NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE in nearly the same performance tier, but the GT 1010 emerges with a decisive, if narrow, victory in the available compute test. The GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 4.8% higher than the GTX 460 SE’s 6389. This margin is modest in absolute terms, yet it is consistent across the architecture gap of over a decade between the two parts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the result is unambiguous. The GT 1010 wins with a score of 6698 against the GTX 460 SE’s 6389, a delta of 4.8%. While this is not a dominant lead, it is a clear one. The GT 1010 also holds a slight percentile advantage, ranking in the 38th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 460 SE sits in the 37th percentile.

The neighboring rivals for each card further contextualize this narrow gap. The GT 1010 is nearly tied with the AMD Radeon R7 M370, which scores 6764, a -1% difference, and it edges out the AMD Radeon R7 M460 (6612) by 1.3%. The GTX 460 SE, meanwhile, is perfectly matched with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M, both scoring exactly 6389, and it trails the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell (6407) by just 0.3%. These rival clusters confirm that both cards operate in the same performance bandwidth, making the GT 1010’s win a matter of inches rather than miles.

The GT 1010’s victory is not built on raw throughput alone. Its FP32 compute is 751.6 GFLOPS, which is marginally ahead of the GTX 460 SE’s 748.8 GFLOPS. The texture rate tells a different story, however, with the GTX 460 SE delivering 31.20 GTexel/s versus the GT 1010’s 23.49 GTexel/s. Despite this disadvantage in texture throughput, the GT 1010 still wins the overall benchmark, suggesting its architectural efficiency in compute workloads compensates for its lower texture capability.

Where Each One Wins

The GT 1010 wins in the compute benchmark, which is the primary metric available. This makes it the better choice for general-purpose compute tasks or OpenCL-accelerated applications. Its advantage is small but real, and it is reinforced by its higher pixel rate of 11.74 GPixel/s compared to the GTX 460 SE’s 7.800 GPixel/s. The GT 1010 also offers a significantly lower power draw, which is discussed in the specification section, making it the more efficient performer.

The GTX 460 SE, despite losing the benchmark, has clear strengths in specific areas. Its texture rate of 31.20 GTexel/s is 32.8% higher than the GT 1010’s 23.49 GTexel/s. This suggests it would be better suited for workloads that are heavily texture-bound, such as certain types of rasterization-heavy rendering. Its memory bandwidth is also vastly superior at 108.8 GB/s, more than double the GT 1010’s 48.06 GB/s. This could translate to better performance in scenarios that stream large amounts of texture data. Additionally, the GTX 460 SE has more shading units (288) and more TMUs (48) than the GT 1010 (256 and 16, respectively), giving it a structural advantage in parallel shading tasks that do not hit memory or power limits.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different architectural eras and foundries. The GT 1010 is built on the Pascal architecture, using the GP108 chip, fabricated on a 14 nm process at Samsung. The GTX 460 SE is based on the Fermi architecture, using the GF104 chip, fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This process node difference is stark: 14 nm versus 40 nm. The GT 1010 packs 1,800 million transistors into a 74 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.3M per mm². The GTX 460 SE uses 1,950 million transistors spread across a 332 mm² die, giving it a density of just 5.9M per mm². The GT 1010 is thus far more transistor-dense and efficient.

The memory configurations also differ fundamentally. The GT 1010 uses 2 GB of GDDR5 on a 64-bit bus, while the GTX 460 SE uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus. This explains the bandwidth disparity. The GT 1010’s memory clock is 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), while the GTX 460 SE’s is 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective). The GTX 460 SE compensates for its slower clock with its wider bus, achieving 108.8 GB/s.

API support reveals another generational split. The GT 1010 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 460 SE supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The GT 1010’s newer API support, particularly Vulkan, makes it more compatible with modern software titles and engines.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets for these two cards differ in nearly every physical and electrical category. The GT 1010 has a TDP of 30 W, whereas the GTX 460 SE is rated at 150 W. This leads to different power requirements: the GT 1010 needs no power connectors and has a suggested PSU of 200 W, while the GTX 460 SE requires 2x 6-pin connectors and a 450 W PSU. The GT 1010 is a single-slot card, while the GTX 460 SE is dual-slot. The GT 1010 is also shorter at 147 mm (5.8 inches) versus the GTX 460 SE’s 210 mm (8.3 inches).

The bus interfaces differ as well. The GT 1010 uses PCIe 3.0 x4, while the GTX 460 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16. The display outputs are distinct: the GT 1010 offers 1x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 2.0, while the GTX 460 SE offers 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are all higher on the GTX 460 SE (288, 48, and 32, respectively) compared to the GT 1010 (256, 16, and 8). The GTX 460 SE also has a launch MSRP of 160 USD.

The release dates are a decade apart. The GTX 460 SE was released on 2010-11-14, while the GT 1010 was released on 2021-01-12. Both are now end-of-life products. The GTX 460 SE’s predecessor is GeForce 200 and its successor is GeForce 500, while the GT 1010’s predecessor is GeForce 900 and its successor is GeForce 20.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 scores 6698, which is 4.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE’s score of 6389.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare?

A: The GTX 460 SE has a bandwidth of 108.8 GB/s, which is more than double the GT 1010’s 48.06 GB/s.

Q: What is the difference in power consumption?

A: The GT 1010 has a TDP of 30 W and requires no power connectors, while the GTX 460 SE has a TDP of 150 W and needs 2x 6-pin connectors.

Q: Which GPU supports Vulkan?

A: The GT 1010 supports Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 460 SE has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What are the shading unit counts?

A: The GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units, while the GT 1010 has 256.

Q: What is the manufacturing process node for each?

A: The GT 1010 is built on a 14 nm process at Samsung, while the GTX 460 SE is built on a 40 nm process at TSMC.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1010 is the better overall performer for compute workloads, as it wins the only available benchmark by 4.8%. Its higher pixel rate, lower power draw, and modern API support (Vulkan, DirectX 12_1) make it a more capable and efficient option for general use. The GT 1010 is also significantly smaller and requires no auxiliary power, making it far easier to integrate into a system.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE, however, is not without its merits. Its superior texture rate (31.20 GTexel/s) and memory bandwidth (108.8 GB/s) give it a potential edge in texture-heavy or bandwidth-intensive scenarios, despite losing the compute benchmark. Its higher number of shading units and TMUs suggest a raw parallel processing capacity that is not fully reflected in the OpenCL score.

For a user prioritizing compute performance, efficiency, and modern software compatibility, the GT 1010 is the clear choice. For a user with a legacy workload that is specifically optimized for higher texture throughput or memory bandwidth, the GTX 460 SE could still be relevant, but it comes with the trade-offs of much higher power consumption and a larger physical footprint. The benchmark results ultimately favor the GT 1010, but the GTX 460 SE holds niche advantages that the data cannot dismiss.