Microsoft’s Surface Book Has A Custom NVIDIA GPU

Microsoft Surface Book Preview

At Microsoft’s hardware event this week, the company showed off a wide range of new hardware from phones to the brand new Surface Book. The laptop, or more technically a 2-1, has several unique features to it but the one most people seem to be interested in, is the dual-GPU setup that the Book offers.

Here’s how it works, inside the tablet portion of the device, or clipboard as Microsoft calls it, is an Intel Iris setup that works in harmony with the integrated chipset but if you opt for a higher end model, there is a second GPU in the base. This additional GPU, paired with additional batteries in the base, is what helps separate the Book from other devices on the market.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

For those that are curious about what this extra GPU adds to the setup, Microsoft tells me that it is a custom NVIDIA GPU designed specifically for Surface Book and is based on the Maxwell architecture. The chip has 1GB GDDR5 memory which should be enough for most activities but for those looking to do serious gaming on this machine, this chip may not offer everything you need. Still, it’s important to wait for the benchmarks to come out before definitively deciding what this GPU can and can’t handle.

For those that are on the fence about if you should splurge for the higher end model with the secondary GPU, hopefully this additional information makes the decision easier for you.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation

There are no conversations

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC