AMD Radeon R7 M460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M and the AMD Radeon R7 M460 represent two very different approaches to mobile graphics, separated by two years of architecture evolution. The recorded data shows a clear split: the GTX 880M leads in raw compute and memory bandwidth, while the R7 M460 wins the only shared benchmark test. However, the overall picture is not close. The GTX 880M sits at the 42nd percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the R7 M460 sits at the 38th percentile. The GTX 880M’s average benchmark score of 8040 places it among desktop-class parts, while the R7 M460’s average of 6612 puts it in entry-level territory. This page breaks down exactly where each card wins, why, and who should choose which.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable test in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. Here, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M scores 5622. The R7 M460 wins this test by 15 percent. That is a substantial margin, and it is worth noting because the GTX 880M has far more hardware resources on paper. The GTX 880M packs 1536 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The R7 M460 has 384 shading units, 24 texture mapping units, and 8 raster output units. Yet in OpenCL compute, the smaller AMD chip comes out ahead. The reason appears to be architectural efficiency. The R7 M460 uses GCN 3.0 architecture with a 1024 MHz boost clock, while the GTX 880M uses Kepler with a 993 MHz boost clock. The R7 M460’s newer instruction set and compute-focused design likely allow it to extract more work per clock in OpenCL workloads.

However, the GTX 880M has other benchmark results that the R7 M460 does not have. In Geekbench Metal, the GTX 880M scores 10458. That is a massive score, roughly 86 percent higher than its own OpenCL result. Metal is Apple’s graphics API, and the GTX 880M’s Kepler architecture appears to be well optimized for it. The R7 M460 has no recorded Metal test in the database, so direct comparison is impossible. But the GTX 880M’s Metal score of 10458 is the highest single test score for either card, and it pulls the GTX 880M’s average benchmark score up to 8040. The R7 M460’s average is exactly its OpenCL score of 6612, since that is the only test recorded.

Looking at nearest rivals helps contextualize these numbers. The GTX 880M’s average score of 8040 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro P5000, which scores 8039. It is also within 0.2 percent of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti (8053) and within 0.3 percent of the GTX 650 Ti Boost (8067). The GTX 880M is actually slightly behind those two cards, trailing by 0.2 and 0.3 percent respectively. The R7 M460’s average of 6612 sits just 0.5 percent above the Radeon HD 7730M (6581) and 0.9 percent above the Intel UHD Graphics P750 (6554). It trails the GeForce GT 1010 by 1.3 percent (6698) and beats the GeForce GTX 670M by 1.5 percent (6513). So the R7 M460 is competitive with older mainstream mobile GPUs, while the GTX 880M is competitive with older desktop mid-range parts.

The head-to-head OpenCL result is the only direct comparison, and it favors AMD. But the broader benchmark picture favors NVIDIA. The GTX 880M’s average score of 8040 is 21.6 percent higher than the R7 M460’s 6612. That average is driven by the Metal score, which shows the GTX 880M has a significant performance ceiling that the R7 M460 cannot reach. In the database’s win/loss tally for direct head-to-head tests, the R7 M460 wins 1 test and the GTX 880M wins 0. But that single win does not translate to overall superiority, as the GTX 880M’s additional benchmark coverage and higher average demonstrate.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M has an average benchmark score of 8040, while the AMD Radeon R7 M460 has an average of 6612. The GTX 880M’s average is 21.6 percent higher.

Q: In the only shared benchmark test, who wins?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 6612 versus the GTX 880M’s 5622, a 15 percent advantage for AMD.

Q: Does the GTX 880M have any benchmark results the R7 M460 lacks?

A: Yes. The GTX 880M has a Geekbench Metal score of 10458. The R7 M460 has no recorded Metal test in the database.

Q: How does each GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 880M is within 0.3 percent of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost (8067) and 0.2 percent of the GTX 650 Ti (8053). The R7 M460 is 0.5 percent above the Radeon HD 7730M (6581) and 1.3 percent below the GeForce GT 1010 (6698).

Q: What is the percentile ranking for each GPU?

A: The GTX 880M ranks at the 42nd percentile among all GPUs in the database. The R7 M460 ranks at the 38th percentile.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 880M has 1536 shading units, while the R7 M460 has 384. The GTX 880M has four times the shading units.

The Verdict

The data points to a decisive overall win for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, despite losing the single shared OpenCL test. The GTX 880M’s average benchmark score of 8040 is substantially higher than the R7 M460’s 6612. The GTX 880M also achieves a 42nd percentile ranking versus the R7 M460’s 38th percentile, placing it above more of the GPU field. The GTX 880M’s Metal score of 10458 demonstrates a performance tier the R7 M460 simply cannot match, as the R7 M460 has no equivalent recorded result. For anyone choosing between these two, the GTX 880M is the stronger performer in the database’s overall measurements.

The R7 M460’s OpenCL win is real but narrow in scope. A 15 percent lead in one compute test does not offset a 21.6 percent deficit in average score. The R7 M460’s nearest rivals include the HD 7730M and Intel UHD Graphics P750, both of which score below it, but also the GeForce GT 1010, which scores above it. The GTX 880M’s nearest rivals include the Quadro P5000 and GTX 650 Ti Boost, both of which are desktop or workstation class parts. That comparison alone shows the GTX 880M operates in a higher performance bracket. The verdict is clear: the GTX 880M for overall graphics performance, and the R7 M460 only if OpenCL compute is the sole priority and the GTX 880M’s other advantages are irrelevant.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ sharply across nearly every specification. The GTX 880M uses the GK104 chip with Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 3,540 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The R7 M460 uses the Meso chip with GCN 3.0 architecture, also 28 nm at TSMC, but with 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die. The GTX 880M has a transistor density of 12.0 million per mm², while the R7 M460 has 12.4 million per mm².

Clock speeds differ as well. The GTX 880M has a base clock of 954 MHz and a boost clock of 993 MHz. The R7 M460 has a lower base of 730 MHz but a higher boost of 1024 MHz. Memory clocks also diverge: the GTX 880M runs at 1250 MHz with 5 Gbps effective, while the R7 M460 runs at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective.

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. The GTX 880M has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 160.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The R7 M460 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, yielding only 36.00 GB/s. That is a 4x difference in bus width and a 4.4x difference in bandwidth. The GTX 880M’s memory size is also 4 times larger.

Compute resources follow the same pattern. The GTX 880M has 1536 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The R7 M460 has 384 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 8 ROPs. Pixel rate for the GTX 880M is 31.78 GPixel/s versus 8.192 GPixel/s for the R7 M460. Texture rate is 127.1 GTexel/s versus 24.58 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 3.050 TFLOPS for the GTX 880M versus 786.4 GFLOPS for the R7 M460. The R7 M460 does have FP16 performance at 786.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 880M has no recorded FP16 capability.

Power and interface also differ. The GTX 880M has a TDP of 122 W and uses an MXM Module slot with MXM-B (3.0) bus interface. The R7 M460 has no recorded TDP, uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 bus interface, and has no slot width or power connector data. Display outputs are portable-device dependent for the GTX 880M and not recorded for the R7 M460. DirectX support differs: the GTX 880M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) while the R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). OpenGL is 4.6 for both. Vulkan is 1.2.175 for the GTX 880M and 1.2.170 for the R7 M460.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is significant. The GTX 880M is built on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, which was designed for high shader throughput and efficiency in gaming workloads. Kepler uses a large number of smaller cores, which is why the GTX 880M has 1536 shading units. The GK104 chip is a mature design from 2014, and its 28 nm process at TSMC allowed for a large 294 mm² die with 3,540 million transistors. Kepler’s strength is raw parallel throughput, which shows in the GTX 880M’s 3.050 TFLOPS FP32 performance and its high Metal benchmark score.

The R7 M460 uses AMD’s GCN 3.0 architecture, which is a later design from 2016. GCN 3.0 focuses on compute efficiency and asynchronous execution, which explains why the smaller R7 M460 with only 384 shading units can beat the GTX 880M in OpenCL. The Meso chip is much smaller at 125 mm² with 1,550 million transistors, but it achieves a slightly higher transistor density of 12.4 million per mm² versus 12.0 million for the GTX 880M. GCN 3.0 also supports FP16 compute at the same rate as FP32, a feature Kepler lacks.

The memory architecture is a fundamental difference. The GTX 880M uses a 256-bit memory bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, designed for high-resolution textures and multi-display setups. The R7 M460 uses a 64-bit bus with 36.00 GB/s, which is a quarter of the bandwidth. This limits the R7 M460 in memory-intensive scenarios, but it also reduces power and board complexity. The GTX 880M’s TDP of 122 W reflects its larger memory subsystem and higher clocked cores. The R7 M460 has no recorded TDP, but its smaller die and narrower bus suggest lower power draw.

Feature support also differs. The GTX 880M supports DirectX 12 at feature level 11_0, while the R7 M460 supports DirectX 12 at feature level 12_0. That means the R7 M460 can use newer DirectX 12 features like bindless resources and certain async compute optimizations. The GTX 880M’s Vulkan support is version 1.2.175 versus 1.2.170 for the R7 M460, a minor difference. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 880M has no recorded RT or tensor cores, and neither does the R7 M460.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 880M wins in raw throughput and memory capacity. Its 8 GB GDDR5 frame buffer and 160.0 GB/s bandwidth make it suitable for large textures, high-resolution gaming, and professional visualization workloads. Its 3.050 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 127.1 GTexel/s texture rate give it a clear edge in shader-heavy and texture-heavy applications. The Metal score of 10458 suggests strong performance in Apple ecosystem graphics workloads, which is relevant for Mac users with eGPU setups or older MacBook Pro MXM modules. The GTX 880M’s average score of 8040 places it near the Quadro P5000, a workstation-class GPU, indicating it can handle compute tasks well beyond entry-level.

The R7 M460 wins in OpenCL compute efficiency and architectural modernity. Its GCN 3.0 design with DirectX 12 (12_0) support means it can run newer graphics APIs with more features. The OpenCL score of 6612 beats the GTX 880M by 15 percent, which is meaningful for applications that rely heavily on OpenCL, such as certain physics simulations, image processing, and cryptocurrency mining (historically). The R7 M460’s FP16 support at 1:1 ratio also makes it more flexible for machine learning inference tasks that use half precision. Its smaller die and lower transistor count suggest it is more power-efficient per unit of work, though no TDP is recorded to confirm.

In terms of nearest rivals, the GTX 880M is bracketed by desktop GPUs like the GTX 650 Ti and GTX 650 Ti Boost, both of which it nearly matches. That places it in a performance class that can handle 1080p gaming at medium to high settings in older titles. The R7 M460 is bracketed by the HD 7730M and Intel UHD Graphics P750, which are entry-level mobile and integrated parts. It beats the older GTX 670M by 1.5 percent, which is notable but not transformative. The R7 M460 is best suited for light gaming, office productivity, and media acceleration in thin laptops. The GTX 880M is best suited for gaming laptops and mobile workstations where performance matters more than battery life.

The database’s percentile rankings reinforce this split. The GTX 880M at the 42nd percentile is above the median GPU, while the R7 M460 at the 38th percentile is below it. That means the GTX 880M outperforms more than half of all GPUs in the database, while the R7 M460 outperforms fewer than half. For a user prioritizing gaming or compute, the GTX 880M is the clear choice. For a user prioritizing OpenCL workloads in a low-power mobile package, the R7 M460 has a specific advantage, but it is a narrow one. Overall, the GTX 880M is the superior GPU in the recorded data.