AMD Radeon R7 M460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single recorded head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, delivers a definitive result: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost scores 9302, while the AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612. That is a 40.7% advantage for the NVIDIA part, a commanding lead in raw compute throughput. This is not a marginal win; it is a decisive gap that places the two cards in different performance tiers.

Looking at the broader database averages, the NVIDIA card's average benchmark score is 8067, which sits at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs. The AMD card's average is 6612, placing it at the 38th percentile. The percentile difference is modest, but the raw score delta is substantial. The NVIDIA card's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GRID K2 (8080, only 0.2% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti (8053, 0.2% ahead), meaning the GTX 650 Ti Boost is clustered tightly with those parts. The AMD R7 M460, by contrast, sits near the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (6698, 1.3% ahead) and the AMD Radeon HD 7730M (6581, 0.5% behind). The data shows that the GTX 650 Ti Boost is competing in a higher performance bracket, while the R7 M460 is firmly in entry-level territory.

In the OpenCL test specifically, the NVIDIA card's score of 9302 is not only 40.7% higher than the AMD's 6612, but it also exceeds the NVIDIA card's own average score by over 15%. This suggests the GTX 650 Ti Boost performs particularly well in OpenCL workloads. The AMD card's OpenCL score of 6612 matches its average score exactly, indicating consistent performance across available tests. The win count is 1 for NVIDIA and 0 for AMD, with no other benchmark comparisons recorded in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost uses the GK106 chip built on the Kepler architecture, part of the GeForce 600 generation. It is fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process, containing 2,540 million transistors on a 221 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 11.5 million transistors per mm². The AMD Radeon R7 M460 uses the Meso chip based on GCN 3.0, from the Gem System (R7 M400) generation. It is also built by TSMC on 28 nm, but packs 1,550 million transistors on a smaller 125 mm² die, achieving a higher density of 12.4 million transistors per mm².

The compute resources diverge sharply. The NVIDIA card has 768 shading units, 64 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster operation units (ROPs). The AMD card has exactly half the shading units at 384, with 24 TMUs and only 8 ROPs. This explains the massive difference in fill rates: the NVIDIA card achieves a pixel rate of 16.51 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 66.05 GTexel/s, while the AMD card manages only 8.192 GPixel/s and 24.58 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput tells the same story: 1.585 TFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 786.4 GFLOPS for AMD, exactly half. Notably, the AMD card lists FP16 at 786.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, meaning it offers no half-precision advantage.

Memory configurations also differ fundamentally. Both cards have 2 GB of GDDR5, but the NVIDIA card uses a 192-bit bus with 144.2 GB/s of bandwidth, while the AMD card is constrained to a 64-bit bus delivering just 36.00 GB/s. The clock speeds are closer than the memory bandwidth suggests: the GTX 650 Ti Boost runs at 980 MHz base and 1032 MHz boost, with memory at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective). The R7 M460 runs at 730 MHz base and 1024 MHz boost, with memory at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The NVIDIA card's higher base clock and wider memory bus are critical differentiators.

Feature support shows a generational split. The NVIDIA card supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The AMD card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The AMD card has a newer DirectX feature level, but the NVIDIA card has a slightly newer Vulkan version. The NVIDIA card also has a defined display output set: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the AMD card's display outputs are not recorded.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost scores 9302 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 40.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 M460's score of 6612.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The NVIDIA card has a 192-bit memory bus delivering 144.2 GB/s, while the AMD card uses a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s. This is a four-fold difference in bandwidth despite both having 2 GB of GDDR5.

Q: What is the transistor density difference?

A: The AMD R7 M460 has a higher transistor density at 12.4 million transistors per mm², compared to the NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti Boost at 11.5 million per mm². However, the NVIDIA chip has more total transistors (2,540 million vs 1,550 million) on a larger die (221 mm² vs 125 mm²).

Q: Which card supports a newer DirectX version?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The AMD card has the higher feature level.

Q: How do the shading unit counts compare?

A: The NVIDIA card has 768 shading units, exactly double the AMD card's 384 shading units. This aligns with the 2:1 ratio seen in FP32 performance (1.585 TFLOPS vs 786.4 GFLOPS).

Q: What are the average benchmark scores and percentiles?

A: The NVIDIA card averages 8067 across all benchmarks, placing it at the 42nd percentile of all GPUs. The AMD card averages 6612, placing it at the 38th percentile.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for performance: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost. It wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark by 40.7%, has a higher average benchmark score (8067 vs 6612), and sits at a higher percentile (42nd vs 38th). Every major compute metric favors NVIDIA: double the shading units, double the FP32 throughput, nearly double the pixel rate, and four times the memory bandwidth. The architecture differences compound this: the Kepler-based card has a wider memory bus and higher clock speeds, while the GCN 3.0 card is constrained by its 64-bit interface.

The AMD R7 M460 does have one advantage: DirectX 12 (12_0) support versus the NVIDIA card's 12 (11_0). For applications that leverage the newer DirectX feature level, the AMD card holds a compatibility edge. It also has a smaller die (125 mm² vs 221 mm²) and fewer transistors (1,550 million vs 2,540 million), which implies lower manufacturing complexity, though power consumption figures are not recorded for the AMD card to confirm efficiency.

For users prioritizing raw performance, the GTX 650 Ti Boost is the choice. Its benchmark scores place it near the NVIDIA GRID K2 and GTX 650 Ti, both of which are within 0.3% of its average score. The R7 M460, by contrast, competes with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 and Intel UHD Graphics P750, a much lower tier. The verdict is straightforward: the NVIDIA card outperforms the AMD card in every recorded benchmark metric, and the only reason to select the AMD card is if the newer DirectX 12 feature level is a hard requirement.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost | AMD Radeon R7 M460 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 3.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 600 | Gem System (R7 M400) |

| Chip | GK106 | Meso |

| Transistors | 2,540 million | 1,550 million |

| Die Size | 221 mm² | 125 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 11.5M / mm² | 12.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 980 MHz | 730 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1032 MHz | 1024 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 64 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 144.2 GB/s | 36.00 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 768 | 384 |

| TMUs | 64 | 24 |

| ROPs | 24 | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 16.51 GPixel/s | 8.192 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 66.05 GTexel/s | 24.58 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 1.585 TFLOPS | 786.4 GFLOPS |

| FP16 | Not recorded | 786.4 GFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 134 W | Not recorded |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Not recorded |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | Not recorded |

| Suggested PSU | 300 W | Not recorded |

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

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | Not recorded |

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

| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | 1.2.175 | 1.2.170 |

| Release Date | 2013-03-25 | 2016-05-14 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 500 | Solar System |

| Successor | GeForce 700 | Polaris Mobile |

| Launch MSRP | 169 USD | Not recorded |

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost wins in every benchmark category where both have recorded data. Its OpenCL score of 9302 is 40.7% higher, its average score is 22% higher, and it has superior fill rates, memory bandwidth, and shading unit counts. It is the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads, particularly OpenCL applications that can leverage its 768 shading units and 144.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its pixel rate of 16.51 GPixel/s and texture rate of 66.05 GTexel/s also make it better suited for traditional rasterization workloads, assuming the system can provide the required 300 W PSU and 1x 6-pin connector.

The AMD Radeon R7 M460 wins only in specific feature compatibility areas. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0) versus the NVIDIA card's 12 (11_0), meaning it can run applications that require the higher DirectX feature level. It also has a smaller die and fewer transistors, which may make it easier to integrate into compact systems, though its lack of recorded power draw and physical dimensions prevents a definitive comparison. Its lower pixel rate (8.192 GPixel/s) and texture rate (24.58 GTexel/s) put it at a disadvantage for high-resolution rendering, but its 1:1 FP16 ratio (786.4 GFLOPS) could be relevant for specific mixed-precision workloads, even though the NVIDIA card's FP16 is not recorded.

For a system builder choosing between these two, the GTX 650 Ti Boost is the performance pick. The R7 M460 is only preferable when the DirectX 12 (12_0) requirement is non-negotiable, or when the smaller die size and lower transistor count align with specific integration constraints. The benchmark data does not support any other scenario where the AMD card comes out ahead.