AMD Radeon R7 M460 vs NVIDIA Quadro M500M Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits cleanly between these two mobile graphics parts. The AMD Radeon R7 M460 holds a single decisive advantage in the OpenCL compute test, scoring 6612 against the NVIDIA Quadro M500M's 5986, a 10.5% margin in favor of the AMD part. That makes the R7 M460 the stronger choice for any workload that depends on raw GPGPU throughput as measured by OpenCL, which typically includes general compute tasks, physics simulations, and data-parallel processing.

The Quadro M500M, by contrast, does not win the OpenCL comparison, but it does offer something the AMD part cannot match: a Vulkan score. The database records a Geekbench Vulkan result of 5222 for the Quadro M500M, while no Vulkan score exists for the Radeon R7 M460. This absence is notable because the AMD part lists Vulkan 1.2.170 API support in its specification, whereas the Quadro lists Vulkan 1.4. The presence of a measured Vulkan score for the NVIDIA part and none for the AMD part suggests that the Quadro M500M has been validated in Vulkan-based applications, while the R7 M460 has no recorded Vulkan performance data in the database.

Looking at the broader context of the database's percentile rankings, the R7 M460 sits at the 38th percentile among all GPUs, while the Quadro M500M sits at the 32nd percentile. The AMD part's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 6612, which equals its single OpenCL result. The Quadro M500M's average score is 5604, which is lower than either of its individual results due to the averaging of its 5986 OpenCL score and 5222 Vulkan score. This average score places it below the R7 M460 by roughly 18% when comparing their aggregate benchmark performance.

The R7 M460 also shows a higher peak texture throughput, with 24.58 GTexel/s against the Quadro's 17.98 GTexel/s, while pixel rates are near parity: 8.192 GPixel/s for AMD versus 8.992 GPixel/s for NVIDIA. The Quadro M500M actually holds a slight edge in pixel fill rate, approximately 9.8% higher, but the AMD part's texture rate advantage is the more significant gap at roughly 36.7%. For memory bandwidth, the R7 M460's 36.00 GB/s nearly doubles the Quadro M500M's 14.40 GB/s, which can matter in texture-heavy or bandwidth-sensitive scenarios.

The use-case split is straightforward: the R7 M460 is the better compute performer as measured by OpenCL, while the Quadro M500M is the only one of the two with a recorded Vulkan benchmark result, making it the safer choice for Vulkan-based rendering pipelines.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear verdict for compute-heavy workloads: the AMD Radeon R7 M460 outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro M500M in the only benchmark where both have recorded results. The OpenCL delta of 10.5% is meaningful, and the R7 M460's higher memory bandwidth (36.00 GB/s versus 14.40 GB/s) and texture rate (24.58 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s) reinforce its advantage in memory-intensive tasks.

For users whose applications rely on Vulkan, however, the Quadro M500M is the only one of the two with a measured result in that API. The absence of a Vulkan score for the R7 M460 in the database means there is no evidence that the AMD part can deliver comparable Vulkan performance, despite its API listing. The Quadro M500M's Vulkan score of 5222 is its lower result, but it is at least a recorded, verifiable number.

The percentile rankings favor the R7 M460: 38th percentile versus 32nd. The nearest rival comparisons reinforce this ordering. The R7 M460 sits within 1.5% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M and 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010, while the Quadro M500M sits within 1.9% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M and 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce MX130. The AMD part is competing in a slightly higher performance tier according to the database's aggregate scores.

The Quadro M500M does have a lower TDP at 30 W, which is worth noting for power-constrained mobile designs, though the R7 M460's TDP is not recorded in the database. The Quadro also uses DDR3 memory while the R7 M460 uses GDDR5, and the bandwidth difference reflects that: 14.40 GB/s versus 36.00 GB/s.

Who should pick which? Users prioritizing OpenCL compute performance should choose the AMD Radeon R7 M460. Users who need verified Vulkan performance, or who are constrained by power limits in a thin laptop chassis, should choose the NVIDIA Quadro M500M. The data does not support any other conclusion.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one head-to-head comparison between these two GPUs, and it is a decisive one. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612 against the NVIDIA Quadro M500M's 5986. That is a 10.5% advantage for the AMD part. This is the only test where both devices have recorded scores, so it stands as the primary quantitative comparison between them.

To put that 10.5% delta in context, look at the nearest rival data. The R7 M460's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon HD 7730M, which scores 6581, just 0.5% behind. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698, 1.3% ahead of the R7 M460. The R7 M460 also beats the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M (6513) by 1.5%. So the R7 M460 is positioned in a tight cluster of mid-range mobile parts, and its 10.5% lead over the Quadro M500M is a substantial gap compared to the 0.5% to 1.9% deltas seen among its nearest rivals.

The Quadro M500M's nearest rivals show a different picture. It trails the AMD Radeon HD 8790M (5691) by 1.5%, leads the AMD FirePro M4000 (5537) by 1.2%, leads the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 (5508) by 1.7%, and leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (5501) by 1.9%. The Quadro's average score of 5604 places it below the 5700 mark, while the R7 M460's average score of 6612 sits well above the 6500 mark. The gap between their average scores is approximately 18%, which is larger than the single OpenCL delta of 10.5% because the Quadro's Vulkan score of 5222 drags its average down.

The Quadro M500M's Vulkan score of 5222 is worth examining on its own. It is 12.8% lower than its OpenCL score of 5986. This suggests that the Quadro is more efficient in OpenCL than in Vulkan, at least as measured by Geekbench. The R7 M460 has no Vulkan score at all, so no such comparison is possible for the AMD part.

The memory bandwidth numbers also favor the AMD part significantly. The R7 M460's GDDR5 memory delivers 36.00 GB/s over a 64-bit bus, while the Quadro M500M's DDR3 memory delivers only 14.40 GB/s over the same 64-bit bus width. That is a 150% bandwidth advantage for the AMD part. The clock speeds tell part of the story: the R7 M460's memory runs at 1125 MHz (4.5 Gbps effective) while the Quadro's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective). The GDDR5 versus DDR3 memory type difference is the dominant factor.

Texture rate is another clear win for AMD: 24.58 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s, a 36.7% advantage. The R7 M460 has 24 texture mapping units against the Quadro's 16, and although the Quadro has a higher boost clock (1124 MHz versus 1024 MHz), the R7 M460's extra TMUs overcome that clock deficit. Pixel rate is the one area where NVIDIA leads: 8.992 GPixel/s versus 8.192 GPixel/s, a 9.8% advantage, driven by the Quadro's higher clocks combined with 8 ROPs on both parts.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 scores 6612 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M scores 5986, giving the AMD part a 10.5% lead.

Q: Does the NVIDIA Quadro M500M have any benchmark result that the AMD Radeon R7 M460 lacks?

A: Yes. The Quadro M500M has a Geekbench Vulkan score of 5222, while the R7 M460 has no recorded Vulkan benchmark score in the database.

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

A: The R7 M460 is within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon HD 7730M and 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010. The Quadro M500M is 1.2% above the AMD FirePro M4000 and 1.9% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon R7 M460 has 36.00 GB/s of bandwidth using GDDR5 memory, while the NVIDIA Quadro M500M has 14.40 GB/s using DDR3 memory, both over a 64-bit bus.

Q: What are the pixel and texture rate differences?

A: The Quadro M500M has a higher pixel rate at 8.992 GPixel/s versus 8.192 GPixel/s. The R7 M460 has a much higher texture rate at 24.58 GTexel/s versus 17.98 GTexel/s.

Q: How do their overall database rankings compare?

A: The R7 M460 sits at the 38th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 6612. The Quadro M500M sits at the 32nd percentile with an average score of 5604.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturers and use fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Radeon R7 M460 uses the Meso chip built on GCN 3.0 architecture, part of the Gem System generation within the R7 M400 series. The NVIDIA Quadro M500M uses the GM108S chip built on Maxwell architecture, part of the Quadro Maxwell-M generation in the Mx000M series. Both are fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, but the similarities end there.

The transistor counts differ substantially. The AMD chip contains 1,550 million transistors on a 125 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.4 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA chip contains 1,020 million transistors on a 77 mm² die, yielding a higher density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The AMD die is 62% larger by area, but the NVIDIA die packs transistors more densely.

Shading unit counts are identical at 384 on both parts, but the texture and pixel pipelines differ. The R7 M460 has 24 texture mapping units and 8 ROPs. The Quadro M500M has 16 TMUs and 8 ROPs. The identical ROP count explains the similar pixel rates, while the TMU disparity drives the AMD part's texture rate advantage. Both parts have no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores.

Clock behavior differs notably. The R7 M460 has a base clock of 730 MHz and a boost clock of 1024 MHz, a 40% boost range. The Quadro M500M has a base clock of 1029 MHz and a boost clock of 1124 MHz, a much narrower 9% boost range. Despite the Quadro's higher absolute clocks, the AMD part's wider shader and TMU configuration yields comparable or better throughput in most metrics. FP32 performance is close: 786.4 GFLOPS for AMD versus 863.2 GFLOPS for NVIDIA, a 9.8% advantage for the Quadro. The R7 M460 also lists FP16 performance at 786.4 GFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the Quadro lists no FP16 capability.

Memory architecture is another major divergence. The R7 M460 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus at 1125 MHz with 4.5 Gbps effective transfer, delivering 36.00 GB/s. The Quadro M500M uses 2 GB of DDR3 on a 64-bit bus at 900 MHz with 1800 Mbps effective transfer, delivering only 14.40 GB/s. Both have the same memory capacity and bus width, but the memory type difference creates a 2.5x bandwidth gap.

The bus interfaces differ as well. The R7 M460 connects via PCIe 3.0 x8, while the Quadro M500M uses an MXM-A (3.0) module interface. The Quadro's form factor is explicitly an MXM Module, and its display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning they vary by laptop implementation. The R7 M460's display outputs are not recorded in the database.

Power characteristics also differ. The Quadro M500M has a listed TDP of 30 W, no power connectors required, and a slot width of MXM Module. The R7 M460's TDP, slot width, and power connector requirements are not recorded. The API support shows the R7 M460 supporting DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The Quadro M500M supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX feature level difference is notable: 12_0 for AMD versus 11_0 for NVIDIA, meaning the AMD part exposes a higher DirectX 12 feature level.

Release timing and lineage also differ. The R7 M460 was released on 2016-05-14 and belongs to the Gem System generation, with its predecessor listed as Solar System and successor as Polaris Mobile. The Quadro M500M was released on 2016-04-26, slightly earlier, and belongs to the Quadro Maxwell-M generation, with its predecessor as Quadro Kepler-M and successor as Quadro Pascal-M. Both parts are marked as end-of-life in the database. Neither has a recorded launch MSRP.