AMD Radeon 540 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two cards compare in raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 delivers 855.4 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, while the AMD Radeon 540 outputs 908.5 GFLOPS. The Radeon has a slight theoretical edge in raw floating-point throughput, but real-world benchmark results tell a different story.

Q: Which card wins in the recorded benchmark data?

A: The database contains a single direct head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL. The GTX 465 scores 9294 versus 6184 for the Radeon 540, a decisive 50.3% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The GTX 465 has an average benchmark score of 9294, while the Radeon 540 averages 7673. This places the GTX 465 in the 46th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 41st percentile for the Radeon 540.

Q: How does the Radeon 540 perform in Vulkan?

A: The Radeon 540 records a Geekbench Vulkan score of 9162. This is notably close to the GTX 465's OpenCL score of 9294, suggesting the AMD card is better positioned for modern API workloads.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 465 carries a 200 W TDP with a suggested 550 W power supply and requires two 6-pin connectors. The Radeon 540 has a 50 W TDP, needs no power connectors, and suggests a 250 W power supply.

Q: Do both cards support modern graphics APIs?

A: The Radeon 540 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The GTX 465 lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support recorded.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from fundamentally different architectural eras. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 uses the GF100 chip built on the Fermi architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 40 nm process. It packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per mm². The AMD Radeon 540 uses the Lexa chip based on GCN 4.0, manufactured on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm process. It integrates 2,200 million transistors on a much smaller 103 mm² die, achieving a substantially higher density of 21.4 million transistors per mm².

The memory subsystems diverge sharply. Both cards feature 1024 MB of GDDR5, but the GTX 465 uses a 256-bit bus with 102.7 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Radeon 540 is limited to a 32-bit bus and 24.00 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's memory runs at 3.2 Gbps effective, whereas the AMD card's memory operates at 6 Gbps effective, yet the narrow bus cripples overall throughput.

Compute unit configurations also differ. The GTX 465 has 352 shading units, 44 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Radeon 540 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the NVIDIA card produces a pixel rate of 13.38 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 26.75 GTexel/s. The Radeon counters with 18.93 GPixel/s and 28.39 GTexel/s, indicating better fillrate efficiency from its newer design.

Power and physical design reflect their respective generations. The GTX 465 is a dual-slot card with a 200 W TDP, requiring a 550 W power supply and two 6-pin connectors. The Radeon 540 is a single-slot card with a 50 W TDP, no power connectors, and a 250 W suggested power supply. The GTX 465 measures 241 mm in length, while the Radeon 540's dimensions are not recorded.

API support reveals the generational gap. The GTX 465 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan entry. The Radeon 540 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Radeon also lists FP16 performance at 908.5 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 465 has no FP16 data.

The Verdict

The data indicates a clear split between legacy compute strength and modern efficiency. For raw OpenCL performance, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 is the definitive winner. Its 9294 Geekbench OpenCL score beats the Radeon 540's 6184 by 50.3%, and its average benchmark score of 9294 sits far above the Radeon's 7673. The GTX 465 also ranks in the 46th percentile of all GPUs, five points higher than the Radeon 540's 41st percentile.

However, the Radeon 540 has its own case. It offers Vulkan 1.3 support, which the GTX 465 lacks entirely, and its Vulkan score of 9162 nearly matches the NVIDIA card's OpenCL result. The Radeon also delivers comparable fillrate figures, with 18.93 GPixel/s and 28.39 GTexel/s versus the GTX 465's 13.38 GPixel/s and 26.75 GTexel/s. Its single-slot design, 50 W TDP, and lack of power connectors make it far easier to integrate into low-power systems.

The choice depends on workload. Users prioritizing OpenCL compute should select the GTX 465, as its performance advantage is overwhelming. Users needing modern API support, particularly Vulkan, or operating within strict power and space constraints should choose the Radeon 540. The GTX 465 is also end-of-life with a launch MSRP of 279 USD, while the Radeon 540 has no recorded launch MSRP.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The GTX 465 uses the GF100 chip on Fermi architecture, while the Radeon 540 uses Lexa on GCN 4.0. Process nodes diverge significantly: 40 nm for NVIDIA versus 14 nm for AMD. Transistor counts are 3,100 million versus 2,200 million, and die sizes are 529 mm² versus 103 mm². Transistor density heavily favors AMD at 21.4M per mm² versus 5.9M per mm².

Memory configurations differ in bus width and bandwidth. The GTX 465 has a 256-bit bus with 102.7 GB/s bandwidth, while the Radeon 540 has a 32-bit bus with 24.00 GB/s. Memory clock speeds are 3.2 Gbps effective for NVIDIA and 6 Gbps effective for AMD. Both have 1024 MB of GDDR5.

Compute resources vary: 352 shading units, 44 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for the GTX 465 versus 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs for the Radeon 540. Pixel rate favors AMD at 18.93 GPixel/s versus 13.38 GPixel/s. Texture rate also favors AMD at 28.39 GTexel/s versus 26.75 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is close, with 855.4 GFLOPS for NVIDIA and 908.5 GFLOPS for AMD. Only AMD lists FP16 at 908.5 GFLOPS.

Power and physical specs differ substantially. The GTX 465 has a 200 W TDP, dual-slot width, two 6-pin connectors, and a 550 W suggested PSU. The Radeon 540 has a 50 W TDP, single-slot width, no power connectors, and a 250 W suggested PSU. Bus interfaces are PCIe 2.0 x16 for NVIDIA versus PCIe 3.0 x8 for AMD. Display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a for NVIDIA versus 2x DisplayPort 1.4a for AMD.

API support differs in DirectX and Vulkan. The GTX 465 lists DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, while the Radeon 540 lists DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. Release dates are May 2010 for NVIDIA and April 2017 for AMD. The GTX 465's predecessor is GeForce 200 and successor is GeForce 500, while the Radeon 540's predecessor is Arctic Islands and successor is Vega.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records one direct head-to-head benchmark between these two cards: Geekbench OpenCL. In this test, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 scores 9294 against the AMD Radeon 540's 6184. The delta is 50.3% in favor of NVIDIA, a dominant margin that defines the competitive landscape between these products.

The GTX 465's nearest rivals in the database help contextualize its score. It sits just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, which averages 9302, and 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon R7 M380 at 9313. It edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 by 0.2%, which scores 9273, and leads the AMD Radeon Vega 8 by 0.8%, which scores 9221. These tight margins indicate the GTX 465 performs at a level consistent with mid-range mobile and entry desktop parts from later generations.

The Radeon 540's average score of 7673 places it in different company. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti by 0.6%, which averages 7723, while leading the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 by 1.2% at 7580, the AMD Radeon R7 250 by 1.5% at 7557, and the Intel Arc A310 by 1.6% at 7550. The Radeon 540's nearest competitors are a mix of professional and entry-level cards, reflecting its modest positioning.

The Radeon 540's Vulkan result of 9162 is worth emphasizing. It comes within 1.4% of the GTX 465's OpenCL score, despite the NVIDIA card holding a massive advantage in the OpenCL test. This suggests the Radeon 540 is significantly more competitive in modern API environments, even if its OpenCL showing is weak.

The wins tally stands at one for the GTX 465 and zero for the Radeon 540 in direct comparisons. Yet the overall picture is nuanced. The GTX 465 wins the only recorded head-to-head test by a wide margin, but the Radeon 540 counters with superior fillrate metrics, modern API support, and dramatically lower power requirements. The data shows a classic tradeoff between legacy compute power and contemporary efficiency.