AMD Radeon RX 460 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The database comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 460 is not a contest of equals. The RTX 3070 Mobile is a decisive winner across every recorded benchmark, with an average benchmark score of 20,534 compared to the RX 460’s 18,373. The RTX 3070 Mobile sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 460 sits at the 62nd percentile, a modest gap in overall standing but a massive one in raw compute workloads.

For any user choosing between these two, the data points overwhelmingly to the NVIDIA part. The RTX 3070 Mobile delivers 420.5% higher OpenCL performance and 329.6% higher Vulkan performance than the RX 460 in the head-to-head tests. This is not a near-run thing; it is a generational and architectural chasm. The RX 460, released in 2016, is an end-of-life product with a 14 nm process node, while the RTX 3070 Mobile, released in 2021, uses an 8 nm node from Samsung. The RTX 3070 Mobile is the only rational pick for anyone needing modern compute, ray tracing, or high-end gaming performance.

The RX 460 does have its place, but it is limited to legacy or low-resolution scenarios. Its 2 GB GDDR5 memory and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth are far below the RTX 3070 Mobile’s 8 GB GDDR6 and 448.0 GB/s. For a user with a lighter workload, such as basic desktop acceleration or older DirectX 9/10 titles, the RX 460 could suffice, but the benchmark data shows it trailing in every measurable way. The verdict is clear: the RTX 3070 Mobile is the superior product, and the RX 460 is a historical artifact by comparison.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses the GA104 chip based on NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It packs 17,400 million transistors into a 392 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². In contrast, the RX 460 uses the Baffin chip based on AMD’s GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It has only 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 24.4M per mm².

The RTX 3070 Mobile features 5,120 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. It also includes 40 dedicated ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the RX 460. The RX 460 has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing or tensor hardware. This difference in core configuration explains the massive compute gap: the RTX 3070 Mobile delivers 15.97 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the RX 460 manages only 2.150 TFLOPS.

Memory architecture also differs fundamentally. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, achieving 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 460 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, with 112.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both run memory at 1750 MHz, but the effective data rate differs: the RTX 3070 Mobile reaches 14 Gbps effective, while the RX 460 tops out at 7 Gbps effective. The RTX 3070 Mobile also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 460 uses PCIe 3.0 x8.

API support further separates them. The RTX 3070 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0). Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the RTX 3070 Mobile supports Vulkan 1.4 while the RX 460 supports Vulkan 1.3. The RTX 3070 Mobile also has no internal power connectors and a 115 W TDP, while the RX 460 is a dual-slot card with a 75 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 250 W.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher OpenCL performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 92,939 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 17,855. The RTX 3070 Mobile is 420.5% faster in this test.

Q: Does the RX 460 support ray tracing?

A: No. The RX 460 has no ray tracing cores, while the RTX 3070 Mobile includes 40 dedicated RT cores. The RTX 3070 Mobile also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes ray tracing features, whereas the RX 460 only supports DirectX 12 (12_0).

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has 448.0 GB/s bandwidth with 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus. The RX 460 has 112.0 GB/s bandwidth with 2 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus. The RTX 3070 Mobile offers four times the bandwidth.

Q: How do their transistor counts compare?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, while the RX 460 has 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses an 8 nm process, while the RX 460 uses a 14 nm process.

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 20,534, placing it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The RX 460 has an average score of 18,373, at the 62nd percentile. The RTX 3070 Mobile is ahead by roughly 11.8% in average score.

Q: Are both GPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are marked as end-of-life in the database. The RX 460 was released in 2016, while the RTX 3070 Mobile was released in 2021.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile | AMD Radeon RX 460 |

|----------------|-------------------------------|-------------------|

| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 4.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | Samsung | GlobalFoundries |

| Transistors | 17,400 million | 3,000 million |

| Die Size | 392 mm² | 123 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 44.4M / mm² | 24.4M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1110 MHz | 1090 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | 1200 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 2 GB |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |

| Memory Bus Width | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 112.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 5120 | 896 |

| TMUs | 160 | 56 |

| ROPs | 80 | 16 |

| RT Cores | 40 | None |

| Tensor Cores | 160 | None |

| Pixel Rate | 124.8 GPixel/s | 19.20 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 249.6 GTexel/s | 67.20 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 15.97 TFLOPS | 2.150 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 115 W | 75 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |

| DirectX Support | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (12_0) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | 1.3 |

| Release Date | 2021-01-11 | 2016-08-07 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 20 Mobile | Pirate Islands |

| Successor | None | Polaris |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains two recorded tests, both won decisively by the RTX 3070 Mobile. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 92,939 versus the RX 460’s 17,855, a delta of 420.5%. This is a staggering margin, reflecting the RTX 3070 Mobile’s 5,120 shading units and 15.97 TFLOPS of FP32 compute against the RX 460’s 896 shading units and 2.150 TFLOPS. The OpenCL test is compute-heavy, and the Ampere architecture’s tensor cores and higher core count dominate the older GCN design.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 86,768 against 20,198 for the RX 460, a delta of 329.6%. Vulkan is a low-level API that benefits from raw hardware throughput, and the RTX 3070 Mobile’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 40 RT cores provide a clear advantage. The RX 460’s 112.0 GB/s bandwidth and lack of modern features hold it back significantly.

Beyond the head-to-head, the broader benchmark suite reinforces this pattern. The RTX 3070 Mobile records scores in Passmark DirectX 9 (160), DirectX 10 (113), DirectX 11 (138), and DirectX 12 (64), alongside a Passmark G3D score of 15,309 and a GPU Compute score of 6,827. The RX 460 has no equivalent Passmark entries in the database, but its Geekbench Metal score of 17,065 shows it is capable in Apple’s API, though this is not a point of comparison with the NVIDIA part. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 20,534 versus 18,373 for the RX 460 confirms the trend: every recorded metric favors the NVIDIA product, and the margins are often multiples, not percentages.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Mobile wins in every scenario the database can measure. Its 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores make it suitable for ray-traced workloads and AI-accelerated tasks, features the RX 460 lacks entirely. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for modern games at high resolutions, while the RX 460’s 2 GB GDDR5 and 112.0 GB/s bandwidth will bottleneck in any texture-heavy or high-resolution scenario. The RTX 3070 Mobile’s 15.97 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is roughly 7.4 times the RX 460’s 2.150 TFLOPS, making it the clear choice for compute-intensive applications like rendering or scientific simulations.

The RX 460 does have a few narrow advantages. Its 75 W TDP is lower than the RTX 3070 Mobile’s 115 W, so it may fit in systems with smaller power budgets. Its dual-slot design and 170 mm length (6.7 inches) make it a compact option for older or smaller chassis. The RX 460 supports DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3, so it can run modern APIs, but at a much lower performance level. Its 19.20 GPixel/s pixel rate and 67.20 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for older DirectX 9/10 titles, as indicated by its Passmark scores (though those are not recorded for the RX 460 in this dataset). For a user with a legacy system or low-demand workloads, the RX 460 could still function, but the benchmark data shows it is outclassed in every head-to-head test.

In summary, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the definitive winner for any performance-critical application. The RX 460 retains value only in power-constrained, legacy, or low-resolution contexts where its lower TDP and compact size matter more than raw speed. The database leaves no ambiguity: the RTX 3070 Mobile is the superior GPU by every recorded measurement.