Nvidia GeForce 940MX DDR3 Review - inside the MSI CX72
For the original German article, see here.
MSI CX72
We got the new Nvidia GeForce 940MX in a pre-sample of the MSI CX72 notebook. The CX72 series is based on the more expensive GE72 series, but offers less features and visual highlights. Our device lacks the Dynaudio and Steelseries logos, for example. The red accents are black in the case of the CX72. The texture of the keys is a bit different as well, but the typing experience remains good. You also have to live with the purposely (for gamers) "wrong" placed Windows button. The biggest difference compared to our GE72 sample is the less expensive screen, which is probably based on the TN technology. Due to the early pre-production status, however, we are not going to rate the device. Our review of the GE72 is a good indicator in terms of case, keyboard and touchpad.
Nvidia GeForce 940MX
The most important part of this review is the new 940MX. Nvidia uses this GPU to refresh the popular mainstream GPU GeForce 940M. In short, there are no big changes. The DDR3 version, which is available first, is only a slightly higher-clocked 940M and therefore not much faster. Only the GDDR5 version (with slightly lower clocks according to our information), which is expected to arrive later this year, should be significantly faster. Please also have a look at our exclusive news about the new MX models including the expected performance.
The 940MX inside the CX72 is based on the Maxwell GM108 chip with 384 shaders and has a 5% and 6% (base and Boost) higher clock. Preloaded is the 359.04 beta driver; the latest Game-Ready drivers from Nvidia (as of 03/09/2016) do not directly support the 940MX.
Synthetic Benchmarks
First, we have a look at the performance in the synthetic graphics benchmarks. We use another MSI pre-sample (GP62 2QD) with a fast Broadwell quad-core CPU as a comparison device with a 940M. The 6% higher Boost clock only translates into a 1% advantage, so it is hardly worth mentioning. This also means the difference to the next fastest chips GeForce 945M and GTX 950M is basically identical.
MSI CX72 6QD GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY | MSI GP62 2QD GeForce 940M, 5700HQ | Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF GeForce 945M, 6300HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H | Asus N752VX-GC131T GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
3DMark | -0% | 89% | 101% | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | 1743 | 1739 0% | 2884 65% | 3174 82% |
1280x720 Sky Diver Graphics | 6021 | 5991 0% | ||
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | 9770 | 9712 -1% | 20830 113% | 21500 120% |
3DMark 11 | ||||
1280x720 Performance GPU | 2638 | 2602 -1% | 3860 46% | 4457 69% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -1% /
-1% | 68% /
75% | 85% /
90% |
Gaming Benchmarks
The 940MX (DDR3) cannot manage a lead over the old 940M in the gaming benchmarks, either. We selected settings for our table that are just playable. This usually means the lowest settings at 1280x720 for modern titles. All in all, the performance is identical to the 940M.
MSI CX72 6QD GeForce 940MX, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NY | MSI GP62 2QD GeForce 940M, 5700HQ | |
---|---|---|
Far Cry Primal | ||
1280x720 Low Preset | 30 | 30 0% |
XCOM 2 | ||
1280x720 Minimal Preset AF:Bilinear | 31.3 | 31.8 2% |
Rise of the Tomb Raider | ||
1024x768 Lowest Preset | 35.1 | 34.3 -2% |
Just Cause 3 | ||
1366x768 Medium / Off AF:4x | 35.6 | 34.2 -4% |
World of Warships | ||
1920x1080 High Preset AF:8x | 41.6 | 41.8 0% |
Mad Max | ||
1366x768 Normal Preset AF:2x | 41.4 | 41.5 0% |
The Witcher 3 | ||
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | 34.1 | 34.6 1% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -0% /
-0% |
If we look at all our tested games and settings in the table below, we can see that the 940MX with DDR3 memory is not very future-proof. Modern games even have problems with playable frame rates at minimum settings. At 30 fps on average, you will have to expect noticeable stutters in demanding sections. If you only want to play older or less demanding games (like Dota 2 or LoL), the 940MX is also sufficient for higher settings. FIFA 16, for example, was also smoothly playable at Full HD and maximum settings.
low | med. | high | ultra | 4K | |
Sims 4 (2014) | 30 | ||||
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) | 58.2 | 38.6 | 12.8 | 8.9 | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 34.1 | 20.5 | 11.1 | ||
Mad Max (2015) | 41.4 | 20.4 | |||
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 101 | 95 | 48.4 | 45 | |
World of Warships (2015) | 126 | 92 | 41.6 | 25.4 | |
FIFA 16 (2015) | 120 | 69 | 45 | ||
Anno 2205 (2015) | 54.4 | 28.8 | 11.8 | 5.6 | |
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) | 57 | 31.6 | |||
Fallout 4 (2015) | 35.4 | 22.4 | 12.1 | 10.2 | |
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) | 58.4 | 35.1 | 15.5 | 13.2 | |
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) | 24.4 | 19.9 | |||
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) | 83 | 61 | 28.4 | 21.7 | |
Just Cause 3 (2015) | 44.3 | 35.6 | 18.3 | 16.1 | |
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 35.1 | 22 | 12.4 | 10.2 | |
XCOM 2 (2016) | 31.3 | 11.4 | 7.2 | ||
Far Cry Primal (2016) | 30 | 14 | 12 | ||
The Division (2016) | 32 | 24 | |||
Hitman 2016 (2016) | 32.2 | 24.7 | 9.6 | ||
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) | 33.3 | 30 | 15.5 | ||
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) | 4.2 | ||||
Doom (2016) | 38.5 | 30.5 | 14.4 | ||
Overwatch (2016) | 78.3 | 55.7 | 24.5 | 15.5 | |
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) | 47.3 | 28.3 | 12.1 | 9.4 | |
No Man's Sky (2016) | 25.5 | ||||
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) | 21.5 | ||||
FIFA 17 (2016) | 129 | 89 | 44.3 | 42.3 | |
Mafia 3 (2016) | 21.1 | ||||
Battlefield 1 (2016) | 50.6 | 31.7 | 15.6 | ||
Civilization VI (2016) | 61.2 | 27.4 | 13.8 | 9.9 | |
Farming Simulator 17 (2016) | 86 | 33.5 | 22.2 | ||
Titanfall 2 (2016) | 63 | 44.3 | 17.8 | 15.4 | |
Dishonored 2 (2016) | 21.1 | ||||
Watch Dogs 2 (2016) | 32 | 26 | 11.2 | ||
Resident Evil 7 (2017) | 61.8 | 27.9 | 15.2 | ||
For Honor (2017) | 44.4 | 14.4 | 13.9 | 10.5 | |
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) | 29 | 11.3 | |||
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017) | 30 | 15.8 | |||
Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War III (2017) | 42.9 | 10.9 | |||
Rocket League (2017) | 103 | 36.1 | 23.9 | ||
Dirt 4 (2017) | 71 | 30.7 | 15.8 | ||
Team Fortress 2 (2017) | 87 | 45.1 | 13.3 | ||
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) (2017) | 45.7 | 14.3 | |||
F1 2017 (2017) | 50 | 32 | 18 | ||
Ark Survival Evolved (2017) | 26.4 | 7 | |||
FIFA 18 (2017) | 130 | 62.1 | 43.6 | 36.6 | |
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) | 34 | 14 | 10 | 7 | |
The Evil Within 2 (2017) | 17.8 | 9.3 | |||
ELEX (2017) | 31 | 14.2 | |||
Destiny 2 (2017) | 32 | 16.2 | |||
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017) | 30 | 7.3 | |||
Assassin´s Creed Origins (2017) | 25 | 12 | 10 | 8 | |
Call of Duty WWII (2017) | 63.4 | 35.6 | 17.5 | 12.5 | |
Need for Speed Payback (2017) | 33.9 | 16.3 | |||
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017) | 50.2 | 17.6 | 15.3 | 10.3 | |
Fortnite (2018) | 111 | 43.7 | 12.8 | 9.5 | |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 18.1 | 8.9 | 5.9 | ||
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) | 27 | 11.3 | 9.7 | 7.9 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 56.5 | 35.9 | 33.4 | ||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 24 | 11 | |||
The Crew 2 (2018) | 36.8 | 14.4 | |||
F1 2018 (2018) | 37.6 | 21.6 | 16.9 | 12 | |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 27 | 10 | |||
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) | 39 | 18 | |||
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) | 24 | 11 | |||
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (2018) | 35.6 | 14 | 12.3 | 11.9 | |
Hitman 2 (2018) | 19.8 | ||||
Fallout 76 (2018) | 29.7 | ||||
Battlefield V (2018) | 35.3 | 16.1 | 13 | 11.3 | |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 23 | 11 | |||
Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) | 44.49 | 19.84 | 16.3 | ||
F1 2020 (2020) | 48.3 | 23 | 17.6 | 11.2 |
Verdict
The GeForce 940MX with DDR3 memory is just a slightly higher-clocked GeForce 940M. Even if there will be models with a higher clock, the performance gains will hardly be worth mentioning. More interesting will be the GDDR5 version of the 940MX. We expect around 3,000 points in 3DMark 11, which would reduce the gap to the GeForce 945M (3,500 points). We were already teased by the "Maxwell graphics card" in the Surface Book - a 940M with GDDR5, but lower clocks. Still, we would not recommend the 940MX for gamers, but at least a GTX GPU like the 960M. Those are not planned as MX versions either, based on our information.
The MSI CX72 pre-sample left a decent impression in our benchmarks. The majority of devices with a 940MX will probably be equipped with less powerful components. Frugal dual-core CPUs, less RAM and just an HDD are probable. This could affect the gaming performance a bit, especially at low details.