AMD Radeon R7 M380 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 Comparison

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by nearly four years of architectural evolution. Benchmark data from Geekbench OpenCL places the AMD part ahead, scoring 9313 against the NVIDIA card's 8743, a 6.5% advantage. However, the specifications reveal a deeper story: the R7 M380 uses a smaller, denser, and more modern design, while the GTX 460 v2 relies on a larger, older, but higher-bandwidth configuration. This analysis breaks down the data to show where each card excels and which user should consider it.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9313, placing it in the 46th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 scores 8743, putting it in the 44th percentile. The AMD card leads by 570 points.

Q: How significant is the performance gap between the two cards?

A: In the head-to-head Geekbench OpenCL test, the AMD Radeon R7 M380 wins by a delta of 6.5%. The AMD card also has a 0.1% edge over the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, its closest rival, while the GTX 460 v2 is essentially tied with the RTX 3050 A Mobile at a 0% delta.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each card?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M380 has 4 GB of DDR3 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 32.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 96.19 GB/s of bandwidth—three times the AMD card's throughput.

Q: Do both cards support the same modern APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.6. However, the AMD Radeon R7 M380 supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 has no Vulkan support listed in the data.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M380, built on a 28 nm process, has a transistor density of 12.2M / mm². The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2, on a 40 nm process, has a density of 5.9M / mm². AMD's design is more than twice as dense.

Q: What is the power requirement difference?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 has a TDP of 160 W, requires a 450 W suggested PSU, and uses dual 6-pin power connectors. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 has no TDP, PSU, or power connector data listed, indicating a mobile-oriented design.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different eras. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 uses the Tropo chip based on GCN 1.0 architecture, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This chip packs 1,500 million transistors into a 123 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 12.2M / mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 uses the GF114 chip based on Fermi 2.0 architecture, also built at TSMC but on an older 40 nm process. This larger chip contains 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, with a much lower density of 5.9M / mm².

The architectural differences extend to the compute units. The AMD card has 640 shading units, 40 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). The NVIDIA card has fewer shading units at 336, but more TMUs at 56 and more ROPs at 24. This configuration gives the NVIDIA card a higher texture rate of 43.62 GTexel/s compared to the AMD card's 36.60 GTexel/s, despite the AMD card having a higher pixel rate of 14.64 GPixel/s versus 10.91 GPixel/s. The AMD card also leads in raw FP32 compute, delivering 1,171.2 GFLOPS against the NVIDIA card's 1,046.3 GFLOPS.

Memory architecture also diverges sharply. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 pairs its 4 GB of DDR3 with a 128-bit bus, resulting in 32.00 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, achieving 96.19 GB/s. Finally, the bus interface differs: AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while NVIDIA uses the older PCIe 2.0 x16 standard.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon R7 M380 wins on raw compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 1,171.2 GFLOPS exceeds the NVIDIA card's 1,046.3 GFLOPS by roughly 12%. This advantage, combined with a higher pixel rate (14.64 GPixel/s vs 10.91 GPixel/s), suggests the AMD card is better suited for compute-heavy workloads and fill-rate-dependent tasks. The AMD card also supports Vulkan 1.2.170, which the NVIDIA card lacks entirely, making it the only choice for Vulkan-based applications.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 wins on memory bandwidth and texture throughput. Its 96.19 GB/s bandwidth is exactly three times the AMD card's 32.00 GB/s, which can be critical for high-resolution textures and memory-intensive scenes. The NVIDIA card also has a higher texture rate of 43.62 GTexel/s, indicating better performance in texel-heavy rendering. Its 192-bit bus, while paired with less capacity (1024 MB vs 4 GB), provides a wider path for data flow.

In practical terms, the AMD card is a better fit for modern API adoption and compute workloads, while the NVIDIA card holds a legacy advantage in bandwidth-bound scenarios. The benchmark data, however, favors AMD overall in the OpenCL test.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal several direct contrasts between the two cards:

• Process Node: AMD uses 28 nm; NVIDIA uses 40 nm.
• Transistors: AMD has 1,500 million; NVIDIA has 1,950 million.
• Die Size: AMD is 123 mm²; NVIDIA is 332 mm².
• Transistor Density: AMD is 12.2M / mm²; NVIDIA is 5.9M / mm².
• Memory Size: AMD has 4 GB; NVIDIA has 1024 MB.
• Memory Type: AMD uses DDR3; NVIDIA uses GDDR5.
• Memory Bus: AMD uses 128 bit; NVIDIA uses 192 bit.
• Memory Bandwidth: AMD has 32.00 GB/s; NVIDIA has 96.19 GB/s.
• Memory Clock: AMD is 1000 MHz (2 Gbps effective); NVIDIA is 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective).
• Shading Units: AMD has 640; NVIDIA has 336.
• TMUs: AMD has 40; NVIDIA has 56.
• ROPs: AMD has 16; NVIDIA has 24.
• Pixel Rate: AMD is 14.64 GPixel/s; NVIDIA is 10.91 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: AMD is 36.60 GTexel/s; NVIDIA is 43.62 GTexel/s.
• FP32: AMD is 1,171.2 GFLOPS; NVIDIA is 1,046.3 GFLOPS.
• TDP: AMD has none listed; NVIDIA is 160 W.
• Slot Width: AMD has none listed; NVIDIA is Dual-slot.
• Power Connectors: AMD has none listed; NVIDIA uses 2x 6-pin.
• Suggested PSU: AMD has none listed; NVIDIA requires 450 W.
• Bus Interface: AMD uses PCIe 3.0 x16; NVIDIA uses PCIe 2.0 x16.
• Display Outputs: AMD has none listed; NVIDIA has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.
• Dimensions: AMD has none listed; NVIDIA is 210 mm (8.3 inches) long.
• Vulkan Support: AMD supports 1.2.170; NVIDIA has none.
• Release Date: AMD was released 2015-05-04; NVIDIA was released 2011-09-23.
• Launch MSRP: NVIDIA was 199 USD; AMD has no listed MSRP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this test, the AMD Radeon R7 M380 scores 9313, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 scores 8743. The delta is 6.5% in favor of AMD. This is a clear win for the AMD card, and it aligns with the FP32 compute advantage the AMD card holds (1,171.2 GFLOPS vs 1,046.3 GFLOPS).

The AMD card's closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M, which scores 9302—just 0.1% behind. The GTX 465 scores 9294 (0.2% behind), and the GTX 960 scores 9273 (0.4% behind). This places the R7 M380 in a tight cluster of mid-range GPUs. The NVIDIA GTX 460 v2, by contrast, sits near the RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746, 0% delta) and the Quadro P2200 (8686, 0.7% ahead). The AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8851, which is 1.2% ahead of the GTX 460 v2, and the Pro WX 5100 scores 8863, 1.4% ahead.

The 6.5% head-to-head margin is modest but consistent. The AMD card's higher shading unit count (640 vs 336) and FP32 output appear to drive this result. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA card's superior memory bandwidth and texture rate do not translate into a win in this particular compute-oriented test, suggesting that OpenCL workloads favor AMD's architecture balance here.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward choice for compute-focused users. The AMD Radeon R7 M380 wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 6.5%, holds a 12% FP32 advantage, supports Vulkan 1.2.170, and does so on a more modern 28 nm process with higher transistor density. Its 4 GB memory capacity also doubles the NVIDIA card's 1024 MB, which helps in memory-hungry tasks despite lower bandwidth.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 is not without merit. It offers triple the memory bandwidth (96.19 GB/s vs 32.00 GB/s) and a higher texture rate (43.62 GTexel/s vs 36.60 GTexel/s), which could benefit legacy applications that are bandwidth-limited. However, its older Fermi 2.0 architecture lacks Vulkan support, and its 160 W TDP with a 450 W PSU requirement makes it a heavier system burden. The AMD card carries no such power specifications, implying a more efficient design.

For users prioritizing modern API support, raw compute, and memory capacity, the AMD Radeon R7 M380 is the data-backed winner. For those specifically needing maximum memory bandwidth in older DirectX 11 workloads, the GTX 460 v2 has a theoretical edge, but the benchmark results show AMD still leads overall. The verdict is clear: the AMD Radeon R7 M380 outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 in the measured metrics, and its architectural advantages make it the more forward-looking option.