NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 represent two distinct eras of NVIDIA’s GPU design, separated by three years of architectural evolution. The data places both cards at the 46th percentile of all GPUs, indicating they occupy a similar performance tier overall, yet the benchmark results show a clear and measurable gap between them. The GeForce GTX 760’s average benchmark score sits at 9458, while the GeForce GTX 465 trails at 9294. This places the GTX 760 1.8% ahead of the GTX 465 in the nearestRivals data, a modest margin that becomes far more pronounced when examining specific workload performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct head-to-head benchmark available is Geekbench OpenCL, and the results are decisively in favor of the newer card. The GeForce GTX 760 scores 11299 in this test, while the GeForce GTX 465 manages 9294. This represents a 21.6% advantage for the GTX 760, a substantial lead that underscores the architectural improvements made between the Fermi and Kepler generations. The GTX 760 wins the single head-to-head comparison, with a win count of 1 against 0 for the GTX 465.

Breaking down this OpenCL result, the GTX 760’s lead is consistent with its raw compute specifications. The GTX 760 delivers 2.378 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, whereas the GTX 465 is rated at 855.4 GFLOPS. That is a 2.78x difference in theoretical compute throughput, though the actual benchmark delta is smaller at 21.6%, suggesting that real-world workloads do not perfectly scale with raw FLOP counts. Still, the direction is unambiguous: in compute-heavy tasks using OpenCL, the GTX 760 is the faster card by a wide margin.

The GTX 760 also has a broader benchmark profile, with scores in Geekbench Metal (4524), Geekbench OpenCL (11299), and Geekbench Vulkan (12551). The GTX 465 has only an OpenCL score of 9294 in its benchmark list, which means its performance in modern API tests like Vulkan is unmeasured. The GTX 760’s Vulkan score of 12551 is notably higher than its OpenCL score, indicating that it can leverage newer APIs effectively. For the GTX 465, no such data exists, and its lack of Vulkan support in the API list reinforces that it is a product of an older software ecosystem.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 760 wins the only direct comparison, but the broader dataset reveals where each card excels based on their respective strengths. The GTX 760’s advantage is most pronounced in compute and modern API workloads. Its Vulkan score of 12551 and OpenCL score of 11299 demonstrate strong performance in heterogeneous compute tasks. The GTX 760 also supports Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GTX 465 has no Vulkan support listed, making the GTX 760 the only viable choice for applications that rely on Vulkan.

The GTX 465, despite its age, still holds its own in the average benchmark standings. Its average score of 9294 is only 1.8% lower than the GTX 760’s 9458, and it sits within 1% of rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M and AMD Radeon R7 M380. For legacy DirectX 11 workloads, the GTX 465’s Fermi architecture was designed for that era, and its 352 shading units and 44 texture mapping units provide adequate throughput for older titles. However, the data shows no benchmark where the GTX 465 wins outright; its single OpenCL score is its only data point, and it loses that comparison.

In practical terms, the GTX 760 is the card for users who need current API support and higher compute throughput. The GTX 465 is a fallback for systems where only basic OpenCL or DirectX 11_0 workloads are required, but even then, the GTX 760 matches or exceeds its performance in every measured category. The GTX 760’s additional benchmark scores in Metal and Vulkan give it a versatility that the GTX 465 cannot match, as the latter lacks entries for those tests entirely.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is fundamental. The GTX 760 is built on the Kepler architecture with the GK104 chip, manufactured on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The GTX 465 uses the Fermi architecture with the GF100 chip, fabricated on a 40 nm process, also at TSMC. This process shrink from 40 nm to 28 nm is a major factor in the performance and efficiency differences between the two.

Transistor counts tell a story of density improvements. The GTX 760 packs 3,540 million transistors into a 294 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.0M per mm². The GTX 465 has 3,100 million transistors spread across a much larger 529 mm² die, giving it a density of only 5.9M per mm². The GTX 760 achieves more than double the transistor density, which directly contributes to its higher clock speeds and compute throughput despite a smaller physical footprint.

The compute resources differ sharply. The GTX 760 features 1152 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 465 has 352 shading units, 44 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GTX 760 has more than three times the shading units and more than double the texture mapping units, explaining its 99.07 GTexel/s texture rate versus the GTX 465’s 26.75 GTexel/s. Pixel rates also favor the GTX 760 at 24.77 GPixel/s compared to 13.38 GPixel/s for the GTX 465, despite both having 32 ROPs; the higher clock speeds of the GTX 760 drive this difference.

Memory configurations also diverge. The GTX 760 comes with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 465 has 1024 MB. Both use a 256-bit bus, but the GTX 760’s memory runs at 1502 MHz with 6 Gbps effective speed, yielding 192.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 465’s memory runs at 802 MHz with 3.2 Gbps effective, providing 102.7 GB/s. The GTX 760 offers nearly double the memory bandwidth and twice the capacity, which is critical for modern textures and higher resolutions.

Clock behavior is another differentiator. The GTX 760 has a base clock of 980 MHz and a boost clock of 1032 MHz, allowing dynamic scaling under load. The GTX 465 has no listed base or boost clock, only a memory clock, indicating that its core clock is fixed or that the data was not captured. This absence of boost functionality means the GTX 465 cannot dynamically increase performance when thermal headroom allows, putting it at a disadvantage in burst workloads.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 is the superior card in every measured dimension. Its 21.6% lead in OpenCL is the only direct head-to-head result, but the supporting specifications reinforce this outcome. The GTX 760 offers higher compute throughput (2.378 TFLOPS vs 855.4 GFLOPS), more memory (2 GB vs 1024 MB), higher memory bandwidth (192.3 GB/s vs 102.7 GB/s), and modern API support including Vulkan 1.2.175 and DirectX 12 (11_0). The GTX 465 matches the GTX 760 in DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 support but lacks Vulkan entirely.

For users choosing between these two, the GTX 760 is the clear pick for any workload that leverages OpenCL, Vulkan, or Metal. Its higher shading unit count and texture rate make it better suited for compute-intensive applications and modern game engines. The GTX 465, with its single OpenCL score and no Vulkan support, is only relevant for systems constrained to legacy software that predates its 2010 release. Even then, the GTX 760 matches or exceeds its performance while drawing 170 W versus the GTX 465’s 200 W TDP, and it requires a 450 W PSU compared to 550 W.

The nearestRivals data places the GTX 760 1.8% ahead of the GTX 465 in average score, but that figure understates the practical difference. The GTX 760’s additional benchmark coverage and architectural advantages make it a more future-proof choice. The GTX 465’s only saving grace is that it was a high-end card in its day, with a launch MSRP of 279 USD, but its performance has not aged as gracefully as the GTX 760’s, which launched at 249 USD. The verdict from the data is straightforward: pick the GTX 760 unless the system absolutely cannot support PCIe 3.0, in which case the GTX 465’s PCIe 2.0 interface may be the only compatibility option.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 has an average benchmark score of 9458, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 scores 9294, making the GTX 760 1.8% faster on average.

Q: How much faster is the GTX 760 in the direct OpenCL comparison?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 760 scores 11299 versus the GTX 465’s 9294, giving the GTX 760 a 21.6% lead.

Q: Does the GTX 465 support Vulkan?

A: No, the GTX 465 has no Vulkan support listed in its API specifications, while the GTX 760 supports Vulkan 1.2.175.

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

A: The GTX 760 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 465 has 1024 MB of GDDR5 memory, giving the GTX 760 twice the capacity.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX 760 has a transistor density of 12.0M per mm² on a 28 nm process, while the GTX 465 has 5.9M per mm² on a 40 nm process.

Q: What is the TDP of each card?

A: The GTX 760 has a TDP of 170 W and requires a 450 W suggested PSU, while the GTX 465 has a TDP of 200 W and requires a 550 W suggested PSU.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 |

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

| Architecture | Kepler | Fermi |

| Chip | GK104 | GF100 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |

| Transistors | 3,540 million | 3,100 million |

| Die Size | 294 mm² | 529 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.0M / mm² | 5.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 980 MHz | Not specified |

| Boost Clock | 1032 MHz | Not specified |

| Memory Clock | 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) | 802 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 2 GB | 1024 MB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.3 GB/s | 102.7 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 1152 | 352 |

| TMUs | 96 | 44 |

| Pixel Rate | 24.77 GPixel/s | 13.38 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 99.07 GTexel/s | 26.75 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 2.378 TFLOPS | 855.4 GFLOPS |

| TDP | 170 W | 200 W |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 550 W |

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

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 | 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.175 | None |

| Launch MSRP | 249 USD | 279 USD |