AMD Radeon 540 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 and AMD Radeon 540 represent two very different eras of GPU design, yet their benchmark data places them in a surprisingly close overall standing. The GeForce GTX 460, a 2010 Fermi-era card, edges out the 2017 Polaris-based Radeon 540 in the only shared benchmark, while the Radeon counters with a broader feature set and modern API support. The data shows both cards sit at the 41st percentile of all GPUs, indicating they occupy a similar performance tier despite their architectural age gap.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive in one direction. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 scores 7,925 points, while the AMD Radeon 540 scores 6,184 points. This yields a 28.2% advantage for the GTX 460, a substantial margin that places the older card firmly ahead in raw compute workloads under this particular benchmark. The delta is not marginal; it represents a clear generational performance gap in favor of the Fermi architecture when executing OpenCL tasks.

Contextualizing the GTX 460’s score within its nearest rivals reinforces its standing. Its 7,925 average is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K4100M’s 7,906, with a delta of only 0.2%. It trails the Quadro P5000 by 1.4% (8,039) and the GTX 880M by the same 1.4% (8,040). The GTX 460 also sits just 1.6% behind the GeForce GTX 650 Ti, which scores 8,053. These are all tightly clustered results, indicating that the GTX 460 performs at the upper boundary of its immediate competitive set. The data suggests it is not merely holding its own but operating at a level comparable to significantly newer mobile and workstation parts.

The Radeon 540’s OpenCL score of 6,184 places it in a different competitive neighborhood. Its nearest rival, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, scores 7,723, which is 0.6% higher than the Radeon’s average benchmark score of 7,673. However, the Radeon 540’s average is pulled up by its Vulkan result of 9,162, which is not part of the head-to-head comparison. Looking at its OpenCL-specific rivals, the Radeon Pro WX 3100 scores 7,580, which is 1.2% lower than the Radeon 540’s average, and the Radeon R7 250 scores 7,557, a 1.5% deficit. The Intel Arc A310 trails by 1.6% with a score of 7,550. In OpenCL alone, the Radeon 540’s 6,184 is significantly below these averages, suggesting that its OpenCL performance is a weak point relative to its overall benchmark profile.

The head-to-head data therefore shows a single, unambiguous winner in compute: the GTX 460 takes the OpenCL crown with a 28.2% lead. There are no other shared tests, so the analysis of comparative strengths relies heavily on this one metric and the surrounding rival context. The GTX 460’s victory is not a narrow escape but a commanding performance gap that underscores its computational efficiency in this specific workload.

The Verdict

From the benchmark data alone, the choice between these two cards depends entirely on the workload. For users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 is the clear selection. Its 28.2% lead over the Radeon 540 in Geekbench OpenCL is decisive, and its score of 7,925 aligns it with far more recent hardware like the Quadro P5000 and GTX 880M. Any task that relies on OpenCL acceleration will see measurably better results on the GTX 460, despite its 2010 release date.

The AMD Radeon 540, however, offers a more compelling case for modern application compatibility. Its benchmark suite includes a Vulkan score of 9,162, which demonstrates a capability the GTX 460 cannot match, as that card has no listed Vulkan benchmark result. For users targeting Vulkan-based games or applications, the Radeon 540 is the only option with data supporting its performance. Its OpenCL score is lower, but its overall average of 7,673 is respectable, landing it within 0.6% of the GTX 1660 Ti’s average.

Strictly from the data, the verdict is split by API. The GTX 460 wins the compute race outright, but the Radeon 540 wins on versatility, offering both OpenCL and Vulkan pathways. The GTX 460’s percentile rank of 41 matches the Radeon 540’s percentile, indicating they are not far apart in the broader GPU hierarchy. A user with legacy OpenCL applications should pick the GTX 460 without hesitation. A user needing modern graphics API support or lower power consumption should pick the Radeon 540, as its single-slot, 50 W design contrasts sharply with the GTX 460’s dual-slot, 160 W requirement.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast, reflecting their seven-year separation in release dates. The GTX 460 is built on NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture, using the GF104 chip fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This is a mature design from 2010, featuring 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. The Fermi architecture was designed for compute-heavy workloads, which explains its strong OpenCL showing.

The Radeon 540 employs AMD’s GCN 4.0 architecture, based on the Lexa chip, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This newer process allows for 2,200 million transistors on a much smaller 103 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 21.4 million per square millimeter — over 3.6 times denser than the GTX 460. GCN 4.0 is a modern architecture that natively supports features the Fermi design lacks, including Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), whereas the GTX 460 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed.

The memory subsystems also diverge significantly. The GTX 460 uses a 192-bit bus with 768 MB of GDDR5, delivering 86.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 540 has a much narrower 32-bit bus but pairs it with 1,024 MB of GDDR5, yielding only 24.00 GB/s. The bandwidth difference is stark, with the GTX 460 offering over 3.6 times the memory throughput, a critical factor in compute tasks. The Radeon 540 compensates with higher effective memory clocks (6 Gbps vs. 3.6 Gbps), but the narrow bus remains a bottleneck.

Compute capabilities show a surprising parity. The GTX 460 has 336 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, producing 907.2 GFLOPS of FP32 performance. The Radeon 540 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, achieving 908.5 GFLOPS of FP32 — a nearly identical figure. The Radeon also offers FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio (908.5 GFLOPS), a feature the GTX 460 lacks entirely. Pixel fill rates favor the Radeon (18.93 GPixel/s vs. 9.45), while texture fill rates favor the GTX 460 (37.80 GTexel/s vs. 28.39).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every physical and interface specification. The GTX 460 is a dual-slot card requiring 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU, with a TDP of 160 W. The Radeon 540 is a single-slot card with no power connectors and a suggested PSU of 250 W, consuming only 50 W. This makes the Radeon dramatically more power-efficient, using less than a third of the power for nearly identical FP32 throughput.

The bus interface differs: the GTX 460 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Radeon 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The Radeon’s newer interface offers higher per-lane bandwidth, though the GTX’s x16 width compensates in older systems. Display outputs are also distinct, with the GTX 460 featuring 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the Radeon 540 offers 2x DisplayPort 1.4a. The Radeon supports modern display standards, whereas the GTX 460 is limited to older connectors.

Physical dimensions favor the GTX 460 in length, measuring 210 mm (8.3 inches), while the Radeon 540 has no listed length. The GTX 460’s release date is 2010-07-11, with a launch MSRP of 199 USD, while the Radeon 540 launched on 2017-04-19 with no MSRP listed. The GTX 460’s predecessor is GeForce 200 and its successor is GeForce 500; the Radeon 540’s predecessor is Arctic Islands and its successor is Vega. Both are end-of-life products. The Radeon 540 supports OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 460 supports OpenGL 4.6 but no Vulkan.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU performs better in OpenCL benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 scores 7,925 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 28.2% higher than the AMD Radeon 540’s score of 6,184.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 540 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Radeon 540 has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9,162 and lists Vulkan 1.3 as a supported API. The GTX 460 has no Vulkan score or support listed.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The GTX 460 has a TDP of 160 W and requires 2x 6-pin power connectors with a 450 W suggested PSU. The Radeon 540 has a TDP of 50 W, needs no power connectors, and recommends a 250 W PSU.

Q: What are their memory bandwidth figures?

A: The GTX 460 has an 86.40 GB/s bandwidth from a 192-bit bus and 768 MB GDDR5. The Radeon 540 has a 24.00 GB/s bandwidth from a 32-bit bus and 1,024 MB GDDR5.

Q: Are these GPUs still in production?

A: No, both are listed as end-of-life products. The GTX 460 was released on 2010-07-11, and the Radeon 540 on 2017-04-19.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The figures are nearly identical. The GTX 460 delivers 907.2 GFLOPS, while the Radeon 540 delivers 908.5 GFLOPS, a difference of only 1.3 GFLOPS.