AMD Radeon 880M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 and AMD Radeon 880M represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark result, but the broader benchmark suites reveal a complex picture where raw compute superiority does not always translate to a clean sweep. The GTX 460 v2 is an end-of-life discrete card from 2011, while the Radeon 880M is an active integrated processor from 2024, and their performance profiles reflect this generational gap.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisively in favor of the AMD Radeon 880M. The AMD part scores 31,285, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 manages 8,743. This represents a delta of -72.1% for the NVIDIA card, meaning the Radeon 880M delivers approximately 3.6 times the OpenCL compute performance of the older GeForce. This is a massive generational leap, driven by the 880M's modern RDNA 3.5 architecture and significantly higher shader count.

However, a single test doesn't tell the whole story. The GTX 460 v2's average benchmark score across its available test is 8,743, placing it in the 44th percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon 880M's average score across its ten different benchmarks is 8,436, placing it in the 43rd percentile. While the raw OpenCL score favors AMD, the average scores are remarkably close, with the NVIDIA card actually holding a marginal edge of about 3.6% in overall average. This suggests that in legacy or DirectX-based workloads, the older Fermi architecture can still hold its own, even if it falls far behind in pure compute tasks.

Looking at the rivals for each card provides further context. The GTX 460 v2's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, with a score of 8,746, a delta of 0%. This indicates that, in this benchmark, the 2011 card is statistically tied with a modern entry-level mobile GPU. The Radeon 880M's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, with a score of 8,427, a delta of just 0.1%. This positions the integrated AMD chip directly against a older high-end mobile discrete GPU, showing that integrated graphics have finally caught up to that performance tier. The data shows the 880M also edges out the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 by a 0.3% margin and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X by 1.3%, while trailing the AMD Radeon HD 8870M by 0.3%.

The single head-to-head win for the Radeon 880M is significant, but the average scores suggest that the GTX 460 v2 is not entirely obsolete. The GeForce card's 44th percentile ranking versus the Radeon's 43rd percentile shows they occupy the same performance tier in the aggregate, even though their architectural strengths and weaknesses are polar opposites.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The AMD Radeon 880M is overwhelmingly faster, scoring 31,285 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2's 8,743. This is a -72.1% delta, indicating the AMD card is roughly 3.6 times more powerful in this specific test.

Q: How do their overall average benchmark scores compare?

A: They are nearly identical. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 has an average score of 8,743, while the AMD Radeon 880M has an average score of 8,436. This puts them in the 44th and 43rd percentiles of all GPUs, respectively.

Q: What is the performance difference between the GTX 460 v2 and its closest rival?

A: The GTX 460 v2's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, which scores 8,746. The delta is 0%, meaning they perform identically in the average benchmark score. It is also 0.7% ahead of the Quadro P2200 and 1.2-1.4% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M265X and Pro WX 5100.

Q: Where does the Radeon 880M stand against its closest competitors?

A: The Radeon 880M's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, with a delta of 0.1% in favor of the AMD chip. It is also 0.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, 1.3% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 M375X, and 0.3% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 8870M.

Q: Does the GTX 460 v2 win any benchmark categories?

A: In the head-to-head data provided, the GTX 460 v2 does not win any benchmarks. However, its average benchmark score of 8,743 is higher than the Radeon 880M's average of 8,436, showing it is competitive in aggregate performance metrics.

Q: What is the difference in their production status?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 is listed as "End-of-life," having been released in September 2011. The AMD Radeon 880M is listed as "Active," with a release date of July 2024.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is immense, reflecting a 13-year gap in design philosophy. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, using the GF114 chip manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This older design relies on 1,950 million transistors spread across a large 332 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of just 5.9 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the AMD Radeon 880M uses the RDNA 3.5 architecture with the Strix Point chip, built on a modern 4 nm process. It packs a staggering 34,000 million transistors into a smaller 233 mm² die, achieving a density of 145.9 million transistors per square millimeter. This is a 24-fold increase in density, enabling vastly more complex logic in a smaller physical footprint.

The compute pipelines are fundamentally different. The GTX 460 v2 has 336 shading units, 56 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster operation pipelines (ROPs). The Radeon 880M, despite being an integrated part, has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. While the NVIDIA card has more TMUs and ROPs, the AMD card has more than double the shading units, which are the primary engines for compute and shader work. The Radeon 880M also includes 12 dedicated ray tracing cores, a feature completely absent from the 2011 Fermi architecture. These cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which the GTX 460 v2 cannot perform.

Memory architecture is another major split. The GTX 460 v2 uses a dedicated 1,024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 880M, as an integrated graphics processor (IGP), uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. Its bus width and bandwidth are listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively, meaning performance scales with the host system's memory configuration. This is a fundamental difference: one card has fixed, dedicated memory, while the other is entirely reliant on system RAM.

The feature sets also reflect their eras. The GTX 460 v2 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. The Radeon 880M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The newer AMD card also supports FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, while the NVIDIA card only lists FP32 performance of 1,046.3 GFLOPS versus the Radeon's 4,454 GFLOPS. This shows the Radeon 880M has a significant raw compute advantage, especially in workloads that can utilize half-precision math.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The manufacturing process is a clear divider: the NVIDIA card uses a 40 nm node, while the AMD card uses a 4 nm node. This leads to the massive difference in transistor count (1,950 million vs. 34,000 million) and die size (332 mm² vs. 233 mm²). The power characteristics are also starkly different. The GTX 460 v2 has a thermal design power (TDP) of 160 W and requires two 6-pin power connectors, with a suggested power supply of 450 W. The Radeon 880M has a TDP of just 15 W and requires no power connectors, as it is an IGP. This makes the AMD part over ten times more power-efficient on paper.

The memory configurations are fundamentally incompatible. The GTX 460 v2 has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 96.19 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 880M uses System Shared memory, meaning its size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all system-dependent. The clock speeds also differ in kind: the NVIDIA card lists a memory clock of 1,002 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the AMD card lists a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2,900 MHz for the GPU core itself.

The bus interface is another point of difference. The GTX 460 v2 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Radeon 880M uses PCIe 4.0 x8. This reflects the newer card's integrated nature, where bandwidth to the CPU is less critical. Physical dimensions differ as well: the NVIDIA card is a dual-slot, 210 mm (8.3 inches) long add-in board with 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs. The Radeon 880M has no dimensions listed, is an IGP, and has display outputs that are "Portable Device Dependent." The NVIDIA card has a launch MSRP of 199 USD, while the AMD card has no MSRP listed. Their production statuses are also opposites: "End-of-life" for NVIDIA, "Active" for AMD.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture for different use cases. For anyone building a new system today, the AMD Radeon 880M is the obvious choice. Its 15 W TDP and integrated nature make it perfect for portable devices, eliminating the need for a discrete power supply or extra cooling. Its raw compute performance in OpenCL is dramatically higher, scoring 31,285 versus 8,743, and it supports modern features like ray tracing and Vulkan 1.4. Its active production status and 2024 release date mean it is a current, supported product.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2, however, is not without merit based strictly on the numbers. Its average benchmark score of 8,743 is slightly higher than the Radeon 880M's 8,436, and it ties with the modern RTX 3050 A Mobile in that metric. For legacy applications, or systems that require a dedicated PCIe card with fixed memory, the GTX 460 v2 could still be considered functional. Its 1,024 MB of dedicated GDDR5 provides predictable bandwidth, unlike the system-dependent performance of the Radeon 880M.

The verdict is therefore split by workload and context. If the priority is modern compute, efficiency, and feature support, the AMD Radeon 880M wins decisively, dominating the head-to-head OpenCL test. If the priority is average performance across a broad set of legacy benchmarks, or if a dedicated discrete card is required, the GTX 460 v2 remains competitive, even tying its nearest rival, the RTX 3050 A Mobile. The data shows that while the Radeon 880M is the future, the GTX 460 v2 is far from a paperweight. The choice hinges on whether the user needs raw modern compute power or compatibility with a system that requires a traditional discrete GPU. The 880M's single head-to-head win is the most significant data point, but the aggregate scores suggest the older card is still relevant in its niche.