AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M records a Geekbench OpenCL score of 7447, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 6389. The AMD part leads by 16.6% in this test.

Q: How do these two GPUs rank against all other GPUs in the database?

A: The Radeon HD 8850M sits at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, while the GeForce GTX 460 SE is at the 37th percentile. Both are close in overall standing, but the AMD card ranks slightly higher.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M has 640 shading units, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units. That is a 352-unit difference in favor of AMD.

Q: What memory configuration does each GPU use?

A: The Radeon HD 8850M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce GTX 460 SE has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the process node for each chip?

A: The AMD Radeon HD 8850M uses a 28 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE uses a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. The AMD chip is built on a more advanced node.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GeForce GTX 460 SE?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE had a launch MSRP of 160 USD. The Radeon HD 8850M has no recorded launch MSRP in the database.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M is built on the GCN 1.0 architecture, using the Venus chip. This is a 28 nm design fabricated by TSMC, with 1,500 million transistors packed into a 123 mm² die. The transistor density works out to 12.2M per mm². GCN 1.0 is a compute-oriented design that supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE uses the Fermi architecture, built around the GF104 chip. This is a 40 nm part, also from TSMC, with 1,950 million transistors on a much larger 332 mm² die. The transistor density is 5.9M per mm², reflecting the older, less dense process. Fermi supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the database lists no Vulkan support for this GPU.

The core configurations differ substantially. The Radeon HD 8850M packs 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GeForce GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the NVIDIA card has more texture units and double the ROP count.

Clock behavior also diverges. The AMD part has a base clock of 575 MHz and a boost clock of 625 MHz, with memory running at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card has no base or boost clock recorded in the database, but its memory runs at 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective).

Bus interface and power delivery reflect their different market positions. The Radeon HD 8850M uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GeForce GTX 460 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The NVIDIA card has a TDP of 150 W, requires two 6-pin power connectors, and is a dual-slot card measuring 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length. The AMD card has no recorded TDP, slot width, or power connector data.

Memory subsystems are wired differently. The Radeon HD 8850M has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 64.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The GeForce GTX 460 SE has 1 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 108.8 GB/s. The NVIDIA card nearly doubles the AMD card's bandwidth despite having half the capacity.

Theoretical throughput rates also differ. The Radeon HD 8850M achieves 10.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 25.00 GTexel/s texture rate, with FP32 compute at 800.0 GFLOPS. The GeForce GTX 460 SE achieves 7.800 GPixel/s and 31.20 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute at 748.8 GFLOPS. AMD wins on pixel fill and raw FP32, while NVIDIA wins on texture fill.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear but modest winner: the AMD Radeon HD 8850M. In the sole head-to-head test, Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD card scores 7447 against the NVIDIA card's 6389, a 16.6% advantage. The AMD part also ranks higher overall, sitting at the 40th percentile versus the 37th percentile for the GeForce GTX 460 SE.

The Radeon HD 8850M is the better choice for compute-oriented workloads. Its 800.0 GFLOPS of FP32 performance outpaces the GeForce GTX 460 SE's 748.8 GFLOPS. It also offers double the memory capacity (2 GB versus 1 GB), which matters for larger datasets and textures. The newer 28 nm process, GCN 1.0 architecture, and Vulkan support make it a more future-proof option.

The GeForce GTX 460 SE has its own strengths. Its 256-bit memory bus delivers 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 70% higher than the AMD card's 64.00 GB/s. It also has more texture units (48 versus 40) and more ROPs (32 versus 16), which helps in texture-heavy rendering. The NVIDIA card achieves a higher texture rate of 31.20 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s on the AMD part.

For buyers focused purely on raw compute and memory capacity, the Radeon HD 8850M is the pick. For those needing higher memory bandwidth or working in scenarios that favor texture throughput, the GeForce GTX 460 SE retains relevance. The database shows the AMD card winning the only recorded benchmark, so the overall recommendation leans toward the Radeon HD 8850M.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon HD 8850M | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Fermi |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 1,500 million | 1,950 million |

| Die Size | 123 mm² | 332 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.2M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 575 MHz | Not recorded |

| Boost Clock | 625 MHz | Not recorded |

| Memory Clock | 1000 MHz, 4 Gbps effective | 850 MHz, 3.4 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 64.00 GB/s | 108.8 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 640 | 288 |

| TMUs | 40 | 48 |

| ROPs | 16 | 32 |

| Pixel Rate | 10.00 GPixel/s | 7.800 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 25.00 GTexel/s | 31.20 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 800.0 GFLOPS | 748.8 GFLOPS |

| TDP | Not recorded | 150 W |

| Slot Width | Not recorded | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | Not recorded | 2x 6-pin |

| Suggested PSU | Not recorded | 450 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Not recorded | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.170 | Not recorded |

| Length | Not recorded | 210 mm, 8.3 inches |

| Release Date | 2013-03-31 | 2010-11-14 |

| Predecessor | London | GeForce 200 |

| Successor | Gem System | GeForce 500 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records a single head-to-head benchmark between these two GPUs: Geekbench OpenCL. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 6389. The AMD card wins by 16.6%, and the database credits it with 1 win in this matchup.

This 16.6% gap is meaningful in the context of their nearest rivals. The Radeon HD 8850M's score of 7447 places it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 by only 0.3% (7472) and the Intel Arc A310 by 1.4% (7550). The AMD card sits in a tight cluster of GPUs separated by less than 2%.

The GeForce GTX 460 SE's score of 6389 puts it in a different competitive bracket. It ties exactly with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M (6389), trails the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell by 0.3% (6407), and leads the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 by 0.9% (6330) and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 by 1% (6327). The NVIDIA card's nearest rivals are also tightly packed, but at a lower performance level.

The 16.6% delta between the two cards is larger than any delta among their respective nearest rival clusters. This indicates that the performance gap between the AMD Radeon HD 8850M and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE is not a rounding error. It represents a real tier difference in OpenCL compute performance.

The AMD card's advantage in FP32 compute (800.0 GFLOPS versus 748.8 GFLOPS) aligns with its OpenCL win. The GeForce GTX 460 SE counters with higher memory bandwidth (108.8 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s) and a higher texture rate (31.20 GTexel/s versus 25.00 GTexel/s), but these advantages do not translate into a benchmark victory in the recorded test.

The data shows a single decisive result: the AMD Radeon HD 8850M outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE by a substantial margin in the only benchmark where both are measured. That result, combined with the AMD card's higher percentile ranking (40th versus 37th), gives the Radeon HD 8850M the overall edge in this comparison.