AMD Radeon Pro 455 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but narrow split decision. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 takes the sole head-to-head benchmark victory, posting a 28.7% higher Geekbench OpenCL score than the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (13,300 vs 10,336). However, the Radeon Pro 455 is the more versatile card in the broader benchmark suite: it delivers a 15,916 Geekbench Metal score and a 12,240 Geekbench Vulkan score, while the GTX 480 has no recorded scores in either API.

For users running OpenCL workloads, the GTX 480 is the straightforward pick — its 13,300 score places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, just 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 555X and 0.4% behind the AMD FirePro M6100 and Radeon RX 5500M. The Radeon Pro 455 sits at the 52nd percentile with an average score of 12,831, statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (0% delta) and just 0.1% behind the AMD FirePro W5100.

The verdict hinges on API support and power envelope. The GTX 480 is a 250 W dual-slot card requiring a 600 W PSU and both 6-pin and 8-pin connectors. The Radeon Pro 455 is a 35 W MXM module with no power connectors and a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface. The GTX 480 wins the single measured benchmark, but the Radeon Pro 455 offers modern API coverage (DirectX 12_0, Vulkan 1.3) that the Fermi card lacks — the GTX 480 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support listed. Choose the GTX 480 for raw OpenCL compute; choose the Radeon Pro 455 for modern API compatibility and dramatically lower power draw.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs represent radically different design eras. The GTX 480 uses NVIDIA's GF100 chip on the Fermi architecture, built on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 3,100 million transistors into a 529 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². The Radeon Pro 455 uses AMD's Baffin chip on GCN 4.0, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. It contains 3,000 million transistors in just 123 mm² — a density of 24.4M per mm², more than four times higher than the Fermi part.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The GTX 480 carries 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 177.4 GB/s of bandwidth at 3.7 Gbps effective. The Radeon Pro 455 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 81.28 GB/s at 5.1 Gbps effective. The NVIDIA part more than doubles the AMD card's memory bandwidth, but the Radeon Pro 455 counters with more capacity.

Compute resources tell a different story. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The Radeon Pro 455 has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs. Despite having 60% more shaders, the AMD card's FP32 throughput is slightly lower: 1,313.3 GFLOPS versus 1,345.0 GFLOPS for the GTX 480. The Radeon Pro 455 also offers FP16 at 1,313.3 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), a capability the GTX 480 does not list.

Pixel and texture rates reflect the ROP imbalance. The GTX 480 achieves 21.03 GPixel/s and 42.06 GTexel/s. The Radeon Pro 455 delivers 13.68 GPixel/s and 41.04 GTexel/s — nearly identical texture throughput, but 35% lower pixel fill rate. The GTX 480 also uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, while the Radeon Pro 455 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs differ completely: the GTX 480 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the Radeon Pro 455's outputs are "Portable Device Dependent."

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 480 wins in OpenCL compute. Its 13,300 score beats the Radeon Pro 455's 10,336 by 28.7% — the only direct head-to-head benchmark recorded. This advantage aligns with its architectural strengths: 177.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth versus 81.28 GB/s, and a 384-bit bus versus 128-bit. The Fermi card also produces higher pixel rates (21.03 GPixel/s vs 13.68 GPixel/s) and slightly higher texture rates (42.06 GTexel/s vs 41.04 GTexel/s).

The Radeon Pro 455 wins on API coverage and efficiency. It supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 480 has no Vulkan support and only DirectX 12 (11_0). The AMD card's 35 W TDP is a fraction of the GTX 480's 250 W, and it requires no external power connectors — the GTX 480 needs both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector. For systems constrained by power or physical space, the Radeon Pro 455's MXM form factor is the only viable option.

In the broader benchmark context, the Radeon Pro 455's Metal score of 15,916 and Vulkan score of 12,240 indicate strong performance in those APIs, though no comparable GTX 480 numbers exist for direct comparison. The GTX 480's average benchmark score of 13,300 sits in the 53rd percentile; the Radeon Pro 455's average of 12,831 sits in the 52nd. The delta between them is about 3.7% in the GTX 480's favor, but the Radeon Pro 455's nearest rival list shows it trading blows with the GTX 590 (0% delta) and GTX 670 (0.5% behind).

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 scores 13,300 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 28.7% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 455's 10,336 in the same test.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Pro 455 support Vulkan?

A: Yes, the Radeon Pro 455 supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_0). The GTX 480 has no Vulkan support listed and only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0).

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The GTX 480 has a 250 W TDP and requires a 600 W suggested PSU with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors. The Radeon Pro 455 has a 35 W TDP and uses no power connectors.

Q: How do their memory bandwidths compare?

A: The GTX 480 delivers 177.4 GB/s over a 384-bit bus with 1536 MB of GDDR5. The Radeon Pro 455 provides 81.28 GB/s over a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The Radeon Pro 455 has 768 shading units, while the GTX 480 has 480. Despite this, the GTX 480's FP32 throughput (1,345.0 GFLOPS) is slightly higher than the Radeon Pro 455's (1,313.3 GFLOPS).

Q: What are their percentile rankings among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 480 is in the 53rd percentile with an average benchmark score of 13,300. The Radeon Pro 455 is in the 52nd percentile with an average score of 12,831.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a decisive win for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480. The GTX 480 scores 13,300 against the Radeon Pro 455's 10,336 — a 28.7% advantage. This margin is substantial enough to place the GTX 480's nearest rivals at the AMD Radeon Pro 555X (13,321, just 0.2% ahead), the AMD FirePro M6100 (13,354, 0.4% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 5500M (13,356, 0.4% ahead). The Radeon Pro 455's nearest rivals in its average score context include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 (12,830, 0% delta) and the AMD FirePro W5100 (12,847, 0.1% ahead).

The 28.7% delta in OpenCL is the largest performance gap recorded between these two cards. It aligns with the memory bandwidth disparity: the GTX 480's 177.4 GB/s versus the Radeon Pro 455's 81.28 GB/s. OpenCL workloads that are bandwidth-sensitive would heavily favor the Fermi card. The GTX 480 also has a 48 ROP count versus 16 on the Radeon Pro 455, contributing to its 21.03 GPixel/s pixel rate — 54% higher than the AMD card's 13.68 GPixel/s.

However, the Radeon Pro 455 has its own benchmark wins outside the head-to-head comparison. Its Geekbench Metal score of 15,916 is the highest single-score result for either card across any API. Its Vulkan score of 12,240 also exceeds its own OpenCL score, suggesting the GCN 4.0 architecture handles modern APIs more efficiently. The GTX 480 has no Metal or Vulkan scores recorded, so those wins go uncontested.

The average benchmark scores tell a closer story. The GTX 480 averages 13,300, while the Radeon Pro 455 averages 12,831 — a 3.7% gap that is far narrower than the 28.7% OpenCL delta. The Radeon Pro 455's multi-API results (Metal, Vulkan, OpenCL) smooth out its profile, while the GTX 480's single OpenCL score is both its peak and its floor. For a user prioritizing raw OpenCL throughput, the GTX 480 is the clear winner. For a user needing modern API support in a low-power package, the Radeon Pro 455's benchmark profile and 35 W TDP make it the more balanced choice.