AMD Radeon R7 M445 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only recorded head-to-head benchmark between the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE and the AMD Radeon R7 M445 is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 6389, while the AMD Radeon R7 M445 scores 5358. That is a 19.2% advantage for the NVIDIA part, which is a substantial margin in compute workloads. The NVIDIA card wins this test outright, and the database records 1 win for the GTX 460 SE and 0 wins for the R7 M445.

Context from the nearest rivals section puts these numbers into perspective. The GTX 460 SE sits at the 37th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 6389 places it exactly level with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, which also posts 6389 with a 0% delta. The RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell, a far more modern and expensive workstation part, scores 6407, which is only 0.3% higher than the GTX 460 SE. On the other side, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 scores 6330 (0.9% lower) and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 scores 6327 (1% lower). This clustering suggests the GTX 460 SE is competitive with a wide range of GPUs that span vastly different generations and market segments, all landing within a narrow performance band around 6300 to 6400 points.

The R7 M445, by contrast, sits at the 31st percentile, six points lower than the GTX 460 SE. Its average score of 5358 is nearly matched by the Intel UHD Graphics P630 at 5370, which is actually 0.2% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce 840M comes in at 5322 (0.7% slower), the GeForce 930A at 5317 (0.8% slower), and the GeForce GTX 980M at 5308 (0.9% slower). The R7 M445 is therefore grouped with integrated and low-end mobile graphics, while the GTX 460 SE is grouped with higher-end mobile and workstation parts. The 19.2% delta between the two in the head-to-head is consistent with this positioning: the GTX 460 SE is not just marginally ahead, it is performing in a different tier entirely.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural eras and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE uses the GF104 chip, built on the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It packs 1,950 million transistors onto a 332 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 5.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon R7 M445 uses the Meso chip, built on GCN 3.0, also manufactured at TSMC but on a smaller 28 nm process. It integrates 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, achieving a much higher transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The R7 M445 is therefore the more modern design in terms of manufacturing efficiency, but the GTX 460 SE has the larger raw transistor budget.

The memory subsystems tell a contrasting story. The GTX 460 SE has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 256 bit bus, delivering 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, four times the capacity, but on a 64 bit bus, which limits bandwidth to just 32.00 GB/s. That is a massive difference: the GTX 460 SE has more than three times the memory bandwidth of the R7 M445. The R7 M445 compensates with memory clocked at 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective), while the GTX 460 SE runs its memory at 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective). Higher clock speed on the R7 M445 does not overcome its narrow bus.

Compute resources are distributed differently. The GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The R7 M445 has 320 shading units, more than the NVIDIA part, but only 20 TMUs and 8 ROPs. The GTX 460 SE therefore has a clear advantage in texture and pixel throughput. Its pixel rate is 7.800 GPixel/s versus 7.360 GPixel/s for the R7 M445, a modest lead. The texture rate gap is far larger: 31.20 GTexel/s versus 18.40 GTexel/s, a 69.6% advantage for the GTX 460 SE. In raw FP32 compute, the GTX 460 SE delivers 748.8 GFLOPS against 588.8 GFLOPS for the R7 M445, and the R7 M445's FP16 performance is identical at 588.8 GFLOPS due to a 1:1 ratio, meaning it gains nothing from half-precision.

Feature support also differs. The GTX 460 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed. The R7 M445 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD part has a more complete modern API stack, including a full DirectX 12 feature level. The GTX 460 SE is a desktop card with a 150 W TDP, dual-slot width, and 2x 6-pin power connectors, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU. The R7 M445 is an integrated graphics processor with no TDP listed, no power connectors, and no suggested PSU, designed for portable devices. The GTX 460 SE connects via PCIe 2.0 x16, while the R7 M445 uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The GTX 460 SE has dual DVI and mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs; the R7 M445's outputs are dependent on the host laptop.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for raw performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE beats the AMD Radeon R7 M445 by 19.2% in the Geekbench OpenCL test, with a score of 6389 against 5358. It also wins in memory bandwidth, texture rate, pixel rate, and FP32 compute. The R7 M445 does have advantages, but not in performance: it offers 4 GB of memory versus 1 GB, a smaller 28 nm die with higher transistor density, and a more modern API feature set including Vulkan and DirectX 12 (12_0). Those are meaningful for compatibility and memory capacity, but they do not translate into a benchmark win.

Who should pick which? From the data alone, the GTX 460 SE is the stronger compute performer and the better choice if the workload is OpenCL-heavy or bandwidth-sensitive. The R7 M445 is the better choice if the workload needs more than 1 GB of memory, if power consumption is a concern (it has no TDP listed, but as an IGP it is inherently low-power), or if Vulkan support is required. The GTX 460 SE is end-of-life from the GeForce 400 generation, released in November 2010, while the R7 M445 is also end-of-life but from a much later release, May 2016, from the Gem System (R7 M400) generation. Neither is a current product, but the R7 M445 is the more recent design.

The database percentile ranking reinforces the split. At the 37th percentile, the GTX 460 SE sits above the R7 M445's 31st percentile. That six-point gap in percentile ranking corresponds to the 19.2% head-to-head delta. The GTX 460 SE is not a top-tier part by any means, but it is clearly a notch above the R7 M445 in the database's overall GPU hierarchy.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 6389, which is 19.2% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M445's 5358.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon R7 M445 have more memory?

A: Yes, the R7 M445 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 460 SE has 1024 MB. However, the R7 M445's memory bandwidth is only 32.00 GB/s due to a 64 bit bus, versus 108.8 GB/s for the GTX 460 SE's 256 bit bus.

Q: What are the architecture differences between the two?

A: The GTX 460 SE uses NVIDIA's Fermi architecture on a 40 nm process with 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die. The R7 M445 uses AMD's GCN 3.0 architecture on a 28 nm process with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The R7 M445 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The GTX 460 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What is the form factor of each GPU?

A: The GTX 460 SE is a dual-slot desktop card with 2x 6-pin power connectors and a suggested PSU of 450 W. The R7 M445 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent outputs.

Q: How do their nearest rivals compare?

A: The GTX 460 SE is level with the GeForce GTX 580M (0% delta) and within 1% of the RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell, Radeon Pro WX 4100, and Radeon R7 M350. The R7 M445 is 0.2% slower than the Intel UHD Graphics P630 and 0.7% to 0.9% faster than the GeForce 840M, GeForce 930A, and GeForce GTX 980M.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE wins in every recorded benchmark, but its strengths go beyond the single OpenCL score. Its 108.8 GB/s memory bandwidth is a decisive advantage for any workload that streams large datasets, and its 31.20 GTexel/s texture rate is nearly double the R7 M445's 18.40 GTexel/s, making it the better choice for texture-heavy rendering. Its 748.8 GFLOPS of FP32 compute outpaces the R7 M445's 588.8 GFLOPS, so compute-bound OpenCL tasks will favor the NVIDIA part. The GTX 460 SE also has more TMUs (48 versus 20) and ROPs (32 versus 8), which supports higher fill rates in traditional rasterization. The GTX 460 SE's nearest rivals all cluster within 1% of its score, indicating it is a stable performer within its tier.

The AMD Radeon R7 M445 wins where the GTX 460 SE cannot compete. Its 4 GB memory capacity is four times larger, which matters for workloads that exceed 1 GB of VRAM, such as large textures or certain compute kernels. Its 28 nm process node and 12.4M / mm² transistor density indicate a more modern and power-efficient design, though no TDP is listed to quantify the power draw. The R7 M445's Vulkan 1.2.170 support and DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level give it a software compatibility edge over the GTX 460 SE's DirectX 12 (11_0) and no Vulkan. Its PCIe 3.0 x8 interface is newer than the GTX 460 SE's PCIe 2.0 x16. The R7 M445's nearest rivals include Intel integrated graphics and low-end mobile discrete parts, which suggests its performance class is suited for basic laptop duties rather than demanding 3D workloads.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE | AMD Radeon R7 M445 |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | GCN 3.0 |

| Process node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,950 million | 1,550 million |

| Die size | 332 mm² | 125 mm² |

| Transistor density | 5.9M / mm² | 12.4M / mm² |

| Memory size | 1024 MB | 4 GB |

| Memory bus width | 256 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 108.8 GB/s | 32.00 GB/s |

| Memory clock | 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective) | 1000 MHz (4 Gbps effective) |

| Shading units | 288 | 320 |

| TMUs | 48 | 20 |

| ROPs | 32 | 8 |

| Pixel rate | 7.800 GPixel/s | 7.360 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 31.20 GTexel/s | 18.40 GTexel/s |

| FP32 performance | 748.8 GFLOPS | 588.8 GFLOPS |

| FP16 performance | Not listed | 588.8 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | Not listed |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | IGP |

| Power connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | None |

| Bus interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | Portable Device Dependent |

| DirectX support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan support | Not listed | 1.2.170 |

| Release date | 2010-11-14 | 2016-05-14 |

| Launch MSRP | 160 USD | Not listed |

The GTX 460 SE is the larger, older, and more power-hungry part, but it compensates with superior bandwidth and throughput metrics. The R7 M445 is smaller, newer, and more efficient per square millimeter, but its narrow memory bus and low ROP count cap its performance ceiling. The database records the GTX 460 SE at the 37th percentile and the R7 M445 at the 31st percentile, and the head-to-head delta of 19.2% reflects that ordering.