AMD Radeon RX 460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Comparison

The GeForce GTX 780 and Radeon RX 460 represent two very different eras of GPU design, and their benchmark results reflect that divide clearly. The GTX 780 is a large, power-hungry Kepler flagship from 2013, while the RX 460 is a small, efficient Polaris entry card from 2016. Across three compute workloads, the older NVIDIA card takes two decisive wins, but the AMD card manages a surprising upset in one test, making this a nuanced comparison rather than a simple generational sweep.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is the Radeon RX 460’s victory in the Geekbench Metal test. Here, AMD’s card scores 17,065 against the GTX 780’s 10,114, a massive 40.7% advantage. This is not a close margin; it is a complete reversal of the expected hierarchy based on raw hardware specifications. The Metal API appears to be a strength for the GCN 4.0 architecture, and the RX 460’s newer feature set clearly pays off in this specific workload. For any user targeting Metal-based applications, the RX 460 is the unequivocal choice, regardless of the GTX 780’s larger silicon.

However, the GTX 780 reasserts dominance in the other two benchmarks. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA card scores 22,863 compared to the RX 460’s 17,855, a 28% lead. This is a significant gap that aligns with the GTX 780’s much higher compute throughput (4.156 TFLOPS FP32 versus 2.150 TFLOPS). The Vulkan test shows a tighter but still clear victory for the GTX 780, with a score of 24,514 against 20,198, a 21.4% difference. The data suggests that while the RX 460 has a modern API advantage, the GTX 780’s raw execution resources are more than enough to overcome it in both OpenCL and Vulkan.

Looking at the overall average benchmark score across all three tests, the GTX 780 comes out ahead with 19,164 points versus 18,373 for the RX 460. That is a 4.3% aggregate lead for the older card, a modest but definitive edge. The GTX 780’s win count of two out of three tests confirms this, but the Metal result is a stark reminder that benchmark dominance is not uniform. The RX 460’s single win is not a fluke; it is a 40.7% blowout that highlights a specific architectural strength.

The Verdict

The choice between these two cards depends entirely on the target workload. The data is clear: if the primary use case involves Vulkan or OpenCL compute, the GeForce GTX 780 is the superior performer. Its 28% and 21.4% leads in those respective tests are substantial, and its higher average benchmark score of 19,164 versus 18,373 reinforces this. The GTX 780 is the stronger all-around compute card, and its 64th percentile ranking among all GPUs (versus the RX 460’s 62nd) suggests it holds up better in broader performance comparisons.

However, the Radeon RX 460 is the only rational pick for Metal-centric applications. The 40.7% advantage in that single test is so large that it completely changes the value proposition for macOS or iOS development environments. The RX 460 also offers a much more modern feature set, including DirectX 12 (12_0) support and Vulkan 1.3, which may be critical for newer software. It is also a far less demanding card in terms of system requirements, needing only a 250 W suggested PSU and no additional power connectors.

For a general-purpose desktop GPU, the GTX 780 wins on raw compute and a higher average score. For a low-power, modern-API-focused system, especially one leveraging Metal, the RX 460 is the obvious answer. There is no single winner here; the data points to two different cards for two different jobs.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these GPUs is generational. The GTX 780 uses the GK110 chip on NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. This is a massive die, measuring 561 mm² and containing 7,080 million transistors. The RX 460, by contrast, uses the Baffin chip on AMD’s GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. Its die is just 123 mm², with 3,000 million transistors. This size difference is stark: the GTX 780’s die is over four times larger, but the RX 460 achieves a much higher transistor density of 24.4M per mm² versus 12.6M per mm² for the GTX 780, highlighting the efficiency of the newer process node.

The compute configurations differ just as dramatically. The GTX 780 packs 2,304 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The RX 460 has only 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. This is a 2.57x advantage in shading units for the NVIDIA card, which directly explains its higher FP32 throughput of 4.156 TFLOPS versus 2.150 TFLOPS. The RX 460 does offer FP16 compute at a 1:1 ratio, a feature the GTX 780 lacks entirely, which can be beneficial in certain machine learning or media workloads.

The memory subsystems are also fundamentally different. The GTX 780 uses a 384-bit memory bus with 3 GB of GDDR5, delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 460 uses a 128-bit bus with 2 GB of GDDR5, providing only 112.0 GB/s. This bandwidth advantage of over 2.5x for the GTX 780 is critical for high-resolution textures and compute tasks. The RX 460’s smaller bus and lower bandwidth are typical of a budget-oriented card, while the GTX 780’s configuration was designed for high-end gaming and professional workloads.

Specification Differences

The cards diverge on nearly every measurable specification. The GTX 780 has a base clock of 863 MHz and a boost clock of 902 MHz, while the RX 460 runs higher at 1090 MHz base and 1200 MHz boost. Despite the lower clocks, the GTX 780’s massive shading unit count gives it the raw performance edge in most tests. Memory speed also differs: the GTX 780 runs at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the RX 460 runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective), though the RX 460’s narrower bus negates this speed advantage.

Power consumption is a major differentiator. The GTX 780 has a TDP of 250 W and requires both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RX 460 sips power at just 75 W, requires no external power connectors, and works with a 250 W PSU. The physical size reflects this: the GTX 780 is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 38 mm wide, while the RX 460 is just 170 mm long, with no listed height or width. The RX 460 is a compact, drop-in card, whereas the GTX 780 demands a spacious case and a robust power supply.

The API support also favors the newer card. The RX 460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 780 only reaches DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The RX 460’s display outputs include HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 780 offers HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2, meaning the AMD card can drive newer high-refresh-rate displays with better bandwidth. The RX 460 also uses a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, while the GTX 780 uses the full x16 slot.

FAQ

Q: Which card performs better in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 wins decisively with a score of 24,514, which is 21.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 460’s score of 20,198.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 460 ever faster than the GTX 780?

A: Yes, in the Geekbench Metal test, the RX 460 scores 17,065, which is 40.7% higher than the GTX 780’s 10,114. This is the only test where AMD wins.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The GTX 780 has an average benchmark score of 19,164, while the RX 460 averages 18,373. The GTX 780 leads by roughly 4.3%.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The GTX 780 offers 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth via a 384-bit bus, while the RX 460 provides 112.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. This is a significant advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: Which card requires more power from the system?

A: The GTX 780 has a 250 W TDP and needs a 600 W suggested PSU with both 6-pin and 8-pin connectors. The RX 460 has a 75 W TDP, requires no external power connectors, and works with a 250 W PSU.

Q: Does the RX 460 have better API support than the GTX 780?

A: Yes. The RX 460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, while the GTX 780 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6.