NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 Comparison

The GeForce GTX 970 and GeForce GTX 460 SE sit on opposite sides of a major architectural divide at NVIDIA, and the recorded data reflects that gap plainly. Both are end-of-life dual-slot cards with two 6-pin power connectors, but beyond that shared outline, the Maxwell 2.0-based GTX 970 outclasses the Fermi-based GTX 460 SE in every measurement in the database. The single head-to-head benchmark result, Geekbench OpenCL, shows the GTX 970 scoring 29982 against 6389, a delta of 369.3 percent. What follows breaks down where that lead comes from, what each card's design prioritized, and which buyer each one ever made sense for.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Direct overlap between the two cards is limited to one test, but it is decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 970 posts 29982 while the GTX 460 SE manages 6389, and the database records that as a 369.3 percent advantage for the GTX 970. That is not a marginal generational step, it is a rout across four years of architectural progress.

The broader benchmark portfolios tell the same story even without direct pairing. The GTX 970's average benchmark score sits at 7157, built from eleven recorded results spanning 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) at 369, Geekbench Metal at 13595, Geekbench Vulkan at 20005, the full Passmark DirectX breakdown (143 in DX9, 46 in DX10, 71 in DX11, 41 in DX12), Passmark G2D at 764, Passmark G3D at 9638, and Passmark GPU Compute at 4073. The GTX 460 SE's average benchmark score is 6389, derived from its single Geekbench OpenCL result. Even comparing averages flatters the older card, because the OpenCL test is the GTX 970's weakest relative showing among its compute-oriented results, yet it still wins it nearly five times over.

Context against the wider database confirms both cards occupy similar overall percentile positions, 39 for the GTX 970 and 37 for the GTX 460 SE, since the GPU landscape has moved far past both. But within their own eras and in direct measurement, the GTX 970 is the stronger component by a wide margin. Its nearest rivals by average score include the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 (7170, a 0.2 percent gap), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE (7171, 0.2 percent), the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile (7203, 0.6 percent), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 (7222, 0.9 percent), a cluster that still includes the GTX 460 SE's own direct descendant two generations later. The GTX 460 SE's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M at an identical 6389, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 72 GB Blackwell at 6407 (0.3 percent), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100 at 6330 (0.9 percent), and the AMD Radeon R7 M350 at 6327 (1 percent).

Architecture Differences

The GTX 460 SE is built on the GF104 chip, Fermi architecture, GeForce 400 generation, manufactured by TSMC on a 40 nm process. It packs 1,950 million transistors into a 332 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 5.9M per mm². The GTX 970 uses the GM204 chip, Maxwell 2.0 architecture, GeForce 900 generation, on TSMC's 28 nm node. It carries 5,200 million transistors on a 398 mm² die for a density of 13.1M per mm², more than double the packing density of the Fermi part.

The resource counts diverge sharply. The GTX 970 fields 1664 shading units, 104 texture mapping units, and 56 render output units, against 288 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs on the GTX 460 SE. Theoretical throughput follows: the GTX 970 delivers 3.920 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 65.97 GPixel/s of pixel fill, and 122.5 GTexel/s of texture fill, while the GTX 460 SE offers 748.8 GFLOPS, 7.800 GPixel/s, and 31.20 GTexel/s respectively.

Clocking also differs in kind. The GTX 970 specifies a 1050 MHz base and 1178 MHz boost clock, while the GTX 460 SE predates boost-clock specification and carries no base or boost figures in the database at all. Memory is where the older card hurts most in modern terms: 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus at 3.4 Gbps effective, yielding 108.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 970 quadruples capacity to 4 GB on the same 256 bit bus, running 7 Gbps effective for 224.4 GB/s, roughly double the bandwidth.

Platform features split as well. The GTX 970 connects over PCIe 3.0 x16 and supports DirectX 12 at the 12_1 feature level plus Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 460 SE uses PCIe 2.0 x16, supports DirectX 12 only at the 11_0 level, and has no Vulkan support recorded. Both support OpenGL 4.6. Display output differs too: the GTX 970 offers one DVI, one HDMI 2.0, and three DisplayPort 1.2 connectors, whereas the GTX 460 SE provides two DVI ports and a single mini-HDMI 1.3a.

Where Each One Wins

The data gives the GTX 970 every recorded win: one head-to-head victory, one win for the GTX 970 and zero for the GTX 460 SE in the tallied results. There is no benchmark in the database where the GTX 460 SE comes out ahead, so any use-case split has to rest on secondary characteristics rather than performance.

For the GTX 970, the case is universal. Its Vulkan score of 20005, its Metal score of 13595, and its Passmark G3D result of 9638 indicate a card capable of modern API workloads, compute tasks via OpenCL at 29982, and general 3D rendering at a level the Fermi card cannot approach. Its DirectX 12 12_1 support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility mean it can run contemporary software stacks the GTX 460 SE simply cannot address.

The GTX 460 SE's remaining arguments are physical and electrical, not computational. It is shorter at 210 mm (8.3 inches) versus the GTX 970's 267 mm (10.5 inches), so it fits tighter enclosures. That is about where the advantages end. It actually draws slightly more power under the database's TDP figures, 150 W against 148 W, and demands a heftier suggested PSU at 450 W versus 300 W for the GTX 970, a direct consequence of Fermi's 40 nm inefficiency. A card that is slower, hotter per unit of work, and hungrier for PSU headroom wins nothing on merit here.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the GTX 970 than the GTX 460 SE in the shared benchmark?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the only test recorded for both cards, the GTX 970 scores 29982 versus 6389, a 369.3 percent advantage.

Q: Do both cards support DirectX 12?

A: Both report DirectX 12 support, but at different feature levels: 12_1 on the GTX 970 and 11_0 on the GTX 460 SE. The GTX 970 also supports Vulkan 1.4, which the GTX 460 SE does not.

Q: How do their memory configurations compare?

A: Both use GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus. The GTX 970 has 4 GB running 7 Gbps effective for 224.4 GB/s of bandwidth, while the GTX 460 SE has 1024 MB at 3.4 Gbps effective for 108.8 GB/s.

Q: Which card needs a bigger power supply?

A: The GTX 460 SE, despite being far slower, carries a 150 W TDP and a 450 W suggested PSU, compared to the GTX 970's 148 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU.

Q: How do the two rank against all GPUs in the database?

A: Closely in percentile terms, 39 for the GTX 970 and 37 for the GTX 460 SE, because both are end-of-life parts measured against a field that has long since moved on.

Q: When did each card launch and at what launch MSRP?

A: The GTX 460 SE launched on November 14, 2010 at a launch MSRP of 160 USD; the GTX 970 launched on September 18, 2014 at a launch MSRP of 329 USD.

The Verdict

Between these two, the data makes the choice one-directional. The GTX 970 wins the only direct benchmark by 369.3 percent, offers four times the memory and roughly double the bandwidth, supports newer APIs and feature levels, fits a lower suggested PSU rating, and posts superior counts across every hardware metric recorded: shading units, TMUs, ROPs, FP32 throughput, pixel rate, and texture rate. Anyone choosing a card for gaming, compute, or any graphics workload recorded in this database should take the GTX 970.

The GTX 460 SE's only practical edge is its shorter 210 mm board, relevant in cramped legacy builds, and even there it demands a 450 W suggested PSU against the GTX 970's 300 W while delivering a fraction of the performance. With both cards end-of-life, the GTX 460 SE is a piece of computing history, not a candidate for a working system, unless the sole constraint is fitting an older PCIe 2.0 platform where nothing else is available.

Specification Differences

• Chip: GM204 (GTX 970) vs GF104 (GTX 460 SE)
• Architecture: Maxwell 2.0 vs Fermi
• Generation: GeForce 900 vs GeForce 400
• Process node: 28 nm vs 40 nm (both TSMC)
• Transistors: 5,200 million vs 1,950 million
• Die size: 398 mm² vs 332 mm²
• Transistor density: 13.1M/mm² vs 5.9M/mm²
• Core clock: 1050 MHz base, 1178 MHz boost vs none recorded
• Memory speed: 7 Gbps effective vs 3.4 Gbps effective
• Memory size: 4 GB vs 1024 MB
• Bandwidth: 224.4 GB/s vs 108.8 GB/s (both GDDR5, 256 bit)
• Shading units: 1664 vs 288
• TMUs: 104 vs 48
• ROPs: 56 vs 32
• Pixel rate: 65.97 GPixel/s vs 7.800 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 122.5 GTexel/s vs 31.20 GTexel/s
• FP32 compute: 3.920 TFLOPS vs 748.8 GFLOPS
• TDP: 148 W vs 150 W
• Suggested PSU: 300 W vs 450 W
• Bus interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 vs PCIe 2.0 x16
• Display outputs: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.2 vs 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a
• DirectX: 12 (12_1) vs 12 (11_0); Vulkan 1.4 vs none (both OpenGL 4.6)
• Dimensions: 267 x 111 x 40 mm vs 210 mm length only
• Release date: September 18, 2014 vs November 14, 2010
• Launch MSRP: 329 USD vs 160 USD
• Average benchmark score: 7157 vs 6389
• Percentile vs all GPUs: 39 vs 37