AMD Radeon R7 M460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE and AMD Radeon R7 M460 represent two very different eras of mobile and desktop GPU design, separated by over four years of architectural evolution. The GTX 560 SE, a 2012 desktop part built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, faces the 2016 R7 M460, a mobile-oriented GCN 3.0 chip. While the older card leads in raw OpenCL compute, the newer AMD part brings modern API support and a much higher transistor density. The benchmark data shows a narrow 8.5% gap in favor of the NVIDIA card, yet the architectural and specification differences tell a more complex story about efficiency, memory configuration, and feature sets.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7171, while the AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612. This gives the NVIDIA card an 8.5% advantage in the head-to-head comparison.

Q: How does the GTX 560 SE compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 560 SE sits within a very tight performance cluster. It is essentially tied with the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170, 0% delta), just 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157), and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222). The AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203) is 0.4% faster.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The GTX 560 SE has a 192-bit memory bus with 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth, whereas the R7 M460 has a 64-bit bus and only 36.00 GB/s. The NVIDIA card offers more than 2.5 times the memory bandwidth of the AMD part.

Q: Which GPU supports a newer version of DirectX?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0). The AMD part also features Vulkan 1.2.170 support, while the NVIDIA card lists no Vulkan support.

Q: What is the transistor density difference between these two chips?

A: The R7 M460, built on a 28 nm process, has a transistor density of 12.4M per mm². The GTX 560 SE, on a 40 nm process, has a density of just 5.9M per mm². Despite this, the GTX 560 SE has more total transistors at 1,950 million versus 1,550 million.

Q: Which card has more shading units and texture mapping units?

A: The R7 M460 has 384 shading units and 24 TMUs, while the GTX 560 SE has 288 shading units and 48 TMUs. The NVIDIA card has double the texture units, but the AMD card has 96 more shading units.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures from different manufacturers and process nodes. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip based on the Fermi 2.0 architecture, manufactured by TSMC on a 40 nm process. In contrast, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 uses the Meso chip based on GCN 3.0, also built by TSMC but on a more advanced 28 nm process. This process shrink allows the AMD chip to achieve a significantly higher transistor density of 12.4M per mm² compared to the NVIDIA's 5.9M per mm², even though the NVIDIA chip has more total transistors (1,950 million vs 1,550 million) and a much larger die size (332 mm² vs 125 mm²).

The compute core configurations highlight a key philosophical difference. The GTX 560 SE packs 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The R7 M460 counters with 384 shading units, but fewer TMUs (24) and ROPs (8). This means the NVIDIA card excels at texture-heavy workloads, offering a texture fill rate of 35.33 GTexel/s versus the AMD's 24.58 GTexel/s. Conversely, the AMD card has more flexible compute units for shader processing. Both cards have identical FP32 performance profiles in the same ballpark, with the GTX 560 SE achieving 847.9 GFLOPS and the R7 M460 at 786.4 GFLOPS, though the AMD card also supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio (786.4 GFLOPS), a feature absent from the NVIDIA part.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The GTX 560 SE uses a 192-bit memory bus with 1024 MB of GDDR5, delivering 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M460 uses a narrow 64-bit bus but compensates with 2048 MB of GDDR5, effective 4.5 Gbps, yet only achieves 36.00 GB/s. This is a massive bandwidth deficit for the AMD card. The GTX 560 SE also has a higher memory clock at 3.8 Gbps effective versus the AMD's 4.5 Gbps effective, though the AMD's faster per-pin speed cannot overcome the narrower bus.

Interface and API support also differ substantially. The GTX 560 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the R7 M460 uses the newer PCIe 3.0 x8. In terms of software features, the AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA card only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support listed. This makes the R7 M460 a more future-proof option for modern game APIs.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear but nuanced picture. For raw compute performance in OpenCL, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE is the winner, scoring 7171 versus 6612 for the AMD Radeon R7 M460, an 8.5% advantage. This is the only benchmark where both cards appear, and the NVIDIA card wins decisively. The GTX 560 SE also offers superior memory bandwidth (91.87 GB/s vs 36.00 GB/s) and a higher texture fill rate (35.33 GTexel/s vs 24.58 GTexel/s), which would benefit texture-heavy applications.

However, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 should be the pick for users who prioritize modern feature support and efficiency. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.2.170, whereas the GTX 560 SE is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan. The AMD card also has double the memory capacity (2 GB vs 1 GB), which is crucial for higher-resolution textures in modern games. Its smaller die size (125 mm² vs 332 mm²) and higher transistor density (12.4M vs 5.9M per mm²) indicate a more efficient design, and it launches four years later, meaning it benefits from architectural improvements.

The choice depends on the workload. For legacy DirectX 11 or OpenCL compute tasks where raw fill rates matter, the GTX 560 SE is the stronger performer. For modern DirectX 12 or Vulkan titles, the R7 M460's feature set makes it a more viable option, despite the lower raw score. The GTX 560 SE also requires a 450 W power supply and dual 6-pin connectors, while the R7 M460 has no listed TDP or power requirements, suggesting it is a lower-power mobile part.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE | AMD Radeon R7 M460 |

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

| Architecture | Fermi 2.0 | 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 |

| Base Clock | N/A | 730 MHz |

| Boost Clock | N/A | 1024 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 3.8 Gbps effective | 4.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 1024 MB | 2 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 91.87 GB/s | 36.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 288 | 384 |

| TMUs | 48 | 24 |

| ROPs | 24 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 8.832 GPixel/s | 8.192 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 35.33 GTexel/s | 24.58 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 847.9 GFLOPS | 786.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | N/A | 786.4 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 150 W | N/A |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | N/A |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | N/A |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | N/A |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | N/A | 1.2.170 |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | N/A |

| Dimensions | 210 mm (8.3 inches) | N/A |

| Release Date | 2012-02-19 | 2016-05-14 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE achieves a score of 7171 against the AMD Radeon R7 M460's 6612. This yields a delta of 8.5% in favor of the NVIDIA card. This is the single most important data point in this comparison, as it indicates a meaningful performance lead for the older NVIDIA architecture in compute workloads.

The GTX 560 SE's win can be attributed to its superior memory subsystem. With 91.87 GB/s of bandwidth versus the R7 M460's 36.00 GB/s, the NVIDIA card has a 2.55x advantage in memory throughput. This is critical for OpenCL workloads that often stress memory access patterns. Additionally, the GTX 560 SE has a higher texture rate (35.33 GTexel/s vs 24.58 GTexel/s), suggesting better performance in texture-bound operations.

The AMD card's counterargument comes from its compute unit count. The R7 M460 has 384 shading units compared to the GTX 560 SE's 288, a 33% advantage in raw shader count. However, this advantage is negated by the lower clock speeds and the narrow memory bus. The R7 M460's boost clock of 1024 MHz helps, but its base clock of 730 MHz is low, and the 64-bit bus creates a bottleneck that limits the effective utilization of those shading units.

In terms of rival positioning, the GTX 560 SE's score of 7171 places it in the 39th percentile of all GPUs, just barely ahead of the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (7157). The AMD Radeon R7 M460, at 6612, sits in the 38th percentile, slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513) and AMD Radeon HD 7730M (6581), but ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554). This shows that both cards are closely matched in the lower-midrange segment, with the GTX 560 SE having a slight edge in compute performance but the R7 M460 offering a more balanced modern feature set.