AMD Radeon R7 M460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 and AMD Radeon R7 M460 represent two distinct approaches to mobile and desktop graphics, separated by over two years of release dates. The data shows a clear overall winner in the GTX 750, which posts an average benchmark score of 7,222 compared to the R7 M460’s 6,612, a 9.2% advantage. However, the R7 M460 offers double the memory capacity (2 GB vs 1 GB) and a more modern DirectX 12 feature level (12_0 vs 11_0), making the choice less straightforward for users prioritizing API support over raw compute performance. The GTX 750 also holds a higher percentile ranking at 40 versus 38, placing it slightly ahead in the overall GPU landscape, while its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (0.3% ahead) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (0.9% ahead), indicating tight competition at its performance tier.

The Verdict

For users seeking maximum compute performance in legacy applications, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 is the definitive choice based on benchmark data. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 9,315 crushes the R7 M460’s 6,612, a 40.9% gap that represents the single largest performance differential between the two. The GTX 750 also demonstrates superior memory bandwidth at 80.19 GB/s versus 36.00 GB/s, more than double the R7 M460’s throughput, which directly impacts texture-heavy workloads and higher-resolution rendering. Its pixel rate of 17.36 GPixel/s and texture rate of 34.72 GTexel/s further reinforce its dominance, outpacing the R7 M460’s 8.192 GPixel/s and 24.58 GTexel/s respectively.

However, the R7 M460 is not without merit for specific use cases. Its 2 GB GDDR5 memory capacity, double the GTX 750’s 1 GB, allows it to hold larger textures and datasets in VRAM, which can be critical for modern game assets or computational tasks exceeding 1 GB. The R7 M460 also supports DirectX 12 (12_0) at a higher feature level than the GTX 750’s 12 (11_0), meaning newer titles designed around DirectX 12 Ultimate features may run with better compliance. Additionally, the R7 M460 offers FP16 performance at 786.4 GFLOPS (1:1), a capability the GTX 750 lacks entirely, which benefits applications leveraging half-precision arithmetic.

The verdict splits cleanly: choose the GTX 750 for raw speed, higher frame rates, and better compute performance in OpenCL workloads, while the R7 M460 suits users who prioritize memory capacity, modern API compliance, and half-precision compute support. The GTX 750’s 55 W TDP and single-slot design also make it a practical drop-in upgrade for older systems, whereas the R7 M460’s lack of TDP and slot data suggests it targets mobile integration where power envelopes are less publicized.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 averages 7,222 across all benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon R7 M460 averages 6,612, giving the GTX 750 a 9.2% lead.

Q: How do the two compare in OpenCL performance?

A: The GTX 750 scores 9,315 in Geekbench OpenCL versus the R7 M460’s 6,612, a 40.9% advantage for the NVIDIA part.

Q: Does the R7 M460 have more memory than the GTX 750?

A: Yes, the R7 M460 features 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 750 comes with 1 GB of GDDR5, though the GTX 750’s 128-bit bus provides higher bandwidth at 80.19 GB/s versus 36.00 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU supports a higher DirectX feature level?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), while the GTX 750 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), making the R7 M460 more compliant with newer API standards.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU?

A: The GTX 750’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (0.3% ahead), while the R7 M460’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 (1.3% behind).

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 750 packs 12.6 million transistors per mm², slightly higher than the R7 M460’s 12.4 million per mm², despite the R7 M460 having fewer total transistors (1,550 million vs 1,870 million).

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two GPUs is substantial, reflecting their different design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 utilizes the GM107 chip built on the Maxwell architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 28 nm process node. This chip contains 1,870 million transistors across a 148 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per mm². Maxwell was engineered for efficiency, and the GTX 750’s 55 W TDP with no power connectors underscores this focus, allowing it to draw power solely from the PCIe slot. The architecture supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs.

In contrast, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 employs the Meso chip based on GCN 3.0 architecture, also fabricated by TSMC at 28 nm. This chip contains 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, with a density of 12.4 million per mm². GCN 3.0 was AMD’s third-generation compute-oriented design, emphasizing throughput and asynchronous compute capabilities. The R7 M460’s architecture supports DirectX 12 (12_0), a higher feature level than the GTX 750, along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.2.170. It features 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and only 8 ROPs, reflecting a more compute-focused layout. Notably, the R7 M460 offers FP16 compute at 786.4 GFLOPS (1:1), whereas the GTX 750 has no FP16 capability listed, indicating a divergence in precision support.

The memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The GTX 750 uses a 128-bit memory bus with GDDR5 running at 5 Gbps effective, delivering 80.19 GB/s bandwidth. The R7 M460 halves the bus width to 64-bit but doubles the capacity to 2 GB, with GDDR5 at 4.5 Gbps effective, resulting in 36.00 GB/s bandwidth. This trade-off between capacity and bandwidth is a defining architectural choice: the GTX 750 prioritizes throughput, while the R7 M460 prioritizes capacity for larger data sets.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal several key differences beyond raw performance. The GTX 750 operates at a base clock of 1020 MHz with a boost of 1085 MHz, significantly higher than the R7 M460’s 730 MHz base and 1024 MHz boost. This clock advantage contributes to the GTX 750’s higher fill rates: 17.36 GPixel/s pixel rate and 34.72 GTexel/s texture rate, versus the R7 M460’s 8.192 GPixel/s and 24.58 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance also favors the GTX 750 at 1,111.0 GFLOPS, compared to the R7 M460’s 786.4 GFLOPS.

Memory specifications diverge sharply. The GTX 750 offers 1 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 80.19 GB/s bandwidth, while the R7 M460 provides 2 GB GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s. The GTX 750’s memory clock runs at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), versus the R7 M460’s 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective). The bus interface also differs: the GTX 750 uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the R7 M460 uses PCIe 3.0 x8, halving the available bandwidth to the host system.

Physical and power specifications are only provided for the GTX 750, which lists a 55 W TDP, single-slot design, no power connectors, a 250 W suggested PSU, and dimensions of 145 mm (5.7 inches). The R7 M460 lacks TDP, slot width, power connector, PSU recommendation, and dimension data, suggesting it is a mobile-oriented part without fixed desktop specifications. Display outputs are also absent for the R7 M460, while the GTX 750 offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a. Release dates show the GTX 750 launching on February 17, 2014, with a launch MSRP of 119 USD, while the R7 M460 arrived on May 14, 2016, with no MSRP listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, where the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 scores 9,315 against the AMD Radeon R7 M460’s 6,612. This 40.9% delta in favor of the GTX 750 is the definitive data point for comparing compute performance. The margin is substantial, indicating that for OpenCL-based workloads—common in scientific computing, video encoding, and certain game physics—the GTX 750 delivers roughly 1.4 times the performance of the R7 M460.

Contextualizing this score against each GPU’s nearest rivals provides additional insight. The GTX 750’s 9,315 OpenCL result aligns with its average benchmark score of 7,222, which sits just 0.3% below the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile and 0.7% below both the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE and Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580. This places the GTX 750 in a competitive mid-range tier where small deltas separate top contenders. The R7 M460’s 6,612 OpenCL score is its only benchmark, and it sits 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010, 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7730M, and 0.9% ahead of the Intel UHD Graphics P750. This positions the R7 M460 slightly lower in the performance hierarchy, with its nearest rivals being older or integrated solutions.

The 40.9% win for the GTX 750 in OpenCL is not mirrored by any countervailing benchmark win for the R7 M460, as the head-to-head data records one win for the GTX 750 and zero for the R7 M460. The GTX 750’s higher average score (7,222 vs 6,612) and better percentile (40 vs 38) corroborate this dominance. However, the R7 M460’s 2 GB memory capacity and DirectX 12_0 support are qualitative advantages not captured in these compute-focused benchmarks, suggesting potential wins in memory-constrained or API-specific scenarios.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 wins decisively in compute-heavy tasks. Its 40.9% OpenCL advantage translates to faster performance in applications like video rendering, physics simulation, and machine learning inference that rely on OpenCL. The higher memory bandwidth (80.19 GB/s) also benefits texture streaming and high-resolution rendering, where the GTX 750’s 128-bit bus can move data more efficiently than the R7 M460’s 64-bit bus. The GTX 750’s higher pixel rate (17.36 GPixel/s) and texture rate (34.72 GTexel/s) make it better suited for traditional 3D gaming at lower resolutions, where fill rate limits performance. Its 55 W TDP and single-slot design also make it a viable upgrade for compact or older desktops with limited power delivery, as it requires no auxiliary power connectors.

The AMD Radeon R7 M460 wins in scenarios demanding memory capacity and modern API compliance. Its 2 GB VRAM allows it to load larger textures, higher-resolution assets, or bigger datasets without spilling to system memory, which can be critical for games with high-resolution texture packs or compute workloads exceeding 1 GB. The DirectX 12 (12_0) feature level means the R7 M460 can take better advantage of modern graphics features like bindless resources and improved multi-threading, potentially offering smoother performance in DX12 titles despite lower raw compute. The FP16 support at 786.4 GFLOPS enables faster half-precision operations, useful in AI inference and certain shader effects. The R7 M460’s later release date (2016 vs 2014) also suggests better driver maturity for Windows 10-era APIs, though the data does not quantify this.

In practical terms, the GTX 750 is the clear winner for users running legacy DirectX 11 games, OpenCL applications, or any workload where raw throughput matters. The R7 M460 is preferable for users with memory-hungry workloads or those targeting DirectX 12 titles, where its capacity and API support can offset its compute deficit. The data does not support the R7 M460 as a performance leader in any measured benchmark, but its specification sheet highlights niche advantages that could tip the scales for specific use cases.