NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI
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The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI is a high-end DirectX 12-compatible graphics card for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 880M. Each card has a 28nm GK104 core based on the Kepler architecture. The clocks for the SLI-setup are usually identical to a single GTX 880M. With SLI, each card renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).
Architecture
The Kepler architecture is the successor to the Fermi architecture that first appeared in laptops with the GeForce 400M series. The GK104 Kepler core offers eight shader blocks, called SMX, that are clocked at the same speed as the central core. In the GTX 880M, all eight blocks are active for a total of 1536 CUDA cores. Although the Kepler architecture can utilize more shader cores than a Fermi chip, its shaders can be up to twice as power efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip are of similar speed to one shader of a Fermi chip (as the latter is clocked twice as fast).
The mobile Kepler series supports PCIe 3.0 as well as an optional Turbo mode, which can automatically overclock the card if the laptop cooling system allows it. This boost is supported by every GeForce 800M GPU.
Performance
Similar to our single GPU benchmarks, the GTX 880M SLI outperforms the GeForce GTX 780M SLI by about 10 percent. This makes the SLI configuration of two GTX 880M the currently fastest mobile graphics solution on the market (as of early 2014). With good driver support, SLI almost doubles the performance of a single card, allowing fluent frame rates even with FullHD resolution and highest detail settings.
Features
The feature set includes support for up to 4 active displays. Furthermore, high resolution monitors of up to 3840x2160 pixels can be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.4a (if available). HD-Audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, can be transmitted via bitstream mode through the HDMI port. However, as most laptops will feature Optimus, the integrated GPU will likely have direct control over the display ports and may limit the feature set available by the Nvidia Kepler cards.
The 5th generation PureVideo HD video processor (VP5) is also integrated in the GK104 core and offers hardware decoding of HD videos. Common codecs such as MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264 and VC1/WMV9 are fully supported up to 4K resolutions while VC1 and MPEG-4 are supported up to 1080p. Two streams can be decoded in parallel for features such as Picture-in-Picture. Another novelty is the inclusion of a dedicated video encoding engine similar to Intel QuickSync that can be accessed by the NVENC API.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of the GeForce GTX 880M SLI should double to at least 200 Watt (including board and memory) compared to a single GTX 880M. Therefore, only large desktop replacements can handle the heat.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M
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The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M is an upper mid-range, DirectX 12-compatible graphics card for laptops unveiled in March 2014. It is one of the first cards based on Nvidia's new Maxwell architecture (GM107 chip), but is still manufactured in 28 nm. The GTX 850M offers 640 shader units clocked at 876 MHz (+ Boost) as well as 4 GB of GDDR5 memory (128 bit, 5000 MHz effective). In addition, there is a slightly higher clocked version (936 MHz + Boost) using slower DDR3 memory (2000 MHz effective).
Architecture
Compared to Kepler, Maxwell has been optimized in several details to increase power efficiency. Smaller Streaming Multiprocessors (SMM) with only 128 ALUs (Kepler: 192) and an optimized scheduler should lead to better utilization of the shaders. Nvidia promises that a Maxwell SMM with 128 ALUs can offer 90 percent of the performance of a Kepler SMX with 192 ALUs. GM107 features 5 SMMs and thus 640 shader cores, 40 TMUs and 16 ROPs (128-bit interface).
Another optimization is the massively enlarged L2 cache (GM107: 2 MB). The larger size can process some of the memory traffic to allow for a relatively narrow memory interface without significantly reducing performance.
Similar to Fermi and Kepler, Maxwell / GM107 supports DirectX 12 with feature level 11_0 only.
Performance
Although the GTX 850M has less shaders, it often outperforms the old Kepler-based GeForce GTX 765M while drawing less power. Despite the lower core clock, the GDDR5 version usually takes the lead over the DDR3 model and sometimes even beats the Kepler variant of the GeForce GTX 860M. Many games of 2013/2014 (Tomb Raider or BioShock Infinite, etc.) can be played fluently in FullHD resolution and high detail settings. However, very demanding games such as Crysis 3 or Battlefield 4 will require lower resolutions and/or details.
Features
GM107 integrates the sixth generation of the PureVideo HD video engine (VP6), offering a better decoding performance for H.264 and MPEG-2 videos. Of course, VP6 supports all features of previous generations (4K support, PIP, video encoding via NVENC API). Unfortunately, HDMI 2.0 is still not supported.
Power Consumption
The power consumption of the GeForce GTX 850M should be somewhat below the old GTX 760M at about 40 - 45 Watts. Therefore, the 850M is best suited for 15-inch laptops or larger. The 800M series also supports Optimus to automatically switch between an integrated graphics card and the Nvidia GPU.
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GeForce GTX 800M Series |
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| Codename | N15E-GX-A2 | N15P-GT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | Kepler | Maxwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pipelines | 3072 - unified | 640 - unified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Core Speed | 954 MHz | 876 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Speed | 5000 MHz | 2000 - 5000 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Bus Width | 2x 256 Bit | 128 Bit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | DDR3, GDDR5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max. Amount of Memory | 2x 8192 MB | 4 GB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shared Memory | no | no | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| API | DirectX 12 (FL 11_0), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.3 | DirectX 12 (FL 11_0), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Consumption | 206 Watt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transistors | 0 Billion | 1.9 Billion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| technology | 28 nm | 28 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features | Optimus, SLI, PhysX, Verde Drivers, CUDA, 3D Vision, 3DTV Play | Battery Boost, GameStream, ShadowPlay, GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus, PhysX, CUDA, SLI, GeForce Experience, Adaptive VSync, Ansel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notebook Size | large | medium sized | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of Announcement | 12.03.2014 | 12.03.2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Link to Manufacturer Page | www.nvidia.de | www.geforce.com |
Benchmarks
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI
specvp12 sw-03 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI → 100% n=21
Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M → 91% n=21
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
Game Benchmarks
The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.
Need for Speed 2016
2016
Hitman 2016
2016
The Division
2016
Far Cry Primal
2016
XCOM 2
2016
Rainbow Six Siege
2015
Just Cause 3
2015
Fallout 4
2015
Anno 2205
2015
FIFA 16
2015
Metal Gear Solid V
2015
Mad Max
2015
The Witcher 3
2015
Dirt Rally
2015
GTA V
2015
Battlefield Hardline
2015
Evolve
2015
The Crew
2014
Far Cry 4
2014
F1 2014
2014
The Evil Within
2014
Ryse: Son of Rome
2014
Alien: Isolation
2014
Fifa 15
2014
Sims 4
2014
Risen 3: Titan Lords
2014
GRID: Autosport
2014
Watch Dogs
2014
Titanfall
2014
Thief
2014
X-Plane 10.25
2013
Call of Duty: Ghosts
2013
Battlefield 4
2013
F1 2013
2013
Total War: Rome II
2013
Saints Row IV
2013
Dota 2
2013
Company of Heroes 2
2013
GRID 2
2013
Metro: Last Light
2013
BioShock Infinite
2013
SimCity
2013
Tomb Raider
2013
Crysis 3
2013
Dead Space 3
2013
Far Cry 3
2012
Assassin´s Creed III
2012
Hitman: Absolution
2012
Dishonored
2012
Guild Wars 2
2012
Counter-Strike: GO
2012
Sleeping Dogs
2012
Max Payne 3
2012
Dirt Showdown
2012
Diablo III
2012
Mass Effect 3
2012
Anno 2070
2011
Battlefield 3
2011
Batman: Arkham City
2011
Total War: Shogun 2
2011
Mafia 2
2010
Metro 2033
2010
Resident Evil 5
2009
Trackmania Nations Forever
2008
World of Warcraft
2005Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI → 100%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%
Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M → 59%
Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 62%
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |||
| Need for Speed 2016 | 49.8 | 43.2 | 23.9 | 18.3 | ||||||||||
| Hitman 2016 | 42.4 | 38.1 | 16.6 | 14.9 | ||||||||||
| The Division | 54.6 | 40.5 | 19.3 | 14.5 | ||||||||||
| Far Cry Primal | 56 | 25 | 22 | 15 | 6 | |||||||||
| XCOM 2 | 59.1 | 21.4 | 13.3 | 5.9 | ||||||||||
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | 59.6 | 37.2 | 20.9 | 17 | 6.9 | |||||||||
| Rainbow Six Siege | 112.9 | 73.1 | 38.8 | 29.7 | 11.4 | |||||||||
| Just Cause 3 | 47.1 | 45.7 | 28.7 | 24.4 | 9 | |||||||||
| Star Wars Battlefront | 103.4 | 63.8 | 28.7 | 24.6 | 8.3 | |||||||||
| Assassin's Creed Syndicate | 41.9 | 36.6 | 22.1 | 3.6 | 4.4 | |||||||||
| Fallout 4 | 69.6 | 41.8 | 22.8 | 18.8 | 7.3 | |||||||||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 | 75.4 | 50 | 26.4 | 20.1 | 6.9 | |||||||||
| Anno 2205 | 81.8 | 44.8 | 19.3 | 8.4 | 7.3 | |||||||||
| FIFA 16 | 173 | 114.3 | 77.9 | 29.9 | ||||||||||
| Metal Gear Solid V | 59.9 | 59.9 | 39.2 | 27 | 10.7 | |||||||||
| Mad Max | 78.2 | 38.7 | 35.6 | 11.3 | ||||||||||
| Batman: Arkham Knight | 52 | 44 | 23 | 15 | ||||||||||
| The Witcher 3 | 63.9 | 38.4 | 20.9 | 11.3 | ||||||||||
| Dirt Rally | 227.7 | 104.1 | 57.8 | 24.1 | ||||||||||
| GTA V | 72.8 | 65.9 | 29 | 10.9 | ||||||||||
| Battlefield Hardline | 117 | 84 | 36 | 21 | ||||||||||
| Evolve | 68 | 50 | 26 | 23 | ||||||||||
| The Crew | 57 | 54 | 29 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Dragon Age: Inquisition | 63 | 37 | 14 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Far Cry 4 | 71 | 56 | 26 | 21 | ||||||||||
| Assassin's Creed Unity | 40 | 31 | 17 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | 90 | 56 | 38 | 21 | ||||||||||
| Civilization: Beyond Earth | 96 | 54 | 36 | 30 | ||||||||||
| F1 2014 | 127 | 107 | 94 | 67 | ||||||||||
| The Evil Within | 63 | 45 | 26 | |||||||||||
| Ryse: Son of Rome | 57 | 40 | 19 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Alien: Isolation | 124 | 88 | 45 | 32 | ||||||||||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | 76 | 51 | 25 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Fifa 15 | 171 | 133 | 94 | |||||||||||
| Sims 4 | 160 | 85 | 48 | 43 | ||||||||||
| Risen 3: Titan Lords | 79 | 49 | 27 | 23 | ||||||||||
| GRID: Autosport | 171 | 90 | 62 | 33 | ||||||||||
| Watch Dogs | 63 | 53 | 22 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Wolfenstein: The New Order | 59 | 59 | 39 | 29 | ||||||||||
| The Elder Scrolls Online | 84 | 75 | 66 | 37 | ||||||||||
| Titanfall | 60 | 60 | 60 | 59.9 | 60 | 60 | 55 | 38 | ||||||
| Thief | 76.2 | 73.3 | 70 | 63.6 | 42 | 36 | 32 | 17 | ||||||
| Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag | 74 | 49 | 35 | 21 | ||||||||||
| X-Plane 10.25 | 115.6 | 54.2 | 27.9 | 22.3 | 83 | 41 | 24 | 15 | ||||||
| Need for Speed: Rivals | 30 | 30 | 30 | |||||||||||
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | 97.2 | 91.4 | 75.1 | 71.2 | 77 | 67 | 40 | 23 | ||||||
| Battlefield 4 | 194.4 | 179.3 | 155.8 | 84.5 | 104 | 77 | 55 | 21 | ||||||
| Batman: Arkham Origins | 140 | 102 | 55 | 29 | ||||||||||
| F1 2013 | 117 | 117 | 114 | 95 | 116 | 93 | 91 | 66 | ||||||
| Fifa 14 | 142 | |||||||||||||
| Total War: Rome II | 84.1 | 87 | 73 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Saints Row IV | 85.4 | 72.4 | 69.3 | 67.4 | 60 | 52 | 38 | 24 | ||||||
| The Bureau: XCOM Declassified | 100.5 | 71 | 44 | 32 | ||||||||||
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist | 106.7 | 75 | 41 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Dota 2 | 117.7 | 116.1 | 115.8 | 115 | 98 | 67 | ||||||||
| Company of Heroes 2 | 38.7 | 36 | 28 | 12 | ||||||||||
| GRID 2 | 211.6 | 152.2 | 141.4 | 119.1 | 111 | 86 | 87 | 39 | ||||||
| Metro: Last Light | 112.8 | 107.6 | 90.2 | 61.8 | 76 | 67 | 44 | 22 | ||||||
| BioShock Infinite | 222.6 | 198.1 | 181.4 | 104 | 144 | 97 | 84 | 30 | ||||||
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | 74 | 73 | 34 | |||||||||||
| SimCity | 87 | 56.3 | 28 | |||||||||||
| Tomb Raider | 426.6 | 367.4 | 296 | 141.8 | 231 | 124 | 72 | 33 | ||||||
| Crysis 3 | 128.3 | 113.6 | 93.2 | 52.3 | 91 | 57 | 38 | 15 | ||||||
| Dead Space 3 | 98 | 97 | 58 | |||||||||||
| Far Cry 3 | 113.6 | 103.2 | 85.6 | 63.6 | 89 | 78 | 50 | 17 | ||||||
| Assassin´s Creed III | 49.4 | 21.4 | ||||||||||||
| Hitman: Absolution | 67.2 | 62.2 | 54.4 | 53.1 | 49 | 46 | 36 | 17 | ||||||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 | 84.3 | 54.2 | ||||||||||||
| Medal of Honor: Warfighter | 85.8 | 73.3 | 24.9 | |||||||||||
| Dishonored | 114 | 65 | ||||||||||||
| Guild Wars 2 | 115.4 | 61 | 56 | 99 | 54 | 25 | ||||||||
| Counter-Strike: GO | 98.9 | |||||||||||||
| Sleeping Dogs | 130 | 119 | 70 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Ghost Recon: Future Soldier | 36.6 | 22.7 | ||||||||||||
| Max Payne 3 | 52.8 | 39 | ||||||||||||
| Dirt Showdown | 61.9 | 39 | ||||||||||||
| Diablo III | 149 | 103 | 91 | 61 | ||||||||||
| Mass Effect 3 | 60 | 60 | 48.2 | |||||||||||
| Alan Wake | 53.1 | 27.3 | ||||||||||||
| Anno 2070 | 159 | 124 | 111 | 59 | ||||||||||
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | 107.3 | 81.2 | 67 | 35 | ||||||||||
| CoD: Modern Warfare 3 | 101.2 | 87.3 | 53 | |||||||||||
| Battlefield 3 | 77.2 | 63.9 | 22 | |||||||||||
| Batman: Arkham City | 123 | 100 | 62 | 31 | ||||||||||
| Deus Ex Human Revolution | 130.2 | 61.2 | ||||||||||||
| Dirt 3 | 100.1 | 48.9 | ||||||||||||
| Total War: Shogun 2 | 76.4 | 36.5 | ||||||||||||
| Mafia 2 | 129 | 125 | 117 | 82 | ||||||||||
| Metro 2033 | 145.9 | 152 | 84 | 29 | ||||||||||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | 117.2 | 50.2 | ||||||||||||
| Resident Evil 5 | 95 | 79.5 | ||||||||||||
| Trackmania Nations Forever | 300 | 120 | 62 | |||||||||||
| World of Warcraft | 86.9 | 45.3 | ||||||||||||
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M SLI | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M | |||||||||||||
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 11 5 | 1 10 4 | 1 1 9 4 | 1 4 10 1 | | | < 30 fps < 60 fps < 120 fps ≥ 120 fps | 17 36 17 | 2 35 35 4 | 27 28 29 3 | 53 26 12 1 | | 12 |
For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List
