NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M vs NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation Comparison

The Verdict

The data in the database presents two GPUs from entirely different eras of mobile computing, and the choice between them is dictated by workload demands rather than any direct competition. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M is an end-of-life Fermi architecture part from the GeForce 400M generation, while the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is an active Ada Lovelace part. The recorded benchmark results do not share a common test, so a direct numerical comparison of their scores is not possible from the data. However, the architectural and specification differences are so vast that the intended use cases are clear.

For users seeking a modern, active mobile GPU with support for the latest graphics APIs, ray tracing cores, and tensor cores, the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is the only logical choice from the data. Its Ada Lovelace architecture, 5 nm process node, and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 place it firmly in the current generation of graphics hardware. The GTX 460M, with its DirectX 12 (11_0) support and lack of Vulkan support, is a legacy part that cannot offer these modern features. The RTX 5000 Mobile also has a significantly higher transistor count and density, indicating a far more complex and capable processor.

Conversely, the GTX 460M has a much lower thermal design power (TDP) of 50 W compared to the 120 W of the RTX 5000 Mobile. For systems where power draw is the primary constraint, the older Fermi GPU may be the more suitable option, despite its age and end-of-life status. The data shows that the GTX 460M also uses a memory bus of 192 bit, which is narrower than the 256 bit bus of the RTX 5000 Mobile, but its power requirements are substantially lower. Ultimately, the RTX 5000 Mobile is for demanding, modern workloads, while the GTX 460M is for legacy systems or power-sensitive applications that do not require modern features.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes. The GeForce GTX 460M is based on the GF106 chip using the Fermi architecture, manufactured on a 40 nm process at TSMC. This older chip contains 1,170 million transistors on a die size of 238 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 4.9M per mm². In contrast, the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation uses the AD103 chip based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. This newer chip packs 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 121.1M per mm². The difference in density is stark: the Ada Lovelace chip crams over 24 times more transistors per square millimeter than the Fermi chip.

The RTX 5000 Mobile features 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, hardware that is entirely absent from the GTX 460M, which lists no RT or tensor core counts. The shader configuration also differs dramatically. The GTX 460M has 192 shading units, 32 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 render output units (ROPs). The RTX 5000 Mobile has 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, representing a massive increase in processing resources across the board.

The memory subsystems are also from different generations. The GTX 460M uses 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 192 bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 60.00 GB/s. The RTX 5000 Mobile uses 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is 9.6 times the bandwidth of the older part. The RTX 5000 Mobile also has a base clock of 1425 MHz and a boost clock of 2115 MHz, while the GTX 460M has no base or boost clock listed in the database, only a memory clock of 625 MHz, translating to 2.5 Gbps effective.

The interface and API support also show the generational gap. The GTX 460M uses PCIe 2.0 x16, while the RTX 5000 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The RTX 5000 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the GTX 460M supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support listed. Both support OpenGL 4.6, but the feature sets beyond that are vastly different.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher transistor density, and what does that indicate?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation has a transistor density of 121.1M per mm², compared to 4.9M per mm² for the GTX 460M. This indicates a far more advanced and densely packed processor, reflecting the newer 5 nm process node versus the 40 nm node.

Q: Does the GTX 460M support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The database lists no RT cores or tensor cores for the GTX 460M. The RTX 5000 Mobile, in contrast, features 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores.

Q: What is the difference in memory bandwidth between the two GPUs?

A: The GTX 460M has a memory bandwidth of 60.00 GB/s with 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory on a 192 bit bus. The RTX 5000 Mobile has 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256 bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has a lower thermal design power?

A: The GTX 460M has a TDP of 50 W, while the RTX 5000 Mobile has a TDP of 120 W. The GTX 460M draws significantly less power.

Q: Which GPU supports the Vulkan API?

A: The RTX 5000 Mobile supports Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 460M has no Vulkan support listed in the database.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The GTX 460M is marked as end-of-life, while the RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation is marked as active.

Specification Differences

The specification differences between the two GPUs are extensive. The GTX 460M uses the GF106 chip with the Fermi architecture, while the RTX 5000 Mobile uses the AD103 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture. The process node differs: 40 nm for the GTX 460M versus 5 nm for the RTX 5000 Mobile. Transistor counts are 1,170 million versus 45,900 million, and die sizes are 238 mm² versus 379 mm². Transistor density is 4.9M per mm² versus 121.1M per mm².

The memory configuration differs in size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The GTX 460M has 1536 MB of GDDR5 on a 192 bit bus with 60.00 GB/s bandwidth, while the RTX 5000 Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. The shader resources differ: 192 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 24 ROPs for the GTX 460M, versus 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs for the RTX 5000 Mobile. The RTX 5000 Mobile also has 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, which are absent from the GTX 460M.

Clock speeds differ, with the RTX 5000 Mobile listing a base clock of 1425 MHz and a boost clock of 2115 MHz, while the GTX 460M lists no base or boost clock. The memory clocks are 625 MHz (2.5 Gbps effective) for the GTX 460M versus 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) for the RTX 5000 Mobile. Pixel rate is 5.400 GPixel/s versus 236.9 GPixel/s, texture rate is 21.60 GTexel/s versus 643.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 518.4 GFLOPS versus 41.15 TFLOPS. The RTX 5000 Mobile also lists FP16 performance of 41.15 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the GTX 460M has no FP16 figure.

The TDP differs: 50 W for the GTX 460M versus 120 W for the RTX 5000 Mobile. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16. DirectX support is 12 (11_0) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2), and Vulkan support is absent versus 1.4. Both support OpenGL 4.6. The production status is end-of-life versus active, and the release dates are September 2010 versus March 2023.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no shared head-to-head benchmark results between the GTX 460M and the RTX 5000 Mobile. The two GPUs have separate benchmark entries: the GTX 460M has a Geekbench OpenCL score of 4282, while the RTX 5000 Mobile has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3596. These tests are not directly comparable, as they measure different workloads and use different rendering paths.

The GTX 460M's Geekbench OpenCL score of 4282 places it at the 25th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals in this test include the AMD FirePro W2100 with an average score of 4295, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon Vega 3 with a score of 4268, which is 0.3% lower. The NVIDIA Quadro K3000M scores 4241, which is 1% lower than the GTX 460M. Interestingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 scores 4335 in this test, which is 1.2% higher than the GTX 460M, despite being a much newer and more powerful part in other respects.

The RTX 5000 Mobile's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3596 places it at the 21st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in this test are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 with a score of 3594 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 735M with a score of 3616 (0.6% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with a score of 3629 (0.9% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 6770 with a score of 3649 (1.5% higher). These rival scores suggest that the RTX 5000 Mobile's result in this particular test is closely clustered with older, lower-end parts, which is notable given its advanced architecture and specifications.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5000 Mobile Ada Generation wins decisively in nearly every measurable specification category in the database. It offers significantly more memory, bandwidth, shading units, TMUs, ROPs, and compute throughput. Its FP32 performance of 41.15 TFLOPS is roughly 79 times higher than the GTX 460M's 518.4 GFLOPS. Its texture rate of 643.0 GTexel/s is nearly 30 times higher than the 21.60 GTexel/s of the GTX 460M. Its pixel rate of 236.9 GPixel/s is over 43 times higher than the 5.400 GPixel/s of the older part. For any modern workload that can utilize these resources, including ray tracing, tensor-based operations, and DirectX 12 Ultimate features, the RTX 5000 Mobile is the clear winner.

The GTX 460M wins in the area of power consumption, with a TDP of 50 W compared to the 120 W of the RTX 5000 Mobile. This makes the Fermi-based GPU a better fit for systems with strict power budgets or thermal constraints, where the lower power draw is a priority over performance. It also uses an older PCIe 2.0 interface, which may be more compatible with legacy systems, although this is not a performance advantage. The GTX 460M's Geekbench OpenCL score of 4282 also places it at a higher percentile (25th) than the RTX 5000 Mobile's 21st percentile in its respective test, though the tests are not directly comparable. For users who prioritize low power consumption and are working with legacy software that does not require modern graphics features, the GTX 460M has a role. For everything else, the RTX 5000 Mobile is the superior part based on the recorded data.