GeForce GTX 460M vs Radeon HD 7970M

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 7970M and GeForce GTX 460M, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

HD 7970M
2012
2 GB GDDR5, 100 Watt
9.25
+195%

HD 7970M outperforms GTX 460M by a whopping 195% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking473751
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Power efficiency6.394.34
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)Fermi (2010−2014)
GPU code nameWimbledonGF106
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date24 April 2012 (12 years ago)3 September 2010 (14 years ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores1280192
Core clock speed850 MHz675 MHz
Number of transistors2,800 million1,170 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)100 Watt50 Watt
Texture fill rate68.0021.60
Floating-point processing power2.176 TFLOPS0.5184 TFLOPS
ROPs3224
TMUs8032

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizelargelarge
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectorsNoneno data
SLI options-+

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount2 GB1536 MB
Memory bus width256 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed1200 MHz1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth153.6 GB/s60.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputsNo outputs

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (11_1)12 API with Feature Level 12.1
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan1.2.131N/A
CUDA-+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

HD 7970M 9.25
+195%
GTX 460M 3.14

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

HD 7970M 3568
+195%
GTX 460M 1210

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

HD 7970M 5645
+248%
GTX 460M 1623

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

HD 7970M 21938
+192%
GTX 460M 7507

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

HD 7970M 4694
+243%
GTX 460M 1370

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p84
+180%
30
−180%
Full HD60
+57.9%
38
−57.9%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+120%
10−11
−120%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+550%
2−3
−550%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+367%
6−7
−367%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+138%
8−9
−138%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+250%
6−7
−250%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+189%
9−10
−189%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+239%
18−20
−239%
Hitman 3 16−18
+113%
8−9
−113%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+113%
24−27
−113%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+460%
5−6
−460%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+213%
8−9
−213%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
+131%
12−14
−131%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+50%
40−45
−50%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+120%
10−11
−120%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+550%
2−3
−550%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+367%
6−7
−367%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+138%
8−9
−138%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+250%
6−7
−250%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+189%
9−10
−189%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+239%
18−20
−239%
Hitman 3 16−18
+113%
8−9
−113%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+113%
24−27
−113%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+460%
5−6
−460%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+213%
8−9
−213%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
+131%
12−14
−131%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
+66.7%
14−16
−66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+50%
40−45
−50%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+120%
10−11
−120%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+550%
2−3
−550%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+138%
8−9
−138%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+133%
6−7
−133%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+250%
6−7
−250%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+239%
18−20
−239%
Hitman 3 16−18
+113%
8−9
−113%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+113%
24−27
−113%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
+131%
12−14
−131%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
+66.7%
14−16
−66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+50%
40−45
−50%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+213%
8−9
−213%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 18−20
+200%
6−7
−200%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
+180%
5−6
−180%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 9−10
+200%
3−4
−200%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10
+350%
2−3
−350%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+100%
2−3
−100%
Far Cry 5 10−12
+175%
4−5
−175%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+225%
12−14
−225%
Hitman 3 12−14
+50%
8−9
−50%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18−20
+138%
8−9
−138%
Metro Exodus 12−14
+225%
4−5
−225%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11
+233%
3−4
−233%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9
+300%
2−3
−300%
Watch Dogs: Legion 55−60
+190%
20−22
−190%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+114%
7−8
−114%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 8−9
+700%
1−2
−700%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%
Hitman 3 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
+208%
12−14
−208%
Metro Exodus 7−8
+250%
2−3
−250%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
+150%
2−3
−150%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2 0−1
Far Cry 5 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
+1000%
1−2
−1000%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 9−10
+125%
4−5
−125%

This is how HD 7970M and GTX 460M compete in popular games:

  • HD 7970M is 180% faster in 900p
  • HD 7970M is 58% faster in 1080p

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Forza Horizon 4, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970M is 1000% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, HD 7970M surpassed GTX 460M in all 62 of our tests.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 9.25 3.14
Recency 24 April 2012 3 September 2010
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 1536 MB
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 50 Watt

HD 7970M has a 194.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 42.9% more advanced lithography process.

GTX 460M, on the other hand, has 100% lower power consumption.

The Radeon HD 7970M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 460M in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Radeon HD 7970M
Radeon HD 7970M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M
GeForce GTX 460M

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


4.2 43 votes

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3.7 77 votes

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Questions & comments

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