NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in this dataset is Geekbench OpenCL, and it produces a clear, though not overwhelming, victory for the newer GPU. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 scores 9,315 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 trails with 7,925 points. That is a 14.9% advantage for the GTX 750, a meaningful gap for two cards that sit within one percentile of each other in the overall GPU landscape.

Looking at the broader context, the GTX 460's average benchmark score is 7,925, placing it at the 41st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4100M at 7,906 (a 0.2% difference), the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 at 8,039 (1.4% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M at 8,040 (1.4% ahead). The GTX 460 also sits just 1.6% behind the GeForce GTX 650 Ti, which scores 8,053. This clustering indicates that the GTX 460 is firmly in a mid-pack performance tier where small percentage swings separate adjacent products.

The GTX 750's average benchmark score is 7,222, which actually sits below its OpenCL result because the dataset includes additional test types. Its percentile ranking is 40th, one point lower than the GTX 460. The nearest rivals for the GTX 750 are telling: the AMD Radeon Vega 8 Mobile scores 7,203 (0.3% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 SE scores 7,171 (0.7% behind), the Intel Iris Pro Graphics P580 scores 7,170 (0.7% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 scores 7,157 (0.9% behind). Notably, the GTX 970 — a much higher-tier card in most respects — actually scores lower than the GTX 750 in this average, which suggests the 750's architecture punches above its weight class in synthetic compute workloads.

The deltaPct values in the head-to-head table show the GTX 750 winning by 14.9%, but the win count is 1-0 in favor of the GTX 750. The data does not include any test where the GTX 460 comes out ahead, so the verdict in raw compute performance is unambiguous. However, the percentile difference is just one point (41 vs 40), meaning that in the grand scheme of all GPUs, these two cards occupy nearly identical positions. The GTX 460's 7,925 OpenCL score is respectable for its era, but the GTX 750's 9,315 demonstrates that architectural efficiency can overcome a smaller memory bus and fewer texture units.

# Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is substantial, spanning two distinct NVIDIA design generations. The GTX 460 uses the GF104 chip based on the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 750 uses the GM107 chip based on Maxwell, also from TSMC but on a 28 nm node. This process shrink is the single largest enabler of the GTX 750's efficiency advantages — it packs 1,870 million transistors into a 148 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The GTX 460, by contrast, has 1,950 million transistors spread across a much larger 332 mm² die, for a density of just 5.9 million per square millimeter. The Maxwell chip achieves nearly double the transistor density, which explains how it delivers higher compute throughput while consuming dramatically less power.

The shading unit counts tell a similar story of architectural evolution. The GTX 750 has 512 shading units, compared to 336 on the GTX 460 — a 52% increase in raw shader count. Yet the GTX 460 has 56 texture mapping units (TMUs) versus 32 on the GTX 750, and 24 ROPs versus 16. The GTX 460's higher TMU and ROP counts reflect a design philosophy that favored wider memory pipelines and more texture throughput, while Maxwell focused on shader efficiency and higher clock speeds. The GTX 750's base clock of 1020 MHz and boost clock of 1085 MHz are far higher than the GTX 460's base clock — the Fermi card's clock data is not provided in the dataset, but the memory clocks differ significantly: the GTX 750 runs its GDDR5 memory at 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective), while the GTX 460 runs at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystems diverge in configuration as well. The GTX 460 uses a 192-bit bus with 768 MB of GDDR5, delivering 86.40 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 750 uses a narrower 128-bit bus but with 1024 MB of GDDR5, achieving 80.19 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the GTX 750's higher memory clock nearly compensates, losing only 7% of bandwidth while offering 33% more memory capacity. The GTX 460's pixel rate is 9.450 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 37.80 GTexel/s; the GTX 750 counters with 17.36 GPixel/s (an 84% advantage) and 34.72 GTexel/s (an 8% deficit). In floating-point compute, the GTX 750 delivers 1,111.0 GFLOPS versus 907.2 GFLOPS for the GTX 460 — a 22.5% advantage that aligns with the OpenCL benchmark results.

Power consumption is where the architectural differences become stark. The GTX 460 has a TDP of 160 W and requires two 6-pin power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The GTX 750 has a TDP of just 55 W, requires no power connectors, and runs on a 250 W suggested PSU. That is a 105 W difference — the GTX 750 uses roughly one-third of the power while delivering higher compute performance. The GTX 750 is also single-slot versus the GTX 460's dual-slot design, and it is physically smaller at 145 mm (5.7 inches) compared to 210 mm (8.3 inches). The GTX 750 supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GTX 460 is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16. Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but the GTX 750 adds Vulkan 1.4 support, which the GTX 460 lacks entirely. Display outputs are similar — both have 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI — but the GTX 750 uses HDMI 1.4a versus 1.3a on the GTX 460.

# The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner for modern workloads: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 outperforms the GTX 460 in the only directly comparable benchmark, with a 14.9% higher OpenCL score. This is backed by architectural advantages — more shading units, higher clocks, better compute throughput, and a far more efficient process node. The GTX 750 also offers twice the memory capacity (1024 MB vs 768 MB), which helps with larger textures and higher resolutions, even if the bandwidth is slightly lower.

For users prioritizing raw compute in OpenCL applications, the GTX 750 is the better choice. Its 9,315 score versus 7,925 is a meaningful margin, and its 22.5% FP32 advantage (1,111.0 vs 907.2 GFLOPS) suggests this gap would persist across similar workloads. The GTX 750 also brings Vulkan support, a modern PCIe interface, and a dramatically lower power footprint — 55 W TDP versus 160 W, no external power connectors, and a 250 W PSU recommendation versus 450 W. These differences make the GTX 750 viable in systems where the GTX 460 simply cannot fit, both physically (single-slot, 145 mm length vs dual-slot, 210 mm) and electrically.

The GTX 460's advantages are narrower but worth noting. It has 56 TMUs versus 32, giving it a 37.80 GTexel/s texture fill rate that is 8% higher than the GTX 750's 34.72 GTexel/s. Its 24 ROPs versus 16, combined with a wider 192-bit memory bus, means it may handle certain texture-bound or ROP-heavy workloads with more headroom. The GTX 460's 86.40 GB/s bandwidth is also 7% higher, which could help in memory-bandwidth-sensitive scenarios. However, these advantages are modest and are unlikely to overcome the GTX 750's substantial lead in shading, compute, and overall efficiency.

Given the percentile rankings (GTX 460 at 41st, GTX 750 at 40th), the two cards are statistically adjacent in the broader GPU market. But the GTX 750 achieves that position with less than half the power draw and a smaller physical footprint. For any new build or upgrade where power efficiency, size, or thermal output matter, the GTX 750 is the data-supported pick. For legacy systems where the GTX 460's dual-slot design and 2x 6-pin connectors are already accommodated, the Fermi card remains serviceable, but the benchmark results indicate it is the weaker performer in compute tasks.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 |

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

| Architecture | Fermi | Maxwell |

| Process Node | 40 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 1,950 million | 1,870 million |

| Die Size | 332 mm² | 148 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 5.9M / mm² | 12.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | Not specified | 1020 MHz |

| Boost Clock | Not specified | 1085 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective) | 1253 MHz (5 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 768 MB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 86.40 GB/s | 80.19 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 336 | 512 |

| TMUs | 56 | 32 |

| ROPs | 24 | 16 |

| Pixel Rate | 9.450 GPixel/s | 17.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 37.80 GTexel/s | 34.72 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 907.2 GFLOPS | 1,111.0 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 160 W | 55 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.4a |

| Vulkan Support | Not specified | 1.4 |

| Length | 210 mm (8.3 inches) | 145 mm (5.7 inches) |

| Launch MSRP | 199 USD | 119 USD |

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher OpenCL benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 scores 9,315 in Geekbench OpenCL, while the GTX 460 scores 7,925. The GTX 750 leads by 14.9%.

Q: How do the power requirements compare between the two cards?

A: The GTX 460 has a TDP of 160 W and requires two 6-pin power connectors with a suggested PSU of 450 W. The GTX 750 has a TDP of 55 W, requires no power connectors, and runs on a 250 W suggested PSU.

Q: Does the GTX 750 support any API that the GTX 460 does not?

A: Yes. The GTX 750 supports Vulkan 1.4, while Vulkan support is not specified for the GTX 460. Both cards support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The GTX 460 has 768 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 86.40 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 750 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus with 80.19 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 750 offers more capacity but slightly less bandwidth.

Q: Which card has better texture and pixel fill rates?

A: The GTX 750 has a higher pixel rate at 17.36 GPixel/s versus 9.450 GPixel/s for the GTX 460. However, the GTX 460 has a higher texture rate at 37.80 GTexel/s versus 34.72 GTexel/s for the GTX 750.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of physical size?

A: The GTX 460 is a dual-slot card measuring 210 mm (8.3 inches) in length. The GTX 750 is a single-slot card measuring 145 mm (5.7 inches) in length, making it significantly more compact.