NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Comparison

The Verdict

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK is the clear performance leader in this comparison. Its average benchmark score of 9474 places it in the 46th percentile among all GPUs, while the GeForce GTX 460 scores 7925 and sits in the 41st percentile. The TITAN BLACK wins the only directly comparable benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, by 243.4% (27218 versus 7925). This is not a close contest; the TITAN BLACK is in a different performance class entirely.

The GeForce GTX 460 should only be considered by users with legacy system requirements, such as older motherboards with PCIe 2.0 slots, or those who specifically need its compact 210 mm length for small form factor builds. However, from a pure performance standpoint, the data offers no reason to choose the GTX 460. The TITAN BLACK delivers 5.645 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 907.2 GFLOPS, has 2880 shading units versus 336, and offers 6 GB of memory versus 768 MB. The GTX 460 is not competitive in any benchmark category recorded in the database.

For any workload that leverages GPU compute or modern graphics APIs, the TITAN BLACK is the only viable option. The GTX 460 lacks Vulkan support entirely, and its DirectX 12 support is limited to feature level 11_0, while the TITAN BLACK supports DirectX 12 at feature level 11_1.

Where Each One Wins

The TITAN BLACK wins every recorded benchmark category. There are no tests in the database where the GTX 460 outperforms it. The single head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL, shows a 243.4% advantage for the TITAN BLACK. This delta is so large that it indicates a generational leap, not just a clock speed difference.

Looking at the broader benchmark suite available for the TITAN BLACK, it scores 24172 in Geekbench Metal, 27218 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 29561 in Geekbench Vulkan. In Passmark tests, it records 9184 in G3D, 3726 in GPU Compute, 595 in G2D, 133 in DirectX 9, 73 in DirectX 11, 47 in DirectX 10, and 34 in DirectX 12. These scores show a GPU that is strongest in modern compute workloads (Vulkan and OpenCL) and progressively weaker in older DirectX API tests, which reflects its Kepler architecture's optimization for contemporary APIs at the time of release.

The GTX 460's only recorded benchmark is Geekbench OpenCL at 7925. This places it near the NVIDIA Quadro K4100M (7906, 0.2% delta) and slightly behind the Quadro P5000 (8039) and GTX 880M (8040). The TITAN BLACK's nearest rivals include the GTX 760 at 9458 (0.2% behind), Radeon R7 M380 at 9313 (1.7% behind), Quadro K5000 at 9637 (1.7% ahead), and GTX 960M at 9645 (1.8% ahead).

The TITAN BLACK's texture rate of 235.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 58.80 GPixel/s dwarf the GTX 460's 37.80 GTexel/s and 9.450 GPixel/s. For texture-heavy workloads such as high-resolution gaming or scientific visualization, the TITAN BLACK provides roughly six times the pixel throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations. The TITAN BLACK uses the GK110B chip based on Kepler architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 28 nm process. It packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The GTX 460 uses the GF104 chip based on Fermi architecture, built on a 40 nm process. It contains 1,950 million transistors on a 332 mm² die, with a density of 5.9 million per square millimeter.

The TITAN BLACK is part of the GeForce 700 generation, succeeding the GeForce 600 series and preceding the GeForce 900 series. The GTX 460 belongs to the GeForce 400 generation, succeeding GeForce 200 and preceding GeForce 500. The release dates reflect this gap: the TITAN BLACK launched on February 17, 2014, while the GTX 460 launched on July 11, 2010.

Core configuration differs dramatically. The TITAN BLACK has 2880 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The GTX 460 has 336 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. This represents an 8.6x increase in shading units and a 4.3x increase in TMUs. The TITAN BLACK's ROP count is double that of the GTX 460, which directly contributes to its higher pixel fill rate.

Memory subsystems are also vastly different. The TITAN BLACK offers 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clocks at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The GTX 460 has 768 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus, providing 86.40 GB/s. Its memory runs at 900 MHz (3.6 Gbps effective). The TITAN BLACK has nearly four times the memory bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and large compute datasets.

Clock behavior also differs. The TITAN BLACK has a base clock of 889 MHz and a boost clock of 980 MHz. The GTX 460 has no recorded base or boost clock in the database, only its memory clock. This lack of boost capability on the GTX 460 means its performance is fixed, while the TITAN BLACK can dynamically increase clocks under load.

Power and connectivity reflect the performance gap. The TITAN BLACK has a TDP of 250 W, requires a 600 W power supply, and uses 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin power connectors. The GTX 460 has a TDP of 160 W, needs a 450 W PSU, and uses 2x 6-pin connectors. The TITAN BLACK uses PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GTX 460 uses PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs differ as well: the TITAN BLACK offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the GTX 460 provides 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

API support shows the TITAN BLACK's modern edge. It supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The GTX 460 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support. For users running Vulkan-based applications or games, the TITAN BLACK is mandatory; the GTX 460 simply cannot execute those workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher compute performance in OpenCL?

A: The TITAN BLACK scores 27218 in Geekbench OpenCL, which is 243.4% higher than the GTX 460's 7925. This is the only directly comparable benchmark between the two cards.

Q: Does the GTX 460 support Vulkan?

A: No. The GTX 460 has no Vulkan support in its API list. The TITAN BLACK supports Vulkan 1.2.175, which allows it to run modern cross-platform graphics workloads.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The TITAN BLACK has 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 460 has 768 MB of GDDR5 on a 192-bit bus with 86.40 GB/s bandwidth. The TITAN BLACK offers eight times the capacity and nearly four times the bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The TITAN BLACK has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply with 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin connectors. The GTX 460 has a TDP of 160 W and needs a 450 W PSU with 2x 6-pin connectors.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The TITAN BLACK has 2880 shading units, while the GTX 460 has 336. This 8.6x difference directly translates to higher FP32 compute: 5.645 TFLOPS versus 907.2 GFLOPS.

Q: How does the TITAN BLACK compare to its closest rivals?

A: Its average score of 9474 is nearly identical to the GTX 760 (9458, 0.2% ahead) and R7 M380 (9313, 1.7% ahead). It trails the Quadro K5000 (9637) and GTX 960M (9645) by 1.7% and 1.8% respectively. The GTX 460's 7925 average is 0.2% ahead of the Quadro K4100M (7906) but 1.4% behind the Quadro P5000 (8039) and GTX 880M (8040).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL. The TITAN BLACK scores 27218, while the GTX 460 scores 7925. The delta is 243.4%, meaning the TITAN BLACK is more than three times faster in this compute test. This is a decisive victory that reflects the fundamental architectural advantages: more shading units, higher clock speeds, larger memory bandwidth, and a newer process node.

For context, the TITAN BLACK's OpenCL score of 27218 is higher than its Metal score of 24172 and lower than its Vulkan score of 29561. This suggests the Kepler architecture in the TITAN BLACK is well-balanced across modern API compute paths. The GTX 460 has no other recorded benchmarks, so its OpenCL score of 7925 is its only data point in the database.

Looking at the TITAN BLACK's Passmark results, the G3D score of 9184 and GPU Compute score of 3726 show a large gap between graphics rasterization and compute throughput. The DirectX 9 score of 133 is notably higher than DirectX 10 (47), DirectX 11 (73), and DirectX 12 (34). This pattern is typical for Kepler, which was designed before DirectX 12 existed and performs better under older API load paths.

The GTX 460's nearest rival comparison shows it clustered with mobile and professional GPUs from later generations. Its 7925 score is 0.2% above the Quadro K4100M, and 1.4% below the Quadro P5000 and GTX 880M. This places the GTX 460 in a performance tier that is now populated by mid-range mobile parts, which is expected for a desktop GPU from 2010.

The TITAN BLACK's nearest rivals are much closer in score, with deltas of only 0.2% to 1.8%. This indicates the TITAN BLACK sits in a competitive performance band where the GTX 760, R7 M380, Quadro K5000, and GTX 960M are all within 2% of its average score. The TITAN BLACK's 46th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects this middle-tier position in the overall performance distribution, despite being the dominant card in this comparison.

In summary, the head-to-head data shows a 243.4% performance gap in favor of the TITAN BLACK. There are no benchmark categories where the GTX 460 wins, and no recorded test where the GTX 460 comes close to the TITAN BLACK's output. The GTX 460's only recorded score, 7925 in OpenCL, is less than one-third of the TITAN BLACK's score in the same test. This is a one-sided comparison with a clear conclusion: the TITAN BLACK is the superior GPU by every measurable metric in the database.