AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 are separated by six years of GPU architecture, yet they land in the same performance percentile. Both cards sit at the 37th percentile among all GPUs, with the GTX 460 SE averaging a benchmark score of 6389 and the WX 4100 averaging 6330. In the single head-to-head test available—Geekbench OpenCL—the AMD card delivers a decisive victory, scoring 17642 against the NVIDIA card's 6389. That represents a 63.8% deficit for the GTX 460 SE, a gap that underscores how far GPU compute evolved between 2010 and 2016.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the data is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and it is not close. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 posts a score of 17642, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE manages just 6389. The deltaPct of -63.8% means the NVIDIA card scores less than a third of the AMD card's total. This is a compute-heavy workload, and the results indicate the WX 4100's newer architecture is vastly more efficient at executing OpenCL instructions.

Context from the nearest rivals reinforces the split. The GTX 460 SE's score of 6389 is exactly matched by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, which also scores 6389 with a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon R7 M350 scores 6327, a 1% delta, putting the GTX 460 SE in the same performance class as those mobile and entry-level parts. The WX 4100's score of 17642, meanwhile, is not directly compared to the GTX 460 SE's rivals, but its own nearest rivals—the Radeon R7 M350 at 6327 and the Quadro K620 at 6282—are far lower, indicating the WX 4100's OpenCL result is an outlier relative to its average across other tests.

It is importantly the WX 4100 has far more benchmark data available. It was tested across Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, plus PassMark DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, G2D, G3D, and compute tests. The GTX 460 SE has only the single OpenCL result. That means the head-to-head comparison is limited, but where it exists, the AMD card dominates. The 17642 OpenCL score is more than 2.7 times the NVIDIA card's 6389, and no other shared test exists to balance the ledger. The data shows a clean sweep: one test, one winner, and a massive margin.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these cards is generational. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE uses the GF104 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, and fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The die measures 332 mm² and holds 1,950 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100, by contrast, uses the Baffin chip, built on GCN 4.0, and fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Its die is just 123 mm² but packs 3,000 million transistors, for a density of 24.4M per mm²—more than four times denser.

The core configurations differ sharply. The GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The WX 4100 has 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA card has double the ROPs, but the AMD card has over three times the shading units and a third more TMUs. The clock behavior also differs: the GTX 460 SE has no listed base or boost clock, while the WX 4100 runs at a 1125 MHz base and 1201 MHz boost.

Memory architecture diverges as well. The GTX 460 SE uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The WX 4100 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 96.00 GB/s. The AMD card has four times the capacity but a narrower bus and lower bandwidth. The memory clock is also different: the GTX 460 SE runs at 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective), while the WX 4100 runs at 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The higher per-pin speed on the AMD card partially compensates for the narrower bus, but raw bandwidth still favors the older NVIDIA part.

Process node, transistor count, and die size tell the story of two very different engineering approaches. The Fermi architecture was a power-hungry design at 40 nm, while GCN 4.0 on 14 nm is a modern, efficient design. The WX 4100 supports newer API features, including DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 460 SE is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 wins the compute race outright. Its 17642 OpenCL score is the only head-to-head benchmark, and it crushes the GTX 460 SE's 6389. The WX 4100 also has a full suite of additional benchmark results that the NVIDIA card simply lacks. In Geekbench Metal, it scores 21018; in Vulkan, 18703. PassMark results show 3699 in G3D, 1475 in GPU compute, and 646 in G2D. The DirectX legacy tests are low—16 in DX10, 24 in DX11, 22 in DX12, and 56 in DX9—but the card's modern API performance is strong.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE has no benchmark wins in the data. It loses the only shared test, and it has no other scores to claim. However, its hardware specifications suggest where it might hold an edge in real-world scenarios. The 256-bit memory bus and 108.8 GB/s bandwidth, combined with 32 ROPs, could favor traditional rasterization workloads at lower resolutions. The dual-slot design and 150 W TDP also indicate a more substantial power delivery system, though the WX 4100's 50 W TDP and single-slot form factor make it far more efficient per watt.

The data indicates the WX 4100 is the winner for compute-heavy tasks, modern API support, and multi-display setups. Its 4 GB of VRAM and four mini-DisplayPort 1.4a outputs make it suitable for professional multi-monitor configurations. The GTX 460 SE, with 1 GB of VRAM and two DVI plus one mini-HDMI 1.3a output, is limited to older display setups. The AMD card also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32, delivering 2.460 TFLOPS in both precision formats, while the GTX 460 SE is limited to 748.8 GFLOPS FP32 with no FP16 support.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ on nearly every specification that matters. The process node is 40 nm for NVIDIA versus 14 nm for AMD. Transistor count is 1,950 million versus 3,000 million. Die size is 332 mm² versus 123 mm². Transistor density is 5.9M per mm² versus 24.4M per mm². The AMD card has explicit base and boost clocks (1125 MHz and 1201 MHz), while the NVIDIA card lists none.

Memory capacity is 1024 MB versus 4 GB. Bus width is 256 bit versus 128 bit. Bandwidth is 108.8 GB/s versus 96.00 GB/s. The memory clock is 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective) versus 1500 MHz (6 Gbps effective). Shading units are 288 versus 1,024. TMUs are 48 versus 64. ROPs are 32 versus 16. Pixel rate is 7.800 GPixel/s versus 19.22 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 31.20 GTexel/s versus 76.86 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 748.8 GFLOPS versus 2.460 TFLOPS. The AMD card also has FP16 at 2.460 TFLOPS, while the NVIDIA card has none.

Power and physical specs diverge completely. The GTX 460 SE has a 150 W TDP, a dual-slot cooler, and requires two 6-pin power connectors with a 450 W suggested PSU. The WX 4100 has a 50 W TDP, a single-slot cooler, no power connectors, and a 250 W suggested PSU. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x8. Display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a versus 4x mini-DisplayPort 1.4a. Dimensions are 210 mm (8.3 inches) long for the NVIDIA card versus 168 mm (6.6 inches) long and 69 mm (2.7 inches) high for the AMD card. The GTX 460 SE was released on 2010-11-14 with a launch MSRP of 160 USD; the WX 4100 was released on 2016-11-09 with a launch MSRP of 399 USD.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in OpenCL compute benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 17642 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 6389. The deltaPct is -63.8%, meaning the NVIDIA card trails by 63.8%.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two cards?

A: The GTX 460 SE has a 256-bit bus and 108.8 GB/s bandwidth, while the WX 4100 has a 128-bit bus and 96.00 GB/s bandwidth. Despite the AMD card's faster memory clock (1500 MHz vs 850 MHz), the NVIDIA card retains higher raw bandwidth.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The GTX 460 SE has 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, yielding 5.9M per mm². The WX 4100 has 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, yielding 24.4M per mm²—over four times denser.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The GTX 460 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the WX 4100 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). The WX 4100 also supports Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 460 SE has no Vulkan support.

Q: Which card has more shading units and TMUs?

A: The WX 4100 has 1,024 shading units and 64 TMUs, compared to the GTX 460 SE's 288 shading units and 48 TMUs. The GTX 460 SE does have more ROPs, with 32 versus 16.

Q: What is the power draw difference?

A: The GTX 460 SE has a 150 W TDP and requires two 6-pin power connectors, while the WX 4100 has a 50 W TDP and requires no power connectors. The suggested PSU is 450 W for the NVIDIA card and 250 W for the AMD card.