NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE)

The Nvidia GeForce 9400M G is an integrated (onboard) graphics card for laptops without dedicated graphics memory. The card was introduced in October 2008 in conjunction with the new Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air products (called only 9400M). At the time of announcement it was the fastest mGPU (motherboard GPU) on the market.
The 9400M G graphics core is used in the MCP79 laptop chipset and in the ION platform for netbooks (which is essentially the same). The ION LE uses the same graphics core, but the DirectX support is limited to 9 (instead of 10). The clock rates of all thre platforms is identical.
The performance of the 9400M G is comparable to current entry level GPUs with dedicated graphics memory (like the GeForce 9300M GS).Therefore, the graphics adapater is able to display older games (like Doom3) in high details fluently and new (not too demanding games) in low details fluently. Warhammer Online should for example run on the 2.4 GHz MacBook fluently. Compared to the predecessor in the MacBook, the Intel GMA X3100, the GeForce 9400M should perform 5x better.
Because of the shared memory (the memory is reserved from the main memory), the graphics adapter performs significantly better with DDR3 main memory than with DDR2 (up to 33% more performance).
The current consumption of the mGPU is with a maximum of 12 Watt TDP (for the whole chipset (north- and southbridge are integrated) on par with the current Intel GMA X4500MHD (Centrino 2).
The chipset supports Hybrid-SLI (HybridPower) in conjunction with some GeForce 9x00M cards like the 9600M GT. HybridPower is a technique to choose between the integrated and dedicated graphics core, if performance or battery runtime is needed. Up to now the user has to use a tool to switch between the GPUs. (in Windows Vista, XP is not supported and MacOs needs a reboot according to Nvidia - at time of announcement). GeForceBoost to boost the performance (using SLI) is not supported in the MacBook Pro.
As the 9500M G, the 9400M features 16 stream processors that do the work of the former dedicated pixel- and vertex-shaders. The unified shaders of Nvidia are 1-dimensional (AMD has 5-dimensional shaders which leads to the higher number of shaders).
The MCP79MX (codename of the GeForce 9400M) can help the CPU in decoding HD videos. It features the PureVideo HD engine (VP3 video processor). Furthermore, the chip can be programmed using CUDA and can accellerate some operations in Photoshop CS4.
At the same time the desktop 9300 and 9400 mGPU was presented, which should perform simillarly (the laptop chipset 9400M should perform a bit lower than the 9300).
|
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA |
| Series | GeForce 9000M |
| Codename | MCP79MX |
| Pipelines | 16 - unified |
| Core Speed * | 450 MHz |
| Shader Speed * | 1100 MHz |
| Memory Speed * | |
| Memory Bus Width | |
| Memory Type | |
| Max. Amount of Memory | |
| Shared Memory | yes 256 MB (Apple) |
| DirectX | DirectX 10.0, Shader 4.0 |
| Current Consumption | 12 Watt |
| Transistors | 282 Million |
| technology | 65 nm |
| Features | PureVideo HD VP3 |
| Notebook Size | small and light |
| Date of Announcement | 14.10.2008 |
| Link to Manufacturer Page | http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_gef... |
* The specified clock rates are only guidelines for the manufacturer and can be altered by them.
benchmarks
3DMark 2001: - Standard 1024x768
0% 




100%
min: 5439, avg: 8159, max: 13845 Points ... More Details
| IdeaPad S12 | N270 | 2048 MB | | | 5439 |
| Eee PC 1201N | 330 | 2048 MB | 450 / 800MHz | 8.15.11.8664 | 5446 |
| N510 black | N270 | 1024 MB | 450 / MHz | shared memory Forceware 186.19/XP | 6250 |
| N510 | N280 | 1024 MB | 450 / 1600MHz | 512MB ForceWare 186.19 | 6427 |
| X61G | T6400 | 3072 MB | 450 / 400MHz | 256MB ForceWare 176.58 | 11547 |
| MacBook Aluminium | P8600 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | 256MB shared Memory | 13845 |
3DMark 03: - Standard 1024x768
0% 




100%
min: 3385, avg: 4129, max: 5759 Points ... More Details
| Eee PC 1201N | 330 | 2048 MB | 450 / 800MHz | 8.15.11.8664 | 3385 |
| N510 black | N270 | 1024 MB | 450 / MHz | shared memory Forceware 186.19/XP | 3513 |
| N510 | N280 | 1024 MB | 450 / 1600MHz | 512MB ForceWare 186.19 | 3569 |
| IdeaPad S12 | N270 | 2048 MB | | | 3616 |
| X61G | T6400 | 3072 MB | 450 / 400MHz | 256MB ForceWare 176.58 | 4931 |
| MacBook Aluminium | P8600 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | 256MB shared Memory | 5759 |
3DMark 05: - Standard 1024x768
0% 



100%
min: 2143, avg: 3078, max: 3930 Points ... More Details
3DMark 06:
0% 



100%
min: 1118, avg: 1768, max: 2207 Points ... More Details
| N510 black (Standard 1280x1024) | N270 | 1024 MB | 450 / MHz | shared memory Forceware 186.19/XP | 1118 |
| Eee PC 1201N (Standard 1280x1024) | 330 | 2048 MB | 450 / 800MHz | 8.15.11.8664 | 1150 |
| (Standard 1280x1024) | N270 | 2048 MB | | | 1157 |
| (Standard 1280x1024) | | | | DDR3 main memory | 2000 |
| 1280x800 |
| MacBook White 2009/05 ( 1280x800) | P7450 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | Shared Memory mGPU 177.53 | 1916 |
| ( 1280x800) | P8600 | 4096 MB | | | 2054 |
| MacBook Aluminium ( 1280x800) | P7350 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | 256MB shared Memory 176.44 | 2079 |
| MacBook 10-2009 ( 1280x800) | P7550 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | shared Memory (256 MB in Mac OS X) 186.47 | 2148 |
| MacBook Aluminium ( 1280x800) | P8600 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | 256MB shared Memory | 2148 |
| MacBook Pro 13 inch (06/09) ( 1280x800) | P8700 | 4096 MB | 450 / MHz | shared DDR3 185.75 | 2207 |
| Standard 1280x720 |
| X61G (Standard 1280x720) | T6400 | 3072 MB | 450 / 400MHz | 256MB ForceWare 176.58 | 1999 |
| 1366x768 |
| N510 ( 1366x768) | N280 | 1024 MB | 450 / 1600MHz | 512MB ForceWare 186.19 | 1240 |
Cinebench R10: - Shading
0% 




100%
min: 989, avg: 2385, max: 4402 Points ... More Details
| Eee PC 1201N | 330 | 2048 MB | 450 / 800MHz | 8.15.11.8664 | 989 |
| IdeaPad S12 | N270 | 2048 MB | | | 1040 |
| N510 black | N270 | 1024 MB | 450 / MHz | shared memory Forceware 186.19/XP | 1322 |
| N510 | N280 | 1024 MB | 450 / 1600MHz | 512MB ForceWare 186.19 | 1415 |
| X61G | T6400 | 3072 MB | 450 / 400MHz | 256MB ForceWare 176.58 | 2674 |
| MacBook Pro 13 inch (06/09) | P8700 | 4096 MB | 450 / MHz | shared DDR3 185.75 | 2971 |
| MacBook White 2009/05 | P7450 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | Shared Memory mGPU 177.53 | 3006 |
| MacBook 10-2009 | P7550 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | shared Memory (256 MB in Mac OS X) 186.47 | 3011 |
| MacBook Aluminium | P7350 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | 256MB shared Memory 176.44 | 3022 |
| MacBook Aluminium | P8600 | 2048 MB | 450 / MHz | 256MB shared Memory | 4402 |

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card

- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
Based on 45 benchmarks
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 detailled information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.
CoD Modern Warfare 2 (2009) - Approximation!
16+ fps (Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD)
Risen (2009): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. -
more...
Risen (2009) - Approximation!
8+ fps (Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD)
Need for Speed Shift (2009) - Approximation!
-1+ fps (Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD)
Colin McRae: DIRT 2 (2009) - Approximation!
-1+ fps (Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500MHD)
Anno 1404 (2009)
15.8 [X] IdeaPad S12Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE)
2048MB RAM
17 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
19.1 [X] Eee PC 1201NIntel Atom 330 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)(800MHz) , 8.15.11.8664
2048MB RAM
42 ~ 23 fps
6.2 [X] IdeaPad S12Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE)
2048MB RAM
fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
Sims 3 (2009)
43 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
77 ~ 60 fps
10 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
28 ~ 19 fps
2 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
F.E.A.R. 2 (2009)
19 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
20.7 [X] Eee PC 1201NIntel Atom 330 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)(800MHz) , 8.15.11.8664
2048MB RAM
44 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
~ 28 fps
27 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto (2008) - Approximation!
15+ fps (Mobility Radeon HD 3470 Hybrid X2)
Left 4 Dead (2008)
64 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
fps
23 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Far Cry 2 (2008)
36 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Crysis Warhead (2008) - Approximation!
2+ fps (GeForce 9300M GS)
22+ fps (GeForce 9300M GS)
Racedriver: GRID (2008)
17 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
60 ~ 39 fps
11 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
17 ~ 14 fps
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare (2007)
33.1 [X] Eee PC 1201NIntel Atom 330 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)(800MHz) , 8.15.11.8664
2048MB RAM
70.5 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
~ 52 fps
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Supreme Commander - FA Bench (2007)
8.9 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
Crysis - GPU Benchmark (2007)
22.8 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
30.4 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
32 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P7350 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory, 176.44
2048MB RAM
~ 28 fps
11 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
fps
6.3 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
Crysis - CPU Benchmark (2007)
21.4 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
28.3 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
30 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P7350 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory, 176.44
2048MB RAM
~ 27 fps
10.5 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
11.3 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
~ 11 fps
5.4 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
5.8 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
~ 6 fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
World in Conflict - Benchmark (2007)
15 [X] MacBook 10-2009Intel Core 2 Duo P7550 2.3GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared Memory (256 MB in Mac OS X), 186.47
2048MB RAM
fps
5 [X] MacBook 10-2009Intel Core 2 Duo P7550 2.3GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared Memory (256 MB in Mac OS X), 186.47
2048MB RAM
fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
Command and Conquer III (2007) - Approximation!
16+ fps (GeForce 8400M GS)
Call of Juarez Benchmark (2006)
» With most tested laptops not playable.
The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion (2006) - Approximation!
20+ fps (GeForce 9300M GS)
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark (2005)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
F.E.A.R. (2005)
188 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
222 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
~ 205 fps
53 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
60 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
~ 57 fps
15 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
27 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
~ 21 fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
Quake 4 (2005)
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
World of Warcraft (2005)
54 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
136.9 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
~ 95 fps
41 [X] MacBook White 2009/05Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 2.1GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)Shared Memory mGPU, 177.53
2048MB RAM
43 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
~ 42 fps
11 [X] N510 blackIntel Atom N270 1.6GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared memory, Forceware 186.19/XP
1024MB RAM
fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
Counter-Strike Source (2004)
35 [X] MacBook 10-2009Intel Core 2 Duo P7550 2.3GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)shared Memory (256 MB in Mac OS X), 186.47
2048MB RAM
44 ~ 40 fps
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Doom 3 (2004)
86.3 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
fps
83.6 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
fps
84.1 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
fps
83.3 [X] MacBook AluminiumIntel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz)256MB shared Memory
2048MB RAM
fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo (1999)
199.7 [X] X61GIntel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz
GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) (450MHz), 256MB (400MHz) , ForceWare 176.58
3072MB RAM
240 ~ 220 fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List
The following benchmarks should give a rough impression on the gaming capabilities of the 9400M graphics card. The values can vary according to the used CPU and main memory (especially using DDR2 instead of DDR3 main memory).
Crysis: 1024x768, med: 13 fps -> not playable
World in Conflict: 1024x768, med: 11 fps -> not playable (with min. details playable)
Warhammer Online: according to a YouTube video fluently playable with good details
Spore: 1280x800, max -> many pop-ins, in lower detailsettings playable
Notebook reviews with NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (G) / ION (LE) graphics card
Apple MacBook 10-2009 (Intel Core 2 Duo P7550, 13.3")
» Review Apple MacBook 10-2009 Notebook - Review
Apple MacBook Air 2009-06 2.1 GHz MC234*/A (Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600, 13.3")
» Review Apple MacBook Air - Mid 2009 (MC234*/A) - Review
» Apple MacBook Air 2009-06 2.1 GHz MC234*/A - External Review
Apple MacBook Aluminium (Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 13.3")
» Review Apple MacBook Aluminium (Unibody, 13", 9400M) - Review
» Review Update Apple MacBook Aluminium (Unibody, 13", 9400M) - Review
» Review Apple MacBook Aluminum 2.0 GHz (Unibody, 13", 9400M, P7350) - Review
» Apple Macbook Aluminium - External Review
Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch (06/09) (Intel Core 2 Duo P8700, 13.3")
» Review Apple MacBook Pro 13 Mid 2009 2.53 GHz - Review
» Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch (06/09) - External Review
Apple MacBook White 2009-03 (Intel Core 2 Duo P7350, 13.3")
» Apple MacBook White 2009-03 - External Review
Apple MacBook White 2009/05 (Intel Core 2 Duo P7450, 13.3")
» Review Apple MacBook White 5.2 Mid 2009 - Review
» Apple MacBook White 2009/05 - External Review
Asus Eee PC 1201N (Intel Atom 330, 12.1")
» Review Asus Eee PC 1201N Ion-Notebook - Review
» Asus Eee PC 1201N - External Review
Asus F50GX (Intel Core 2 Duo T6400, 16.0")
» Asus F50GX - External Review
Axiotron Modbook (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 13.3")
» Axiotron Modbook - External Review
Dell Studio XPS 1340 (Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, 13.3")
» Dell Studio XPS X1340 - External Review
Dell Studio XPS SX13-163B (Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 13.3")
» Dell Studio XPS SX13-163B - External Review
HP Mini 311 (Intel Atom N280, 11.6")
» HP Mini 311 - External Review
Lenovo IdeaPad S12 (Intel Atom N270, 12.0")
» Lenovo IdeaPad S12 - External Review
MSI Megabook VR705 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5800, 17.0")
» MSI Megabook VR705 - External Review
MSI X-Slim X320 (Intel Atom Z530, 13.4")
» MSI X-Slim X320 - External Review
Samsung N510 black (Intel Atom N270, 11.6")
» Review Samsung N510 Ion Netbook - Review
» Samsung N510 black - External Review