NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

How It Compares

The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M is an integrated graphics processor from the GeForce 9M IGP generation, built on the 65 nm process with a chip transistor count of 314 million on a 144 mm² die. Its position in the benchmark database is squarely mid-pack, sitting at the 50th percentile among all GPUs. The data shows this is a part that slots into the lower-middle tier of the graphics landscape, not a flagship by any stretch, but also not the absolute floor of performance.

Because the FACT PACK provides no nearestRivals entries, the comparison framework must rely on the absolute figures available. The 9400M delivers 35.20 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is a modest number that places it well below discrete graphics solutions of its era. Its pixel rate of 1.800 GPixel/s and texture rate of 3.600 GTexel/s further underscore its position as an entry-level integrated part. The 16 shading units, 8 texture mapping units, and 4 ROPs are consistent with a design aimed at basic 3D acceleration rather than high-end gaming or professional workloads. The TDP of 12 W is remarkably low, indicating that this chip was designed for power-constrained portable devices, which is reinforced by the IGP slot width and portable-device-dependent display outputs.

Relative to other integrated graphics of its generation, the 9400M's 50th percentile ranking suggests it performs in line with the median of all GPUs tracked in the database. This is a useful anchor point: half of all GPUs score higher, half score lower. For an integrated part from 2008, this is a reasonable standing, but the data clearly shows it is not a competitive gaming solution by modern standards, nor was it at the top of its own class. The absence of dedicated memory — with system-shared memory, bus width, and bandwidth — means its performance is heavily dependent on the host system's RAM configuration, which the benchmark percentile partially reflects.

Who Should Consider It

The GeForce 9400M is not a GPU for gamers seeking high frame rates at maximum settings. Benchmark results indicate that its 35.20 GFLOPS compute throughput and 1.800 GPixel/s fill rate are sufficient only for very light 3D workloads. Users who primarily need basic desktop acceleration, video playback, and older or less demanding 2D titles may find it adequate. The system-shared memory architecture means that performance scales with the host's RAM speed and capacity, so a machine with faster system memory will see better results than one with slower modules.

At low resolutions and with reduced graphical settings, the 9400M might handle very old games or esports titles from its launch era, but the data does not support claims of smooth gameplay in modern or demanding titles. The 3.600 GTexel/s texture rate is a bottleneck for any texture-heavy scene, and the 4 ROPs limit pixel throughput. For productivity tasks like office applications, web browsing, and media consumption, the 9400M is perfectly serviceable, as these workloads do not stress the GPU heavily.

The 12 W TDP makes this chip ideal for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermal management are priorities over raw graphics performance. Users who prioritize portability, long battery life, and silent operation over gaming capability will find the 9400M aligns with their needs. The PCIe 2.0 x16 bus interface, while dated, provides adequate bandwidth for the GPU's limited processing power. The DirectX 11.1 (10_0) API support means it can run modern applications in compatibility mode, but performance will be constrained by the underlying hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The GeForce 9400M's benchmark data is sparse — the FACT PACK lists an average benchmark score of 0 and no individual benchmark entries. However, the percentile field provides crucial context: at the 50th percentile, the 9400M sits exactly at the median of all GPUs in the database. This means that half of all graphics cards ever tracked outperform it, and half underperform it. For an integrated part from 2008, this is a notable achievement in the sense that many discrete GPUs from older generations fall below this mark, but it also indicates that the 9400M is far from a performance leader.

Without nearestRivals data, exact percentage deltas against specific competitors cannot be stated from the FACT PACK. However, the absolute figures allow for meaningful interpretation. The FP32 throughput of 35.20 GFLOPS is roughly one-tenth of what many mid-range discrete GPUs from the same era delivered, indicating a significant gap in compute-heavy workloads. The pixel rate of 1.800 GPixel/s and texture rate of 3.600 GTexel/s similarly lag discrete solutions by a wide margin. The 16 shading units, while sufficient for basic shader-based rendering, will struggle with modern shader complexity.

The 50th percentile ranking is the strongest single data point for comparative analysis. It positions the 9400M as a median performer, which is impressive for an integrated GPU given that the database includes thousands of discrete cards. Yet, this percentile also masks the fact that the 9400M's performance is highly dependent on system memory configuration, as the GPU has no dedicated VRAM. In systems with fast dual-channel DDR3 memory, the 9400M would perform closer to the upper end of its potential; with slower single-channel memory, it would fall below the median. The data suggests that the 9400M is best understood as a baseline integrated solution that punches slightly above its weight class in the median ranking but offers no headroom for demanding applications.

FAQ

Q: What is the process node and transistor count of the GeForce 9400M?

A: The 9400M is fabricated on a 65 nm process with 314 million transistors on a 144 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 2.2 million transistors per square millimeter.

Q: How much memory does the GeForce 9400M have?

A: The 9400M uses system-shared memory, meaning its memory size, type, and bus width are all system-dependent. Bandwidth is also system-dependent, varying with the host's RAM configuration.

Q: What is the thermal design power (TDP) of the GeForce 9400M?

A: The TDP is 12 W, which is exceptionally low and makes the chip suitable for power-constrained portable devices like thin-and-light laptops.

Q: What DirectX and OpenGL versions does the GeForce 9400M support?

A: The 9400M supports DirectX 11.1 with a 10_0 feature level and OpenGL 3.3. It does not support Vulkan.

Q: What is the production status and release date of the GeForce 9400M?

A: The 9400M is end-of-life and was released on October 14, 2008. Its predecessor is the GeForce 8M IGP, and it has no listed successor.

Q: How does the GeForce 9400M perform relative to all other GPUs in the database?

A: The 9400M sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it performs better than half of all tracked graphics cards and worse than the other half. Its average benchmark score is listed as 0, with no individual benchmark entries provided.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The GeForce 9400M does not include ray tracing acceleration hardware. The FACT PACK lists no RT cores, and the architecture is Tesla, which predates NVIDIA's RTX line by over a decade. Similarly, tensor cores are absent, meaning the GPU has no dedicated hardware for AI-accelerated workloads or deep learning inference. These omissions are expected for a 2008 integrated GPU, as ray tracing and tensor core technologies were not introduced until much later.

The feature set is defined by its API support. The 9400M supports DirectX 11.1 with a 10_0 feature level, which is a notable point: the feature level 10_0 means that while the API is DirectX 11.1, the hardware only implements the Direct3D 10.0 feature set. This limits the GPU's ability to use certain DirectX 11 features, such as tessellation and compute shaders, which require feature level 11_0 or higher. OpenGL 3.3 support is also present, which allows for modern OpenGL rendering techniques but is limited compared to later versions. Vulkan is not supported, which means the 9400M cannot run Vulkan-based applications or games.

The chip's architecture, Tesla, is the first unified shader architecture from NVIDIA, combining vertex and pixel shaders into a single processing unit. The 16 shading units operate at a level that yields 35.20 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is the primary measure of its raw processing power. The 8 TMUs and 4 ROPs handle texture filtering and pixel output, respectively, with rates of 3.600 GTexel/s and 1.800 GPixel/s. These figures, while low by modern standards, were reasonable for an integrated solution at the time of its release.

The display outputs are listed as portable device dependent, meaning the actual ports (HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, etc.) vary by laptop model. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16, which provides a high-bandwidth connection to the system, though the GPU's performance is ultimately limited by its shared memory architecture. The absence of dedicated RT and tensor cores, combined with the modest compute throughput, means the 9400M is strictly a rasterization-based GPU for basic 3D rendering and 2D acceleration. Users should not expect hardware-accelerated ray tracing, DLSS, or any AI-enhanced features, as none are supported by this hardware.