AMD Radeon RX 460 vs AMD Radeon RX 7700 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains one directly comparable benchmark between these two cards, and it is decisive. In the Geekbench OpenCL compute test, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 106,028, while the AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 17,855. This represents an 83.2% advantage for the RX 7700, a margin that reflects the generational gulf between the two products. The RX 460 is not just beaten, it is outclassed by a factor of nearly six in raw compute throughput.

Looking at the broader benchmark averages, the RX 7700 records an average score of 15,852 across its full test suite, which includes 3DMark Steel Nomad, multiple PassMark DirectX tests, and Geekbench. The RX 460, by contrast, averages 18,373 across its three Geekbench workloads (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan). This is a curious statistical artifact: the RX 460's average is actually higher than the RX 7700's average, but this is because the two cards are tested under completely different benchmark suites. The RX 460's scores on Geekbench Vulkan (20,198) and Metal (17,065) are respectable for its era, but they do not overlap with the RX 7700's workload set.

The RX 7700's performance profile is further illuminated by its PassMark results. It scores 20,974 in PassMark G3D, 10,963 in GPU Compute, and 1,206 in G2D. The DirectX legacy tests show 261 in DirectX 9, 186 in DirectX 11, 96 in DirectX 12, and 92 in DirectX 10. These numbers indicate a card that is heavily optimized for modern workloads, with the G3D score being the primary gaming-oriented metric. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,865 reinforces this, as Steel Nomad is a demanding modern test.

The RX 460's scores, while lower in absolute terms, are not without merit for its class. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 20,198 is its strongest result, followed by OpenCL at 17,855 and Metal at 17,065. These are all compute-oriented tests, and the RX 460's 2.150 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is what drives these numbers. The delta between its best and worst Geekbench scores is roughly 15%, showing consistency across different compute APIs.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7700 wins in every scenario where modern rendering, high-resolution textures, or compute-heavy workloads are involved. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for 4K textures, ray tracing, and large data sets. The 40 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) give it a clear path for current and upcoming game engines. The PassMark G3D score of 20,974 places it in a performance tier that can handle 1440p and 4K gaming with high settings, while the GPU Compute score of 10,963 indicates strong non-gaming compute capability.

The RX 460, with its 2 GB of GDDR5 memory and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth, is fundamentally limited to older titles, esports games, and light productivity at 1080p. Its 19.20 GPixel/s pixel rate and 67.20 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for games from its 2016 era, but modern assets will quickly exceed its memory capacity. The RX 460's DirectX 12 (12_0) support is present, but it lacks the hardware features of the 12_2 Ultimate tier, notably ray tracing. Its 896 shading units and 56 TMUs are a fraction of the RX 7700's 2,560 shading units and 160 TMUs.

For compute workloads, the OpenCL result is the clearest differentiator. The RX 7700's 106,028 score is not just a win, it is a class difference. This makes the RX 7700 suitable for GPU-accelerated tasks like video encoding, machine learning inference, and 3D rendering. The RX 460's 17,855 OpenCL score is adequate for basic tasks but will struggle with anything beyond simple filters or small batch jobs. The RX 460's 2.150 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 (1:1) performance is a tenth of the RX 7700's 25.18 TFLOPS.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast, spanning three generations of AMD design. The RX 460 uses the Baffin chip, built on GCN 4.0 architecture, which is part of the Arctic Islands (RX 400) generation. It is fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, with 3,000 million transistors packed into a 123 mm² die. The transistor density is 24.4 million per mm². The RX 7700 uses the Navi 32 chip, built on RDNA 3.0 architecture, part of the Navi III (RX 7000) generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, achieving a density of 81.2 million per mm². This is a 9.4x increase in transistor count and a 3.3x increase in density.

Clock speeds tell a similar story. The RX 460 operates at a base of 1090 MHz and a boost of 1200 MHz, with memory at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The RX 7700 runs at a base of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost of 2459 MHz, with memory at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective). The boost clock is more than double the RX 460's, and the memory speed is nearly three times faster.

The memory subsystem is a key differentiator. The RX 460 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 112.0 GB/s. The RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 624.1 GB/s. That is 5.6x more bandwidth and 8x more capacity. The RX 7700 also has a wider PCIe interface: PCIe 4.0 x16 versus PCIe 3.0 x8. This doubles the bus width and doubles the per-lane bandwidth, significantly improving data transfer rates between the GPU and CPU.

The render output pipelines are also fundamentally different. The RX 460 has 16 ROPs, 56 TMUs, and 896 shading units. The RX 7700 has 96 ROPs, 160 TMUs, and 2,560 shading units. The pixel rate jumps from 19.20 GPixel/s to 236.1 GPixel/s, and the texture rate from 67.20 GTexel/s to 393.4 GTexel/s. The RX 7700 also adds 40 dedicated ray tracing cores, which the RX 460 lacks entirely.

API support shows the generational shift. The RX 460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 7700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 12_2 feature level is the significant upgrade, enabling hardware ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading. Power requirements reflect the performance difference: the RX 460 is a 75 W card with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU, while the RX 7700 is a 200 W card requiring two 8-pin connectors and a 550 W PSU. The RX 460 is 170 mm long, while the RX 7700 is 267 mm long, 135 mm tall, and 50 mm wide.

The Verdict

The recorded data is unambiguous. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the superior card in every measurable aspect. It wins the only head-to-head benchmark by 83.2%, has 11.7x the FP32 throughput, 5.6x the memory bandwidth, and 8x the memory capacity. Its architecture supports modern features like ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate, which the RX 460 cannot offer. The RX 7700's PassMark G3D score of 20,974 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2,865 place it in a performance tier suitable for current gaming and compute workloads.

The RX 460, despite its lower standing, has a role. Its average benchmark score of 18,373 is higher than its rival's average of 15,852, but this is due to differing test suites rather than actual performance equivalence. The RX 460 is an end-of-life product, released in August 2016, and its 2 GB memory is a hard limitation for modern games. Its 75 W power draw and compact 170 mm length make it suitable for legacy systems or basic display output, but not for demanding tasks.

For users building a new system or upgrading for modern gaming, the RX 7700 is the only rational choice. Its 16 GB memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth provide headroom for years of game releases. Its 96 ROPs and 160 TMUs ensure high fill rates at high resolutions. The 40 ray tracing cores and 12_2 API support future-proof it against upcoming graphics features. For users with a tight power budget or a small case, the RX 460 can still serve as a basic display adapter, but benchmark data shows it is not competitive beyond 1080p esports titles.

The percentile rankings reinforce this. The RX 7700 sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 460 sits at the 62nd percentile. This is counterintuitive given the performance gap, but it reflects the distribution of scores in each card's respective test pool. The RX 460's nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A770M (average 18,383, delta -0.1%), AMD FirePro D500 (18,533, delta -0.9%), AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18,189, delta 1%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18,159, delta 1.2%). The RX 7700's rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862, delta -0.1%), AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16,014, delta -1%), AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15,679, delta 1.1%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16,129, delta -1.7%). These rival sets are from different eras and cannot be cross-compared.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has 40 ray tracing cores. The AMD Radeon RX 460 has none.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 7700 has 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth from 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The RX 460 has 112.0 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus.

Q: Which card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: The RX 7700 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). The RX 460 supports only DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RX 460 has an average benchmark score of 18,373, while the RX 7700 has an average of 15,852. However, these are from different test suites and do not indicate performance equivalence.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RX 460 has a 75 W TDP with no power connectors and a 250 W suggested PSU. The RX 7700 has a 200 W TDP with two 8-pin connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card is currently in production?

A: The RX 7700 is marked as Active in the database. The RX 460 is marked as End-of-life.