NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 are both end-of-life dual-slot cards with identical 250 W TDPs and the same 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connector requirement, but they represent two distinct generations of NVIDIA GPU design. The GTX TITAN, built on the Kepler architecture with the GK110 chip, posts an average benchmark score of 14,373, while the older Fermi-based GTX 480 with the GF100 chip averages 13,300. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, with the GTX TITAN holding a decisive lead in compute workloads, though the GTX 480 remains competitive in overall percentile ranking.

The Verdict

From the data, the GTX TITAN is the pick for anyone prioritizing raw compute performance and modern API support. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 24,873 crushes the GTX 480’s 13,300 by 87%, a massive margin that reflects the architectural leap between 2010 and 2013. The GTX TITAN also reaches the 56th percentile among all GPUs, three points above the GTX 480’s 53rd percentile. For users running OpenCL-accelerated applications, the choice is unambiguous: the GTX TITAN delivers more than double the compute throughput.

However, the GTX 480 is not without merit. Its average benchmark score of 13,300 places it just 1,073 points behind the GTX TITAN’s average of 14,373, and its nearest rivals—AMD Radeon Pro 555X, AMD FirePro M6100, and AMD Radeon RX 5500M—are all within 0.6% of its score. This indicates that the GTX 480 remains a functional baseline for legacy DirectX 12 (11_0) workloads, sharing the same API support as the GTX TITAN. But with no Vulkan support and a single benchmark result in the database, the GTX 480 offers little beyond basic compatibility.

The verdict is simple. The GTX TITAN wins on compute performance, API coverage (adding Vulkan 1.2.175), and memory capacity (6 GB vs 1.5 GB). The GTX 480 wins on nothing measurable in the data except launch MSRP, which was 499 USD compared to the GTX TITAN’s 999 USD. For modern tasks, the GTX TITAN is the only viable choice; for vintage or low-demand scenarios, the GTX 480 can still hold its own, but the data provides no performance reason to select it.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are separated by three years of GPU design evolution. The GTX TITAN uses the GK110 chip on a 28 nm TSMC process, packing 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 12.6M per mm². The GTX 480 uses the GF100 chip on a 40 nm TSMC process, with 3,100 million transistors on a slightly smaller 529 mm² die, resulting in a much lower density of 5.9M per mm². This process shrink alone explains much of the performance gap: the GTX TITAN crams over twice the transistors into nearly the same physical space.

Core configuration differences are stark. The GTX TITAN features 2,688 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. While ROP counts match, the GTX TITAN has 5.6 times more shading units and 3.7 times more TMUs. Pixel rate tells a similar story: 49.06 GPixel/s for the GTX TITAN versus 21.03 GPixel/s for the GTX 480. Texture rate jumps from 42.06 GTexel/s on the GTX 480 to 196.2 GTexel/s on the GTX TITAN, a 4.7x improvement.

Memory architectures diverge in capacity but not bus width. Both use a 384-bit bus, but the GTX TITAN carries 6 GB of GDDR5 at 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective), delivering 288.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The GTX 480 has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 at 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective), yielding 177.4 GB/s. The GTX TITAN’s bandwidth advantage of 111 GB/s is substantial, though less dramatic than the core compute differences.

API support shows a generation gap. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6. However, the GTX TITAN adds Vulkan 1.2.175, while the GTX 480 lists no Vulkan support. Display outputs also differ: the GTX TITAN offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the GTX 480 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. The bus interface advances from PCIe 2.0 x16 on the GTX 480 to PCIe 3.0 x16 on the GTX TITAN.

FAQ

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The GTX TITAN averages 14,373 across three benchmark tests, while the GTX 480 averages 13,300 from a single Geekbench OpenCL result. The GTX TITAN’s score is 1,073 points higher, and its nearest rival (AMD Radeon RX Vega 11) sits within 0.1% of its average.

Q: How large is the performance gap in OpenCL compute?

A: In the only head-to-head benchmark (Geekbench OpenCL), the GTX TITAN scores 24,873 versus the GTX 480’s 13,300, yielding an 87% delta in favor of the GTX TITAN. This is the largest single-test advantage in the entire comparison.

Q: Do both cards support the same modern APIs?

A: No. Both support DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but only the GTX TITAN supports Vulkan 1.2.175. The GTX 480 has no Vulkan entry in its specifications, which limits its compatibility with Vulkan-based applications.

Q: What is the memory capacity difference?

A: The GTX TITAN has 6 GB of GDDR5, while the GTX 480 has 1,536 MB (1.5 GB). Both use a 384-bit bus, but the GTX TITAN’s larger capacity and higher memory clock (1502 MHz vs 924 MHz) give it 288.4 GB/s bandwidth versus 177.4 GB/s.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The GTX TITAN achieves 12.6M transistors per mm² on its 28 nm process, more than double the GTX 480’s 5.9M per mm² on 40 nm. The GTX TITAN packs 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, versus 3,100 million on 529 mm².

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the GTX 480 wins?

A: No. In the head-to-head data, the GTX TITAN wins the sole Geekbench OpenCL test, and the wins tally is 1 for the GTX TITAN and 0 for the GTX 480. The GTX 480 has no winning benchmark entry in the database.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every measurable specification. The GTX TITAN uses the GK110 chip on a 28 nm process, while the GTX 480 uses the GF100 chip on a 40 nm process. Transistor counts are 7,080 million versus 3,100 million, and die sizes are 561 mm² versus 529 mm². Transistor density is 12.6M per mm² versus 5.9M per mm².

Clock speeds differ in structure: the GTX TITAN lists a base clock of 836 MHz and a boost clock of 876 MHz, while the GTX 480 lists no base or boost clocks. Memory clocks are 1502 MHz (6 Gbps effective) for the GTX TITAN and 924 MHz (3.7 Gbps effective) for the GTX 480. Memory capacity is 6 GB versus 1,536 MB, with the same 384-bit bus width but different bandwidth: 288.4 GB/s versus 177.4 GB/s.

Compute resources diverge sharply: the GTX TITAN has 2,688 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, while the GTX 480 has 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Pixel rates are 49.06 GPixel/s versus 21.03 GPixel/s, and texture rates are 196.2 GTexel/s versus 42.06 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.709 TFLOPS for the GTX TITAN versus 1,345.0 GFLOPS for the GTX 480.

Other differences include the bus interface (PCIe 3.0 x16 versus PCIe 2.0 x16), display outputs (2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 versus 2x DVI, 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a), and Vulkan support (1.2.175 versus none). The GTX TITAN lists full dimensions (267 mm length, 111 mm height, 38 mm width), while the GTX 480 only lists length (267 mm). Release dates are 2013-02-18 for the GTX TITAN and 2010-03-25 for the GTX 480. Launch MSRP was 999 USD for the GTX TITAN and 499 USD for the GTX 480.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct comparison in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is a decisive victory for the GTX TITAN. The GTX TITAN scores 24,873 against the GTX 480’s 13,300, a delta of 87%. This is not a marginal edge; it is a near-doubling of compute output. To put this in context, the GTX TITAN’s OpenCL score alone exceeds its own average benchmark score (14,373) by over 10,000 points, indicating that OpenCL is a particularly strong workload for this card.

The GTX 480’s OpenCL score of 13,300 is nearly identical to its average benchmark score of 13,300, which makes sense since it is the only benchmark result available for that card. Its nearest rivals—AMD Radeon Pro 555X at 13,321 (-0.2%), AMD FirePro M6100 at 13,354 (-0.4%), and AMD Radeon RX 5500M at 13,356 (-0.4%)—all cluster within a 0.6% band, suggesting the GTX 480 sits at a performance plateau shared by several mid-range mobile and entry-level desktop parts.

The 87% delta in OpenCL is the single biggest performance gap in the entire comparison. No other metric comes close: the GTX TITAN’s bandwidth advantage is 62.6%, its pixel rate advantage is 133%, and its texture rate advantage is 366%. But the OpenCL benchmark aggregates many of these factors, and the result is a clear, unambiguous win for the GTX TITAN. The wins tally reflects this: 1 win for the GTX TITAN, 0 for the GTX 480.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX TITAN wins in every measurable performance category. In compute-heavy tasks—OpenCL acceleration, FP32 math, texture processing—the GTX TITAN’s 2688 shading units and 224 TMUs provide overwhelming advantages. The 4.709 TFLOPS FP32 throughput versus 1,345.0 GFLOPS means the GTX TITAN can handle roughly 3.5 times the floating-point operations per second. For applications that leverage Vulkan, the GTX TITAN is the only choice, as the GTX 480 lacks any Vulkan support.

Memory-intensive workloads also favor the GTX TITAN. Its 6 GB capacity is four times the GTX 480’s 1,536 MB, and its 288.4 GB/s bandwidth is 62.6% higher. This matters for large datasets, high-resolution textures, or multi-monitor setups. The GTX TITAN’s DisplayPort 1.2 output also provides modern connectivity options that the GTX 480’s mini-HDMI 1.3a cannot match.

The GTX 480’s only advantage is its launch MSRP of 499 USD, which was half the GTX TITAN’s 999 USD. However, both cards are end-of-life, so historical pricing has no bearing on current availability. In terms of benchmark data, the GTX 480 wins zero tests. Its percentile rank of 53 is only three points below the GTX TITAN’s 56, which suggests that in a broad spectrum of GPUs, the GTX 480 is not dramatically far behind. But that proximity is driven by the wide range of GPUs in the database, not by any specific strength of the GTX 480.

For use-case selection, the data points to one conclusion: the GTX TITAN is the superior card for any compute, rendering, or modern API workload. The GTX 480 remains a functional legacy card for DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 applications, but its single benchmark result and lack of Vulkan support make it a poor choice for anything beyond basic compatibility. If the task requires raw performance, the GTX TITAN wins decisively. If the task simply requires a working NVIDIA GPU from that era, the GTX 480 can still operate, but the data provides no performance-based reason to prefer it.