AMD Radeon R7 M370 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M370 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE are both end-of-life graphics cards, but they represent vastly different eras of GPU design. The data shows a single head-to-head benchmark, with the AMD card taking a decisive win in Geekbench OpenCL, scoring 7063 against the NVIDIA’s 6389 — a 10.5% advantage. However, the underlying specifications tell a more complex story of architectural trade-offs, memory configurations, and feature support that goes beyond a single synthetic score.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are clear. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 scores 7063 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 6389 points. This gives AMD a 10.5% lead in raw compute performance as measured by this workload. In practical terms, this means the M370 will handle OpenCL-accelerated tasks — such as video encoding, physics simulations, or GPU-compute in creative applications — noticeably faster than the GTX 460 SE. The delta is not massive, but it is consistent and favors AMD across the board in this test.

Looking at the broader benchmark context, the R7 M370’s average score across all tests is 6764, placing it at the 38th percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 460 SE’s average score is 6389, which puts it at the 37th percentile. Both cards are near the bottom of the performance curve, but the AMD card sits slightly higher. The M370’s nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro M5100 (6830, -1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (6698, +1%), and the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612, +2.3%). This shows the M370 is competitive with a range of low-end discrete and mobile GPUs from its era. The GTX 460 SE, on the other hand, is bracketed by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M (6389, 0%), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (6407, -0.3%), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (6330, +0.9%). Notably, the GTX 460 SE ties exactly with the GTX 580M in average score, indicating that its compute performance is typical for that performance tier.

The single head-to-head result is the only direct evidence, but it aligns with the average scores: AMD wins the OpenCL test by 10.5%, and its overall average is 375 points higher. There is no benchmark where the NVIDIA card wins, as the data records zero wins for the GTX 460 SE.

Architecture Differences

These two GPUs could not be more different under the hood. The AMD Radeon R7 M370 uses the "Litho" chip built on GCN 1.0 architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 950 million transistors into a die size of just 77 mm², yielding a transistor density of 12.3 million per square millimeter. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE uses the GF104 chip with Fermi architecture, also from TSMC but on an older 40 nm node. This chip contains 1,950 million transistors spread across a massive 332 mm² die, giving a transistor density of only 5.9 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA card uses more than twice the transistors and over four times the die area, yet delivers lower benchmark scores, highlighting the efficiency advantage of the newer 28 nm process.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The R7 M370 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 57.60 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 460 SE has only 1024 MB of GDDR5, but on a much wider 256-bit bus, achieving 108.8 GB/s — nearly double the bandwidth. This is a classic trade-off: the AMD card has more capacity but less bandwidth, while the NVIDIA card has half the memory but twice the throughput. For modern games that require more than 1 GB of VRAM, the M370’s 2 GB is a significant advantage, even if the bandwidth is lower. Memory clocks also differ: the M370 runs at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective), while the GTX 460 SE runs at 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective).

Compute resources are split differently as well. The R7 M370 has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 8 raster output units (ROPs). The GTX 460 SE has fewer shading units at 288, but more TMUs (48) and far more ROPs (32). This configuration gives the NVIDIA card a higher texture rate (31.20 GTexel/s vs 23.04 GTexel/s) and a slightly higher pixel rate (7.800 GPixel/s vs 7.680 GPixel/s). However, the AMD card’s higher shading unit count helps it achieve a slightly higher FP32 compute rating of 737.3 GFLOPS, compared to 748.8 GFLOPS for the NVIDIA card — a marginal difference. Interestingly, the GTX 460 SE actually has a higher FP32 rating, yet loses the OpenCL benchmark, suggesting driver optimizations or workload characteristics favor the GCN architecture.

Feature support is another major divider. The R7 M370 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 460 SE also supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. This means the AMD card can run modern Vulkan titles and takes better advantage of DirectX 12 features, while the NVIDIA card is limited to older APIs. The M370 also uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the GTX 460 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16 — the newer standard offers higher per-lane bandwidth, though the x8 width may offset some of that in bandwidth-hungry scenarios.

The Verdict

From the data, the AMD Radeon R7 M370 is the stronger performer in compute benchmarks, and it has several modern advantages that make it the more practical choice for anyone still using these cards. It wins the OpenCL test by 10.5%, offers 2 GB of VRAM versus 1 GB, supports Vulkan, and runs on a more efficient 28 nm process. The GTX 460 SE, despite its higher memory bandwidth and more ROPs, simply loses the one benchmark that matters and lacks modern API support. For a builder deciding between these two, the M370 is the clear pick for general use, especially if you care about driver support for current software or need more than 1 GB of memory.

However, the GTX 460 SE is not without merit. Its 256-bit memory bus provides 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is nearly double the M370’s 57.60 GB/s. In scenarios that are bandwidth-bound — such as certain older games at high resolutions or compute tasks that stream large datasets — the NVIDIA card could potentially outperform its OpenCL score suggests. But the data does not provide a benchmark to confirm this, and the lack of Vulkan support is a dealbreaker for many modern applications. The GTX 460 SE also has a higher TDP at 150 W, requiring a 450 W PSU and two 6-pin power connectors, while the M370 has no listed TDP, suggesting it is a far more power-efficient part. Ultimately, the M370 is the safer, more future-proof option.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The process node is 28 nm for AMD versus 40 nm for NVIDIA. Transistor count is 950 million versus 1,950 million. Die size is 77 mm² versus 332 mm². Transistor density is 12.3M per mm² versus 5.9M per mm². Memory size is 2 GB versus 1024 MB. Memory bus width is 128-bit versus 256-bit. Memory bandwidth is 57.60 GB/s versus 108.8 GB/s. Shading units are 384 versus 288. TMUs are 24 versus 48. ROPs are 8 versus 32. Pixel rate is 7.680 GPixel/s versus 7.800 GPixel/s. Texture rate is 23.04 GTexel/s versus 31.20 GTexel/s. FP32 is 737.3 GFLOPS versus 748.8 GFLOPS. Memory clock is 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps) versus 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps). Bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x8 versus PCIe 2.0 x16. The GTX 460 SE has a TDP of 150 W, a dual-slot cooler, 2x 6-pin power connectors, a 450 W suggested PSU, and a length of 210 mm (8.3 inches), while the M370 has none of these listed. Display outputs are 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a on the NVIDIA card, with none listed for AMD. The GTX 460 SE has a launch MSRP of 160 USD. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (11_1), Vulkan 1.2.170, and OpenGL 4.6, while the NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but no Vulkan.

FAQ

Q: Which card has better overall benchmark performance?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 has a higher average benchmark score of 6764 compared to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE’s 6389, and it wins the Geekbench OpenCL test 7063 to 6389, a 10.5% advantage.

Q: Does the NVIDIA card have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes, the GTX 460 SE has 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth from its 256-bit bus, which is nearly double the M370’s 57.60 GB/s from a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card supports more modern graphics APIs?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M370 supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: How do their compute capabilities compare?

A: The M370 has 384 shading units and an FP32 rating of 737.3 GFLOPS, while the GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units and an FP32 rating of 748.8 GFLOPS. Despite the slightly lower FP32, the M370 scores higher in OpenCL.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The AMD card has 2 GB of GDDR5, while the NVIDIA card has 1024 MB (1 GB) of GDDR5. This gives the M370 double the VRAM capacity.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The GTX 460 SE has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 450 W PSU with two 6-pin connectors. The M370 has no TDP listed, indicating a significantly lower power draw suitable for mobile or low-power systems.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M370 wins in compute performance, as shown by its 10.5% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and its higher average score. It also wins on memory capacity (2 GB vs 1 GB), API support (Vulkan, better DirectX 12), process efficiency (28 nm vs 40 nm), and transistor density (12.3M/mm² vs 5.9M/mm²). These advantages make it the better choice for modern workloads that rely on compute shaders, Vulkan-based games, or applications that need more than 1 GB of VRAM.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE wins on memory bandwidth (108.8 GB/s vs 57.60 GB/s), pixel rate (7.800 GPixel/s vs 7.680 GPixel/s), texture rate (31.20 GTexel/s vs 23.04 GTexel/s), and raw FP32 throughput (748.8 GFLOPS vs 737.3 GFLOPS). It also has more TMUs (48 vs 24) and ROPs (32 vs 8), which could benefit older DirectX 11 titles that are fill-rate limited. The wider 256-bit bus is a significant advantage for bandwidth-sensitive scenarios. However, none of these translate into a benchmark win in the data provided, so the M370 remains the overall recommendation for most users.