AMD Radeon Vega 8 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 represent two fundamentally different approaches to graphics processing, separated by nearly eight years of technological evolution. The GTX 465 is a dedicated, high-power discrete graphics card from the Fermi generation, designed for desktop performance. The Vega 8 is a low-power integrated graphics processor (IGP) built into AMD's Raven Ridge APUs. Benchmark data shows a closely contested matchup, with the GeForce GTX 465 holding a slim lead in the single shared benchmark, but the analysis of their respective architectures and feature sets reveals a more complex picture.

Where Each One Wins

The GeForce GTX 465 is the winner in the only directly comparable benchmark, the Geekbench OpenCL test. It scores 9294 points against the Vega 8's 8822 points, a 5.4% advantage. This makes the GTX 465 the default choice for GPU-accelerated compute workloads that rely on OpenCL, such as certain rendering tasks and scientific simulations. Its higher pixel rate of 13.38 GPixel/s, compared to the Vega 8's 8.80 GPixel/s, also suggests an edge in fill-rate-bound scenarios, potentially benefiting traditional rasterization at lower resolutions.

The AMD Radeon Vega 8, however, wins in areas not captured by the single head-to-head test. The data shows it has a significantly higher texture rate of 35.20 GTexel/s versus the GTX 465's 26.75 GTexel/s, indicating better performance in texture-heavy scenes. More importantly, the Vega 8 supports a wider range of modern APIs. It has Vulkan 1.3 support and DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 465 is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) with no Vulkan support listed. This gives the Vega 8 a decisive advantage in modern game titles and applications built on these newer APIs. Its low 25 W TDP and integrated nature also make it the only viable option for compact, power-efficient systems where a dedicated card like the 200 W GTX 465 is impractical.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on vastly different manufacturing processes and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 uses the GF100 chip on TSMC's 40 nm process, a large and complex design. It packs 3,100 million transistors onto a massive 529 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 5.9M / mm². This high-power design features 352 shading units, 44 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 32 raster operation units (ROPs). Its memory subsystem is a dedicated 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 102.7 GB/s of bandwidth.

In contrast, the AMD Radeon Vega 8 uses the Raven chip on GlobalFoundries' more advanced 14 nm process. This allows AMD to integrate 4,940 million transistors onto a much smaller 210 mm² die, achieving a significantly higher transistor density of 23.5M / mm². Despite having more shading units (512) than the GTX 465, it has fewer TMUs (32) and ROPs (8). The Vega 8 is an IGP, meaning it has no dedicated video memory; it relies on the system's shared memory, making its bandwidth "System Dependent." Its clock speeds are also dynamic, with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 1100 MHz, whereas the GTX 465's core clocks are not listed but its memory runs at 802 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). The Vega 8's compute capabilities are highlighted by its 1,126.4 GFLOPS FP32 performance and 2.253 TFLOPS FP16 performance, surpassing the GTX 465's 855.4 GFLOPS FP32.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, a measure of general-purpose compute performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 delivers a score of 9294, edging out the AMD Radeon Vega 8's 8822. The delta is 5.4%, a modest but clear victory for the older discrete card.

This result is consistent with the GTX 465's position among its nearest rivals. Its average benchmark score of 9294 places it 0.8% above the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (9221) and 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (9273). It is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M (9302) and the AMD Radeon R7 M380 (9313), with deltas of -0.1% and -0.2% respectively. The Vega 8, with its average score of 9221, sits 0.6% below the GTX 960 and 0.1% above the AMD Radeon 890M (9210). The performance difference between these two cards is within the noise of their respective rival clusters, suggesting that in raw OpenCL compute, they are in the same performance tier, with the GTX 465 holding a slight edge.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in OpenCL compute workloads?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 9294 compared to the AMD Radeon Vega 8's 8822, a 5.4% difference.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon Vega 8 support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the Vega 8 supports Vulkan 1.3 and DirectX 12 (12_1). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 only supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no listed Vulkan support.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The TDP figures show a stark contrast. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 has a TDP of 200 W and requires two 6-pin power connectors, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 has a TDP of just 25 W and needs no power connectors.

Q: Which GPU has a higher texture fill rate?

A: The AMD Radeon Vega 8 has a higher texture rate of 35.20 GTexel/s, whereas the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 has a texture rate of 26.75 GTexel/s.

Q: How does the memory configuration differ?

A: The GTX 465 has a dedicated 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, offering 102.7 GB/s of bandwidth. The Vega 8 uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth being System Dependent.

Q: Which GPU has a higher pixel fill rate?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 has a higher pixel rate of 13.38 GPixel/s, compared to the AMD Radeon Vega 8's 8.80 GPixel/s.

Specification Differences

• Process Node: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 uses a 40 nm process, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 uses a 14 nm process.
• Transistors: The GTX 465 has 3,100 million transistors, while the Vega 8 has 4,940 million.
• Die Size: The GTX 465's die is 529 mm², compared to the Vega 8's 210 mm².
• Shading Units: The GTX 465 has 352 shading units, while the Vega 8 has 512.
• TMUs: The GTX 465 has 44 TMUs, while the Vega 8 has 32.
• ROPs: The GTX 465 has 32 ROPs, while the Vega 8 has 8.
• Pixel Rate: The GTX 465 has a pixel rate of 13.38 GPixel/s, versus the Vega 8's 8.80 GPixel/s.
• Texture Rate: The GTX 465 has a texture rate of 26.75 GTexel/s, versus the Vega 8's 35.20 GTexel/s.
• FP32 Performance: The GTX 465 has 855.4 GFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Vega 8 has 1,126.4 GFLOPS.
• FP16 Performance: The GTX 465 has no listed FP16 performance, while the Vega 8 has 2.253 TFLOPS (2:1).
• TDP: The GTX 465 has a TDP of 200 W, while the Vega 8 has a TDP of 25 W.
• Power Connectors: The GTX 465 requires 2x 6-pin connectors, while the Vega 8 requires None.
• Bus Interface: The GTX 465 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the Vega 8 is an IGP.
• Memory: The GTX 465 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, while the Vega 8 uses System Shared memory.
• Memory Bandwidth: The GTX 465 has 102.7 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Vega 8's is System Dependent.
• DirectX Support: The GTX 465 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), while the Vega 8 supports DirectX 12 (12_1).
• Vulkan Support: The GTX 465 has no listed Vulkan support, while the Vega 8 supports Vulkan 1.3.
• Display Outputs: The GTX 465 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a, while the Vega 8's are Motherboard Dependent.
• Release Date: The GTX 465 was released on 2010-05-30, while the Vega 8 was released on 2018-02-11.
• Launch MSRP: The GTX 465 had a launch MSRP of 279 USD; the Vega 8 has no listed MSRP.