NVIDIA GeForce 940MX vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M vs NVIDIA GeForce 940MX

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M and NVIDIA GeForce 940MX represent two distinct eras of mobile graphics, separated by five years of architectural evolution. The GTX 560M, built on Fermi 2.0 at 40 nm, was a high-end mobile part in 2011, while the 940MX, using Maxwell at 28 nm, targeted the mainstream segment in 2016. Benchmark data from Geekbench OpenCL shows the 940MX scoring 4939 against the GTX 560M's 4855, a 1.7% advantage. Both GPUs sit at the 28th percentile among all GPUs, placing them in the same performance tier despite their generational gap. The 940MX achieves this with dramatically lower power consumption, a 64-bit memory bus instead of 192-bit, and nearly three times the shading units.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce 940MX scores 4939 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 560M scores 4855. The 940MX wins by 1.7% (deltaPct of -1.7 from the GTX 560M's perspective).

Q: How close is the performance between these two GPUs?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical: the GTX 560M averages 4855, and the 940MX averages 4844. In the nearestRivals data, the GTX 560M is listed as 0.2% ahead of the 940MX, while the 940MX's listing shows it 0.2% behind the GTX 560M—a statistical tie.

Q: What are the power consumption figures?

A: The GTX 560M has a TDP of 75 W, while the 940MX has a TDP of 23 W. The 940MX consumes approximately one-third the power of the older Fermi part.

Q: What memory configurations do these GPUs use?

A: The GTX 560M uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 60.00 GB/s bandwidth. The 940MX uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 560M has a wider bus and higher bandwidth despite less capacity.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The 940MX features 512 shading units, while the GTX 560M has 192. This is a 2.67x difference in raw shader count, though the GTX 560M's higher memory bandwidth compensates in some workloads.

Q: What is the architectural lineage of each GPU?

A: The GTX 560M uses the GF116 chip on Fermi 2.0 architecture from the GeForce 500M generation. The 940MX uses the GM107 chip on Maxwell architecture from the GeForce 900M generation.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs embody fundamentally different design philosophies. The GTX 560M is built on Fermi 2.0 architecture using the GF116 chip manufactured on TSMC's 40 nm process. This chip packs 1,170 million transistors into a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9M per mm². The 940MX, by contrast, uses Maxwell architecture with the GM107 chip on a 28 nm process, fitting 1,870 million transistors into a smaller 148 mm² die—a transistor density of 12.6M per mm², over 2.5 times higher.

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. The GTX 560M employs a 192-bit memory bus with 60.00 GB/s bandwidth, paired with 1536 MB of GDDR5. The 940MX uses only a 64-bit bus with 40.10 GB/s bandwidth, though it carries 2 GB of GDDR5. The GTX 560M's bandwidth advantage is substantial—50% higher raw throughput—which helps it in bandwidth-sensitive scenarios despite fewer compute units.

Compute resources tell a different story. The 940MX has 512 shading units versus 192 on the GTX 560M, a 2.67x advantage in shader count. Both have 32 texture mapping units, but the ROP count differs: 24 on the GTX 560M versus 8 on the 940MX. The 940MX compensates with higher clock speeds—795 MHz base and 861 MHz boost—compared to the GTX 560M's unspecified base/boost clocks. The resulting fill rates are close: the GTX 560M achieves 6.200 GPixel/s and 24.80 GTexel/s, while the 940MX reaches 6.888 GPixel/s and 27.55 GTexel/s.

APIs reveal another generational shift. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the 940MX adds Vulkan 1.4 support, which the GTX 560M lacks. The 940MX uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, while the GTX 560M relies on MXM-B (3.0). Both are MXM modules with no power connectors, and both have portable-device-dependent display outputs. Power efficiency is a stark differentiator: the GTX 560M draws 75 W, the 940MX only 23 W—a 52 W gap that matters greatly in mobile deployments.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

In the single available head-to-head benchmark—Geekbench OpenCL—the 940MX takes the win with a score of 4939 against the GTX 560M's 4855. The deltaPct of -1.7 from the GTX 560M's perspective means the 940MX leads by 1.7%. This is a narrow margin, but it is consistent across the average benchmark scores: the GTX 560M averages 4855, while the 940MX averages 4844, a difference of only 11 points or about 0.2%.

Looking at nearestRivals data, both GPUs are clustered tightly with several other parts. The GTX 560M's closest rival is the 940MX itself at 0.2% higher average score, followed by the AMD Radeon R6 M255DX at -0.2% (meaning the AMD is 0.2% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 at -0.8%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB at -0.9%. The 940MX's nearestRivals list similarly shows the GTX 560M at -0.2% (the GTX 560M is 0.2% higher), the Radeon R6 M255DX at -0.5%, the GTS 450 at -1%, and the RTX 3080 12 GB at 1.1% (the 940MX is 1.1% higher). This places both GPUs in a very tight performance band where differences under 2% are typical.

The 940MX's win in OpenCL is notable given its narrower memory bus and lower bandwidth. The 512 shading units and higher clocks likely drive its compute advantage. However, the GTX 560M's 60.00 GB/s bandwidth and 24 ROPs suggest it may hold its own in memory-bound workloads, though no such benchmark data appears in the results. The pixel rate of the 940MX is 6.888 GPixel/s versus 6.200 GPixel/s for the GTX 560M, a 11% advantage. Texture rate is similarly in favor of the 940MX at 27.55 GTexel/s versus 24.80 GTexel/s, an 11% lead. FP32 performance also favors the 940MX at 881.7 GFLOPS versus 595.2 GFLOPS on the GTX 560M, a 48% advantage.

The Verdict

The data points to a narrow but consistent victory for the 940MX in compute workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL, it leads by 1.7%, and its FP32 output is 48% higher. The 940MX also offers superior power efficiency, drawing 23 W versus 75 W—a 3.3x reduction—while delivering comparable or better performance. This makes the 940MX the clear choice for sustained mobile workloads where thermals and battery life matter.

The GTX 560M is not without merit. Its 60.00 GB/s bandwidth is 50% higher than the 940MX's 40.10 GB/s, and its 24 ROPs triple the 940MX's 8. These specifications suggest the GTX 560M could excel in fill-rate-bound scenarios, though the benchmark data does not directly test this. With both GPUs at the 28th percentile overall, they are interchangeable in many real-world tasks, but the 940MX's architectural advantages—more shaders, higher clocks, better transistor density, and significantly lower TDP—make it the more future-proof and practical option.

For users with legacy software that favors Fermi or with specific bandwidth-sensitive applications, the GTX 560M remains a viable part. For everyone else, the 940MX's combination of higher compute throughput, modern API support including Vulkan 1.4, and dramatically lower power draw makes it the superior choice. The 1.7% benchmark delta is small, but the 940MX achieves it with a fraction of the power budget and in a more compact, efficient die.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M | NVIDIA GeForce 940MX |

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

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | Maxwell |

| Chip | GF116 | GM107 |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,170 million | 1,870 million |

| Die Size | 238 mm² | 148 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 4.9M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not specified | 795 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not specified | 861 MHz |

| Memory Clock (Effective) | 2.5 Gbps | 5 Gbps |

| Memory Size | 1536 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 60.00 GB/s | 40.10 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 192 | 512 |

| ROPs | 24 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 6.200 GPixel/s | 6.888 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 24.80 GTexel/s | 27.55 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 595.2 GFLOPS | 881.7 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 75 W | 23 W |

| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Vulkan Support | Not specified | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2011-05-29 | 2016-06-27 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 400M | GeForce 800M |

| Successor | GeForce 600M | GeForce 10 Mobile |