeForce 940M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB has 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB also adds 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores, which are absent from the 940M. Clock speeds are significantly different, with the 940M boasting a base clock of 1020 MHz and boost of 1098 MHz, while the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB has a base of 2407 MHz and boost of 2572 MHz.

Memory configurations are a major differentiator. The 940M features 2 GB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Power consumption also differs greatly, with the 940M rated at 75 W TDP and the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB at 180 W TDP. The physical form factor changes from an MXM Module for the 940M to a Dual-slot card for the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, which has a length of 241 mm. The bus interface also evolves from MXM-B (3.0) to PCIe 5.0 x8. Display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent" for the 940M, while the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. The transistor count is 1,870 million for the 940M versus 21,900 million for the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB.