AMD Radeon RX 6400 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE vs AMD Radeon RX 6400

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE and AMD Radeon RX 6400 represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, separated by over a decade of architectural evolution. The GTX 460 SE, built on Fermi architecture, was a mainstream offering from late 2010, while the RX 6400 is a modern RDNA 2.0 part designed for efficiency. Benchmark data shows the RX 6400 delivers roughly five times the OpenCL performance of the older card, yet the GTX 460 SE still holds a higher overall percentile ranking. This comparison reveals how far GPU technology has progressed in terms of raw compute, feature support, and power efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE has an average benchmark score of 6389, while the AMD Radeon RX 6400 averages 6001 across its benchmark suite. However, this comparison is skewed because the RX 6400 has multiple benchmark results while the GTX 460 SE only has one OpenCL test.

Q: How do the two GPUs compare in the shared OpenCL benchmark?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 6400 scores 32011 compared to the GTX 460 SE’s 6389. This represents an 80% delta in favor of the RX 6400, meaning the AMD card delivers approximately five times the OpenCL compute performance.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes of these GPUs?

A: The GTX 460 SE uses 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, while the RX 6400 packs 5,400 million transistors into just 107 mm². The RX 6400 achieves a transistor density of 50.5M per mm² versus 5.9M per mm² for the GTX 460 SE.

Q: Which card supports newer graphics APIs?

A: The RX 6400 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and features 12 ray tracing cores. The GTX 460 SE only supports DirectX 12 (11_0), lacks Vulkan support entirely, and has no ray tracing hardware.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 460 SE has a TDP of 150 W and requires a 450 W power supply with two 6-pin power connectors. The RX 6400 has a 53 W TDP, needs no power connectors, and runs on a suggested 250 W power supply.

Q: How do their memory subsystems differ?

A: The GTX 460 SE has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus delivering 108.8 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6400 offers 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth, providing more capacity and higher bandwidth despite the narrower bus.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous, reflecting over a decade of semiconductor advancement. The GTX 460 SE uses NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. It features 288 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The Fermi design was built around 1,950 million transistors spread across a 332 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of just 5.9M per mm². This was a power-hungry design by modern standards, with a 150 W TDP requiring dual 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W power supply recommendation.

The RX 6400, in contrast, is built on AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture using a 6 nm TSMC process. This modern design crams 5,400 million transistors into a remarkably small 107 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 50.5M per mm² — over eight times denser than the Fermi chip. The RX 6400 features 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, matching the older card in texture and pixel throughput units while tripling the shader count. Critically, the RX 6400 adds 12 dedicated ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and FP16 compute at 7.130 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The GTX 460 SE lacks ray tracing, Vulkan support, and has no FP16 capabilities listed.

The memory architectures also reflect the generational leap. The GTX 460 SE utilizes 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the RX 6400 uses 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 64-bit bus. Despite having one-quarter the bus width, the RX 6400 achieves higher bandwidth (128.0 GB/s vs 108.8 GB/s) thanks to faster GDDR6 memory running at 16 Gbps effective versus 3.4 Gbps effective on the older card. The RX 6400 also operates at dramatically higher clock speeds, with a 1923 MHz base and 2321 MHz boost, whereas the GTX 460 SE has no listed base or boost clocks but runs its memory at 850 MHz.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available between these two cards is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are decisive. The AMD Radeon RX 6400 scores 32011, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE manages just 6389. This translates to an 80% delta in favor of the RX 6400, meaning the modern card outperforms the older one by a factor of approximately five in this compute workload. This massive gap reflects the architectural improvements in shader efficiency, clock speeds, and memory bandwidth that RDNA 2.0 brings over Fermi.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RX 6400 shows strong results across multiple tests. It scores 7673 in Passmark G3D, 2812 in Passmark GPU Compute, and 16372 in Geekbench Vulkan. The card also achieves 722 in Passmark G2D and demonstrates legacy DirectX support with scores of 93 in DirectX 9, 70 in DirectX 11, 54 in DirectX 10, and 30 in DirectX 12. The GTX 460 SE has no corresponding benchmark data beyond its single OpenCL score, making direct comparisons impossible for those workloads.

When examining the nearest rivals for each card, interesting patterns emerge. The GTX 460 SE sits at the 37th percentile of all GPUs, with its closest competitors being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M (matching score of 6389, 0% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (6407, -0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 (6330, 0.9% delta). The RX 6400, despite its much higher raw compute scores, ranks at the 35th percentile overall, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6000, 0% delta), NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server (5996, 0.1% delta), and AMD FirePro W4100 (5987, 0.2% delta). This percentile data suggests that while the RX 6400 excels in specific modern workloads, the GTX 460 SE’s legacy performance profile places it in a comparable overall tier.

Specification Differences

The specification gap between these two cards is stark across nearly every category. The GTX 460 SE uses the GF104 chip on a 40 nm process, while the RX 6400 employs Navi 24 on a 6 nm process. Transistor counts differ dramatically: 1,950 million versus 5,400 million. Die size favors the RX 6400 at 107 mm² versus 332 mm², and transistor density is 50.5M per mm² versus 5.9M per mm².

The RX 6400 has defined clock speeds — 1923 MHz base, 2321 MHz boost, and 2039 MHz game clock — while the GTX 460 SE lists no base or boost clocks. Memory specifications show the RX 6400 offering 4 GB of GDDR6 at 16 Gbps effective versus 1024 MB of GDDR5 at 3.4 Gbps effective. The RX 6400’s 64-bit bus is narrower than the GTX 460 SE’s 256-bit bus, but the bandwidth still favors the newer card at 128.0 GB/s versus 108.8 GB/s.

Shading units heavily favor the RX 6400 with 768 versus 288, while TMUs and ROPs are identical at 48 and 32 respectively. The RX 6400 adds 12 ray tracing cores that the GTX 460 SE lacks entirely. Pixel rate is 74.27 GPixel/s on the RX 6400 versus 7.800 GPixel/s on the GTX 460 SE, and texture rate is 111.4 GTexel/s versus 31.20 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 3.565 TFLOPS versus 748.8 GFLOPS, representing a nearly five-fold difference.

Power consumption tells a compelling story of efficiency: the RX 6400 sips 53 W with no power connectors and a 250 W PSU suggestion, while the GTX 460 SE draws 150 W with two 6-pin connectors and a 450 W PSU recommendation. The RX 6400 is a single-slot card with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, while the GTX 460 SE is dual-slot with dual DVI and mini-HDMI 1.3a. Interface support also differs: PCIe 4.0 x4 on the RX 6400 versus PCIe 2.0 x16 on the GTX 460 SE. API support is a major differentiator, with the RX 6400 supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and FP16, while the GTX 460 SE only manages DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 with no Vulkan.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear picture: the AMD Radeon RX 6400 is the superior GPU in nearly every measurable category. Its 80% lead in the shared OpenCL benchmark, combined with modern API support, ray tracing capabilities, and dramatically better power efficiency, make it the obvious choice for anyone building a current system. The RX 6400 delivers five times the FP32 compute (3.565 TFLOPS vs 748.8 GFLOPS), nearly ten times the pixel rate (74.27 vs 7.800 GPixel/s), and over three times the texture rate (111.4 vs 31.20 GTexel/s) while consuming only one-third the power (53 W vs 150 W).

The GTX 460 SE’s sole advantage is its higher average benchmark score (6389 vs 6001) and 37th versus 35th percentile ranking. However, this is misleading because it’s based on a single OpenCL test where it scores far lower than the RX 6400. The RX 6400’s multiple benchmark results across DirectX 9, 10, 11, 12, Vulkan, and compute workloads provide a more complete picture of its capabilities. For any modern use case — gaming, compute, or professional work — the RX 6400 is the only sensible choice from this comparison.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6400 wins decisively in OpenCL compute, scoring 32011 versus 6389 in the Geekbench OpenCL test. It also dominates in raw specifications that matter for modern workloads: FP32 compute (3.565 TFLOPS vs 748.8 GFLOPS), pixel rate (74.27 vs 7.800 GPixel/s), texture rate (111.4 vs 31.20 GTexel/s), and memory bandwidth (128.0 vs 108.8 GB/s). The RX 6400 is the clear winner for ray tracing workloads thanks to its 12 dedicated RT cores, and it supports modern APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, making it future-proof for current software.

The RX 6400 also wins on efficiency and form factor. Its 53 W TDP means no external power connectors are needed, and it fits in a single-slot design with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The 4 GB of GDDR6 memory provides four times the capacity of the GTX 460 SE’s 1024 MB, which is crucial for modern textures and compute workloads. The card’s PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, while narrower than the older card’s PCIe 2.0 x16, benefits from the newer standard’s higher per-lane bandwidth.

The GTX 460 SE’s wins are limited to its higher average benchmark score (6389 vs 6001) and better percentile ranking (37th vs 35th). Its 256-bit memory bus provides wider memory access, though this is offset by the RX 6400’s faster GDDR6 memory. The GTX 460 SE also has a wider display output configuration with dual DVI ports, which may benefit users with older monitors. However, these advantages are largely irrelevant in practical use given the RX 6400’s overwhelming performance lead in the shared benchmark and its superior specifications across the board. For any realistic workload, the RX 6400 is the card to choose.