AMD Radeon Pro 460 vs AMD Radeon RX 9060 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 and AMD Radeon Pro 460 represent two vastly different eras of GPU design, with the former being a modern 4 nm discrete card and the latter a legacy 14 nm integrated-class part from a 2016 MacBook Pro. Benchmark data shows the RX 9060 dominates in shared workloads, but the Pro 460 holds a higher overall percentile ranking due to the specific tests it was measured on. This analysis breaks down the architectural gulf, the quantitative head-to-head results, and the practical implications for each GPU’s intended environment.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for compute-heavy tasks: the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is in a different performance class entirely. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RX 9060 scores 88,183 versus the Pro 460’s 15,284, a 477% advantage. Similarly, in Vulkan, the RX 9060’s 39,476 score crushes the Pro 460’s 16,816, a 134.8% lead. Anyone needing raw compute, modern API support, or high-resolution texturing should choose the RX 9060 without hesitation.

However, the Radeon Pro 460’s average benchmark score of 17,509 is higher than the RX 9060’s 16,014. This counterintuitive result stems from the benchmark suites each card was subjected to: the Pro 460 was tested only in Geekbench Metal, OpenCL, and Vulkan, where it performed relatively well, while the RX 9060’s average includes weaker PassMark DX9, DX10, and DX12 scores. The Pro 460 also holds a higher percentile rank (61st vs. 59th), meaning it outperforms a larger share of all GPUs in its measured tests. For legacy macOS environments or low-power integrated systems where only these specific workloads matter, the Pro 460 is not obsolete—it is simply a different tool for a narrower job.

Architecture Differences

The RX 9060 is built on the Navi 44 chip using RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm TSMC process. It packs 29,700 million transistors into a 199 mm² die, yielding a density of 149.2M transistors per mm². In contrast, the Pro 460 uses the Baffin chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm GlobalFoundries process, with just 3,000 million transistors on a 123 mm² die (24.4M / mm²). The generational leap is stark: the RX 9060 has nearly 10 times the transistor count in only 1.6 times the die area.

The RX 9060 features 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, alongside 28 dedicated ray tracing cores. The Pro 460 is limited to 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, and only 16 ROPs, with no ray tracing hardware. Clock speeds tell a similar story: the RX 9060 boosts to 2,990 MHz with a base of 1,700 MHz, while the Pro 460’s boost is a modest 907 MHz on an 850 MHz base. The RX 9060’s game clock is 2,400 MHz, a figure the Pro 460 cannot approach.

Memory configurations are equally divergent. The RX 9060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 2,250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The Pro 460 is limited to 4 GB of GDDR5 on the same 128-bit bus, but at just 1,270 MHz (5.1 Gbps effective), yielding only 81.28 GB/s. The RX 9060’s bandwidth advantage is 3.5 times, which is critical for modern textures and compute workloads.

Power and interface differences are fundamental. The RX 9060 draws 132 W TDP, requires a dual-slot cooler with a single 8-pin connector, and suggests a 300 W PSU. It runs on PCIe 5.0 x16. The Pro 460 is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 35 W TDP, no power connectors, and uses PCIe 3.0 x8. The RX 9060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the Pro 460 tops out at DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 9060 also offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 2x DisplayPort 2.1a outputs, whereas the Pro 460’s display outputs are portable-device dependent.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Only two benchmarks directly compare both cards, and the RX 9060 wins both. The Geekbench OpenCL result is the most lopsided: 88,183 versus 15,284, a 477% delta. This reflects the RX 9060’s 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus the Pro 460’s 1.858 TFLOPS—an 11.5 times raw throughput difference that shows up directly in OpenCL. The RX 9060’s pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s dwarf the Pro 460’s 14.51 GPixel/s and 58.05 GTexel/s, explaining why the gap is so wide.

The Geekbench Vulkan test is closer but still one-sided: 39,476 versus 16,816, a 134.8% delta. The RX 9060’s Vulkan 1.4 support and modern RDNA 4.0 architecture handle the API more efficiently than the Pro 460’s older GCN 4.0 with Vulkan 1.3. While the Pro 460’s Vulkan score is respectable for its era, the RX 9060’s newer instruction set and higher bandwidth make the difference.

The Pro 460’s only benchmark win is in Geekbench Metal, where it scores 20,426. The RX 9060 has no Metal score in the data, so this is not a head-to-head comparison. The Pro 460’s average of 17,509 is buoyed by this Metal result and its Vulkan score, while the RX 9060’s average is dragged down by PassMark DX9 (280), DX10 (104), and DX12 (44) scores that seem anomalously low relative to its OpenCL output. This suggests the RX 9060’s PassMark results may be limited by driver maturity or specific workload characteristics, not raw hardware capability.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 460 has a higher average benchmark score of 17,509 compared to the AMD Radeon RX 9060’s 16,014. This is despite the RX 9060 winning both head-to-head tests.

Q: How large is the performance gap in OpenCL?

A: The RX 9060 scores 88,183 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 477% higher than the Pro 460’s 15,284. This is the largest delta between the two cards.

Q: Does the Pro 460 have any ray tracing capabilities?

A: No. The RX 9060 includes 28 ray tracing cores, while the Pro 460 has no RT cores listed. The RX 9060 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing features.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 9060 provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6, while the Pro 460 provides 81.28 GB/s from 4 GB of GDDR5. The RX 9060 has a 3.5 times bandwidth advantage.

Q: Which card is more power-efficient?

A: The Pro 460 has a 35 W TDP versus the RX 9060’s 132 W TDP, making it more power-efficient. However, the RX 9060 delivers 11.5 times the FP32 compute (21.43 TFLOPS vs. 1.858 TFLOPS), so its performance per watt is far superior in compute tasks.

Q: Why does the Pro 460 have a higher percentile rank?

A: The Pro 460 ranks in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 9060 ranks in the 59th. This is because the Pro 460’s benchmark suite (Metal, OpenCL, Vulkan) yields scores that compare favorably against a wider range of GPUs, whereas the RX 9060’s PassMark DX9/DX10/DX12 scores are low, pulling its percentile down.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9060 is the clear winner in any modern, compute-intensive workload. Its 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 and 21.43 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) performance, combined with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, make it ideal for OpenCL and Vulkan applications—the two tests it wins by 477% and 134.8%, respectively. Its 28 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support position it for current-generation gaming and professional 3D rendering. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory is double the Pro 460’s capacity, enabling larger texture sets and datasets. With PCIe 5.0 x16 and DisplayPort 2.1a outputs, it is built for high-refresh monitors and future expansion.

The Pro 460’s advantages are narrower but real. Its 20,426 Geekbench Metal score is its strongest result, and for macOS-based workloads that rely on Metal, it remains functional. Its 35 W TDP and IGP form factor mean it requires no additional power connectors and generates minimal heat, making it suitable for compact, low-power systems where the RX 9060’s 132 W TDP and dual-slot cooler are unacceptable. The Pro 460’s PCIe 3.0 x8 interface is sufficient for its 81.28 GB/s bandwidth, and its 4 GB GDDR5 is adequate for basic display output and legacy applications. Its higher average score and percentile rank (61st) suggest that, within its limited benchmark set, it punches above its weight compared to the RX 9060’s broader but inconsistent results.

In summary, the RX 9060 is the only choice for modern compute, gaming, or professional workloads, while the Pro 460 remains relevant exclusively for low-power, macOS-specific, or legacy use cases where its Metal performance and minimal power draw are the deciding factors. The head-to-head data shows a two-to-zero win margin for the RX 9060, but the Pro 460’s unique position in the benchmark database prevents it from being a complete write-off.