NVIDIA GeForce 800M lineup features both Maxwel and Kepler

NVIDIA presents its GeForce 800M GPU family. This new notebook graphics chip lineup is a mix of Maxwell and Kepler, it features six members. The GeForce GTX 880M and GTX 870M flagship models are based on Kepler, whereas the GeForce GTX 850M features the GM107 Maxwell-based core. The GeForce GTX 860M is somewhat a strange duck, it's available in two versions: one with Maxwell and one with Kepler. Other than the GTX-branded models, the 800M series also includes the GeForce 830M and 840M, which are both based on a smaller GM108 Maxwell core.

The GeForce GTX 880 has 1536 stream processors, up to 4GB GDDR5 memory, a 256-bit memory bus, 954MHz base clock and 5000MHz memory, whereas the GTX 870M has 1344 stream processors, up to 3GB GDDR5 on a 192-bit memory bus, 941MHz core and 5000MHz memory.

The Kepler-based GTX 860M has 1152 cores and a 797MHz clockspeed whereas the Maxwell-based variant has 640 cores clocked at 1029MHz. Both models feature up to 2GB GDDR5 memory, a 128-bit memory bus and 5000MHz memory clockspeed. The Maxwell-based version should be the most power-efficient but it's unclear which of the two has the best raw performance.
br /> Last we also have the GTX 850M, this Maxwell based part features 640 cores clocked at 876MHz, a 128-bit memory bus and up to 2GB GDDR5 clocked at 5000MHz.

According to NVIDIA, you can expect performance increase of 30 to 60 percent versus the previous generation.

They deliver the usual massive performance improvement – 30%, 40% and in some cases even 60% over the previous generation. And we’ve again unseated ourselves for “world’s fastest notebook GPU” crown.

But, let’s be honest, you’d expect this with each new generation of notebook GPU.

This launch has something different. It brings a multitude of new features designed just for gamers.

The biggest is NVIDIA Battery Boost, which will untether notebook gamers from wall sockets for the first time. It delivers up to double the gaming battery life, automatically. The Razor Blade uses the GeForce GTX 870M to pack unprecedented power in to a sleek chassis.The Razor Blade uses the GeForce GTX 870M to pack unprecedented power in to a sleek chassis.

Here’s how it works: instead of your notebook pushing every component to its max, Battery Boost targets a user defined frame rate, such as 30 FPS. The driver level governor takes over from there, and operates all your system components, including CPU, GPU, and memory at peak efficiency, while maintaining a smooth, playable experience.

GeForce ShadowPlay also comes to notebooks with this launch. ShadowPlay is a new feature in GeForce Experience that lets you capture high-quality in-game footage or broadcast your gaming exploits to Twitch.TV, all with virtually no performance impact. Touchscreen technology and cutting-edge graphics provided by the GeForce GTX 860M come together in the Lenovo Y50.Touchscreen technology and cutting-edge graphics provided by the GeForce GTX 860M come together in the Lenovo Y50.

We are also adding notebook support for GameStream, to enable smooth streaming of PC games over WiFi to a GameStream ready device, like NVIDIA SHIELD.

And don’t worry, we didn’t forget about existing GeForce customers. Later this month, all GeForce GTX 700M and GeForce GTX 680M, 675MX, 670MX and GTX 660M GPUs will be able to update their GeForce Experience software to support ShadowPlay and GameStream.

This new line up does not sacrifice frame rates for power efficiency. GeForce 800M GPUs are even more power efficient than our previous generation, by a good margin.