NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE Comparison

The benchmark data shows the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE are nearly identical in overall compute performance, with the GT 555M holding a razor-thin 1.6% lead in the sole Geekbench OpenCL test. However, these two GPUs are engineered for entirely different purposes: the GT 555M is a 35 W mobile part designed for portability, while the GTX 460 SE is a 150 W desktop card with a dual-slot cooler and dual 6-pin power connectors. The verdict is straightforward: the GTX 460 SE is the superior raw performer for desktop builds where power and space are not constraints, while the GT 555M exists to provide Fermi-class features in a power-efficient mobile envelope. The data indicates the GTX 460 SE has double the shading units, texture mapping units, render output units, and memory bandwidth of the GT 555M, making its near-parity in compute score proof of the GT 555M's efficiency rather than a sign of competitive desktop performance.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark results, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M edges out the GTX 460 SE with a 1.6% higher Geekbench OpenCL score (6493 vs 6389). This makes the GT 555M the winner in the only head-to-head test available, but this margin is well within the noise of typical run-to-run variation. The GTX 460 SE matches the GT 555M's percentile ranking at the 37th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the GTX 580M with an identical 6389 score. The GT 555M's nearest rivals show it trading places with the Quadro M5000M (6481, 0.2% behind) and the GTX 670M (6513, 0.3% ahead). For a desktop user, the GTX 460 SE is the clear choice because it offers double the shading units (288 vs 144), double the TMUs (48 vs 24), double the ROPs (32 vs 16), and 3.8x the memory bandwidth (108.8 GB/s vs 28.80 GB/s) — yet still cannot decisively beat the mobile chip in compute throughput. The GT 555M is the pick for any laptop or compact system where the 35 W TDP is the binding constraint, as the GTX 460 SE's 150 W TDP and dual-slot cooler make it physically incompatible with such designs.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on NVIDIA's Fermi architecture and manufactured by TSMC on the same 40 nm process node, but they use different chips. The GT 555M uses the GF106 chip with 1,170 million transistors on a 238 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 4.9 million transistors per square millimeter. The GTX 460 SE uses the larger GF104 chip, which packs 1,950 million transistors onto a 332 mm² die for a density of 5.9 million per square millimeter. This 66.7% transistor count advantage and 39.5% die size advantage for the GTX 460 SE explains its doubled execution resources. The GT 555M is part of the GeForce 500M generation and is the successor to the GeForce 400M line, while the GTX 460 SE belongs to the GeForce 400 generation and succeeds the GeForce 200 series. Both chips support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support listed for either. The GT 555M's memory runs at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) using DDR3, while the GTX 460 SE's memory runs at 850 MHz but achieves 3.4 Gbps effective through GDDR5 technology. The GTX 460 SE's 256-bit memory bus is twice as wide as the GT 555M's 128-bit bus, which is the primary driver of its 108.8 GB/s bandwidth versus the GT 555M's 28.80 GB/s.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only available benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL, where the GT 555M scores 6493 against the GTX 460 SE's 6389. This 1.6% delta favors the mobile chip, but the context from nearest rivals is telling. The GTX 460 SE's closest competitor is the GTX 580M at exactly 6389 (0% delta), followed by the RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell at 6407 (0.3% ahead) and the Radeon Pro WX 4100 at 6330 (0.9% behind). The GT 555M's closest rivals include the Quadro M5000M at 6481 (0.2% behind) and the Radeon Vega 10 Mobile at 6476 (0.3% behind). These rival clusters show that both GPUs sit in a dense performance band where 1-2% differences are common. The GTX 460 SE's hardware specifications suggest it should dominate — it has double the FP32 throughput (748.8 GFLOPS vs 339.8 GFLOPS), double the pixel rate (7.800 GPixel/s vs 3.540 GPixel/s), and double the texture rate (31.20 GTexel/s vs 14.16 GTexel/s). Yet the benchmark shows the opposite result. This suggests the GT 555M's benchmark score benefits from a more efficient compute pipeline or better driver optimization for the OpenCL workload, despite the GTX 460 SE having 2.2x the raw compute capacity.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every measurable specification. The GT 555M has 144 shading units, 24 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, while the GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Memory configurations diverge sharply: the GT 555M uses 1024 MB of DDR3 on a 128-bit bus with 28.80 GB/s bandwidth, whereas the GTX 460 SE uses 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 108.8 GB/s bandwidth. Clock speeds show the GT 555M's memory at 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) versus the GTX 460 SE's 850 MHz (3.4 Gbps effective). The GT 555M's TDP is 35 W compared to the GTX 460 SE's 150 W. The GTX 460 SE requires dual 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the GT 555M lists no power connectors or PSU recommendation. Physical dimensions differ: the GTX 460 SE is 210 mm (8.3 inches) long and dual-slot, while the GT 555M has no listed dimensions. Display outputs are another split: the GT 555M uses "Portable Device Dependent" outputs, while the GTX 460 SE provides 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. Both use PCIe 2.0 x16 interfaces. The GTX 460 SE has a launch MSRP of 160 USD, while the GT 555M has no listed launch MSRP. Release dates differ by roughly eight months: the GTX 460 SE launched on 2010-11-14, and the GT 555M on 2011-07-01.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M scores 6493, which is 1.6% higher than the GTX 460 SE's 6389 in the Geekbench OpenCL test.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The GTX 460 SE has 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth from its 256-bit GDDR5 memory, which is 3.8 times the GT 555M's 28.80 GB/s from 128-bit DDR3 memory.

Q: What is the TDP difference between these two GPUs?

A: The GT 555M has a 35 W TDP, while the GTX 460 SE has a 150 W TDP — a difference of 115 W that makes the GT 555M suitable for portable devices.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same DirectX version?

A: Yes, both the GT 555M and GTX 460 SE support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6; neither lists Vulkan support.

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The GTX 460 SE has 288 shading units, exactly double the GT 555M's 144 shading units.

Q: What are the physical power requirements for the GTX 460 SE?

A: The GTX 460 SE requires 2x 6-pin power connectors and a 450 W suggested PSU, while the GT 555M lists no power connector or PSU requirements.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M wins in the only benchmark test, taking the Geekbench OpenCL contest with 6493 points. It also wins decisively on power efficiency, with its 35 W TDP representing just 23.3% of the GTX 460 SE's 150 W TDP. This makes the GT 555M the appropriate choice for any portable system — laptops, compact media centers, or embedded designs — where thermal headroom and battery life are primary concerns. Its lack of listed power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs confirm its mobile-first design intent. The GTX 460 SE wins on every raw specification that matters for traditional rasterization workloads: double the shading units for pixel processing, double the TMUs for texture filtering, double the ROPs for framebuffer operations, and 3.8x the memory bandwidth for high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing. Its 748.8 GFLOPS FP32 throughput versus the GT 555M's 339.8 GFLOPS means the GTX 460 SE has 2.2x the raw compute headroom for workloads that scale with shader count. The GTX 460 SE also wins on connectivity, offering 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a outputs versus the GT 555M's device-dependent outputs. For a desktop user with a 450 W or larger PSU, the GTX 460 SE is the only rational choice despite its slightly lower benchmark score, because its hardware advantages will manifest in real-world gaming and compute tasks that are not captured by the single OpenCL test. The GT 555M's benchmark victory is real but narrow, and it comes in a synthetic workload that does not reflect the GTX 460 SE's superior fill rates and bandwidth. In summary: the GT 555M wins for mobile and low-power applications, while the GTX 460 SE wins for desktop performance where power and space are available.