NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE are both end-of-life Fermi-generation graphics cards, but they represent different points in NVIDIA’s product timeline. The GTX 460 belongs to the GeForce 400 generation, built on the GF104 chip, while the GTX 560 SE is part of the GeForce 500 series, using the GF114 chip. Both are fabricated on a 40 nm process at TSMC, with identical transistor counts of 1,950 million and a die size of 332 mm². The data available for direct comparison is limited to a single OpenCL benchmark, yet that one result, combined with the full specification sheets, reveals a clear split between raw compute throughput and memory configuration.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only head-to-head benchmark recorded is Geekbench OpenCL, and here the GTX 460 takes a decisive win. The GTX 460 scores 7,925 points, while the GTX 560 SE trails at 7,171 points. That is a 10.5% delta in favor of the older card. This outcome is somewhat counterintuitive given the newer architecture of the GTX 560 SE, but the data does not lie. The GTX 460’s advantage in shading units (336 vs. 288), texture mapping units (56 vs. 48), and raw FP32 throughput (907.2 GFLOPS vs. 847.9 GFLOPS) directly translates into a higher OpenCL score. The GTX 460 also leads in pixel rate (9.450 GPixel/s vs. 8.832 GPixel/s) and texture rate (37.80 GTexel/s vs. 35.33 GTexel/s), reinforcing that its compute and fill-rate advantages are systemic rather than isolated to one test.

However, the GTX 560 SE is not without its own victories in the broader specification comparison. Its memory clock runs at 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) compared to the GTX 460’s 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). This yields a higher memory bandwidth of 91.87 GB/s versus 86.40 GB/s. The GTX 560 SE also doubles the frame buffer capacity, offering 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory against the GTX 460’s 768 MB. In terms of power efficiency, the GTX 560 SE draws 150 W under TDP, compared to the GTX 460’s 160 W, making it the lower-power option despite being the newer part. These differences do not appear in the single benchmark, but they are meaningful for real-world workloads that are memory-bound or power-sensitive.

The deltaPct values in the nearestRivals lists further contextualize each card’s standing. The GTX 460 sits at the 41st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7,925. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K4100M at 7,906 points, a negligible 0.2% difference. A step above, the Quadro P5000 and GeForce GTX 880M both score around 8,040, putting the GTX 460 about 1.4% behind them. The GTX 650 Ti is 1.6% ahead at 8,053. For the GTX 560 SE, the percentile rank drops to 39, with an average score of 7,171. Its nearest rival is the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580, which matches it exactly at 7,170 points (0% delta). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is just 0.2% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile sits 0.4% behind and the GTX 750 trails by 0.7%. This places the GTX 560 SE in a tighter, slightly lower-performance cluster than the GTX 460.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 is the faster card. Its 10.5% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is substantial and consistent with its higher core counts, texture units, and FP32 output. The GTX 460 also holds a higher percentile rank (41 vs. 39) and a higher absolute average score (7,925 vs. 7,171). For any workload that relies on general-purpose compute or raw shader throughput, the GTX 460 is the clear choice.

The GTX 560 SE, however, is not without merit. It offers double the memory capacity (1024 MB vs. 768 MB), higher memory bandwidth (91.87 GB/s vs. 86.40 GB/s), and a lower TDP (150 W vs. 160 W). These factors favor scenarios where texture data exceeds the GTX 460’s smaller frame buffer, or where power draw is a constraint. The GTX 560 SE also benefits from being a later release (February 2012 vs. July 2010), but the data shows no architectural refinement advantage in compute performance. In fact, the GTX 460’s higher shading unit count and texture unit count outweigh the GTX 560 SE’s memory improvements in the sole benchmark recorded.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 460 wins in raw compute and fill-rate metrics. It has more shading units (336 vs. 288), more TMUs (56 vs. 48), and higher pixel and texture rates (9.450 GPixel/s and 37.80 GTexel/s vs. 8.832 GPixel/s and 35.33 GTexel/s). Its FP32 output of 907.2 GFLOPS exceeds the GTX 560 SE’s 847.9 GFLOPS by nearly 60 GFLOPS. These numbers point to superiority in compute-heavy applications such as OpenCL workloads, physics simulations, or any shader-bound rendering where the extra 48 shading units and 8 TMUs can be fully utilized.

The GTX 560 SE wins in memory-centric scenarios. Its 1024 MB frame buffer doubles the GTX 460’s 768 MB, allowing it to hold larger textures or higher-resolution render targets without spilling to system memory. Its memory bandwidth of 91.87 GB/s is 6.3% higher than the GTX 460’s 86.40 GB/s, which benefits memory-intensive operations like high-resolution texture filtering or post-processing effects. Additionally, the GTX 560 SE’s lower TDP (150 W vs. 160 W) makes it the more power-efficient option, which could be relevant in thermally constrained systems. Both cards share the same 192-bit memory bus, PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, dual-slot cooling footprint, and 2x 6-pin power connector requirements, so those do not differentiate them.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher Geekbench OpenCL score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 scores 7,925 points, which is 10.5% higher than the GTX 560 SE’s 7,171 points.

Q: Does the GTX 560 SE have more memory than the GTX 460?

A: Yes. The GTX 560 SE has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 460 has 768 MB. Both use a 192-bit memory bus.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two cards?

A: The GTX 560 SE offers 91.87 GB/s, compared to the GTX 460’s 86.40 GB/s. The GTX 560 SE’s memory clock is 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) versus 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) on the GTX 460.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The GTX 460 has 336 shading units, while the GTX 560 SE has 288. The GTX 460 also has 56 TMUs versus 48 on the GTX 560 SE.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The GTX 460 has a TDP of 160 W, while the GTX 560 SE has a lower TDP of 150 W. Both require a 450 W suggested power supply and two 6-pin power connectors.

Q: What are their percentile rankings among all GPUs?

A: The GTX 460 ranks in the 41st percentile, while the GTX 560 SE ranks in the 39th percentile. The GTX 460’s average score is 7,925, and the GTX 560 SE’s is 7,171.

Architecture Differences

The GTX 460 is built on the GF104 chip using the Fermi architecture, while the GTX 560 SE uses the GF114 chip with the Fermi 2.0 architecture. Despite the generational naming, both are manufactured on the same 40 nm process at TSMC, with identical transistor counts (1,950 million) and die size (332 mm²). The transistor density is also identical at 5.9M / mm². The key architectural difference lies in the execution resources: the GTX 460 allocates 336 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, whereas the GTX 560 SE reduces shading units to 288 and TMUs to 48, while keeping ROPs at 24. This means the GTX 460 has 16.7% more shading units and 16.7% more TMUs than the GTX 560 SE, which explains its higher pixel rate (9.450 GPixel/s vs. 8.832 GPixel/s) and texture rate (37.80 GTexel/s vs. 35.33 GTexel/s).

The GTX 560 SE compensates with a higher memory clock (957 MHz vs. 900 MHz) and larger memory capacity (1024 MB vs. 768 MB), but it does not close the compute gap. Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, with no Vulkan support listed. The GTX 460 belongs to the GeForce 400 generation and lists the GeForce 200 as its predecessor, with the GeForce 500 as its successor. The GTX 560 SE belongs to the GeForce 500 generation, with the GeForce 400 as its predecessor and GeForce 600 as its successor. The GTX 460 was released on July 11, 2010, while the GTX 560 SE came later on February 19, 2012.

Specification Differences

The table below highlights only the fields where the two cards differ, based on the FACT PACK data.

| Specification | GTX 460 | GTX 560 SE |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GF104 | GF114 |

| Architecture | Fermi | Fermi 2.0 |

| Generation | GeForce 400 | GeForce 500 |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) | 957 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 768 MB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 86.40 GB/s | 91.87 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 336 | 288 |

| TMUs | 56 | 48 |

| Pixel Rate | 9.450 GPixel/s | 8.832 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 37.80 GTexel/s | 35.33 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 907.2 GFLOPS | 847.9 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 160 W | 150 W |

| Release Date | 2010-07-11 | 2012-02-19 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 200 | GeForce 400 |

| Successor | GeForce 500 | GeForce 600 |

| Launch MSRP | 199 USD | None |

The GTX 460 carries a launch MSRP of 199 USD, while the GTX 560 SE has no listed launch MSRP. Both cards share the same ROP count (24), memory type (GDDR5), memory bus width (192 bit), process node (40 nm), foundry (TSMC), transistor count (1,950 million), die size (332 mm²), transistor density (5.9M / mm²), slot width (Dual-slot), power connectors (2x 6-pin), suggested PSU (450 W), bus interface (PCIe 2.0 x16), display outputs (2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a), dimensions (210 mm / 8.3 inches), and API support (DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6). The GTX 560 SE’s lower TDP and higher memory bandwidth are its primary specification wins, but they do not overcome the GTX 460’s superior core configuration in the benchmark results.