GeForce RTX 3060 vs GTX 460M

Place in the ranking	750	81
Place by popularity	not in top-100	4
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	71.34
Power efficiency	4.36	18.16
Architecture	Fermi (2010−2014)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	GF106	GA106
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	3 September 2010 (14 years ago)	12 January 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$329

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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 cores	192	3584
Core clock speed	675 MHz	1320 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	1777 MHz
Number of transistors	1,170 million	12,000 million
Manufacturing process technology	40 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	50 Watt	170 Watt
Texture fill rate	21.60	199.0
Floating-point processing power	0.5184 TFLOPS	12.74 TFLOPS
ROPs	24	48
TMUs	32	112
Tensor Cores	no data	112
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	28

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 size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 2.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	no data	242 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1x 12-pin
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 type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	1536 MB	12 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	1250 MHz	1875 MHz
Memory bandwidth	60.0 GB/s	360.0 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 Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 API with Feature Level 12.1	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	5.1	6.7
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.1	3.0
Vulkan	N/A	1.3
CUDA	+	8.6

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.

GTX 460M 3.13

RTX 3060 44.29
+1315%

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.

GTX 460M 1207

RTX 3060 17085
+1315%

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.

GTX 460M 1623

RTX 3060 28375
+1648%

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.

GTX 460M 7507

RTX 3060 79706
+962%

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.

GTX 460M 1370

RTX 3060 21379
+1461%

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

GTX 460M 4119

RTX 3060 88251
+2043%

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:

900p	30 −1233%	400−450 +1233%
Full HD	38 −226%	124 +226%
1440p	5−6 −1520%	81 +1520%
4K	3−4 −1633%	52 +1633%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	2.65
1440p	no data	4.06
4K	no data	6.33

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

6−7

−1217%

79
+1217%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10−11 −830%	90−95 +830%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −5000%	102 +5000%
Battlefield 5	6−7 −2267%	140−150 +2267%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −1013%	85−90 +1013%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −1200%	78 +1200%
Far Cry 5	6−7 −1450%	90−95 +1450%
Far Cry New Dawn	9−10 −1100%	100−110 +1100%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 −1028%	200−210 +1028%
Hitman 3	8−9 −1400%	120 +1400%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −646%	170−180 +646%
Metro Exodus	5−6 −2620%	130−140 +2620%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 −1138%	95−100 +1138%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 −1177%	160−170 +1177%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −238%	130−140 +238%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10−11 −830%	90−95 +830%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −4150%	85 +4150%
Battlefield 5	6−7 −2267%	140−150 +2267%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −1013%	85−90 +1013%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −1150%	75 +1150%
Far Cry 5	6−7 −1450%	90−95 +1450%
Far Cry New Dawn	9−10 −1100%	100−110 +1100%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 −1028%	200−210 +1028%
Hitman 3	8−9 −1350%	116 +1350%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −646%	170−180 +646%
Metro Exodus	5−6 −2620%	130−140 +2620%
Red Dead Redemption 2	8−9 −1138%	95−100 +1138%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 −1285%	180 +1285%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	14−16 −507%	90−95 +507%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −238%	130−140 +238%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	10−11 −830%	90−95 +830%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	2−3 −3650%	75 +3650%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	8−9 −1013%	85−90 +1013%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 −967%	64 +967%
Far Cry 5	6−7 −1450%	90−95 +1450%
Forza Horizon 4	18−20 −1028%	200−210 +1028%
Hitman 3	8−9 −1163%	101 +1163%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 −492%	142 +492%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	12−14 −1085%	154 +1085%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	14−16 −387%	73 +387%
Watch Dogs: Legion	40−45 −47.5%	59 +47.5%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

8−9

−1138%

95−100
+1138%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	6−7 −1350%	85−90 +1350%
Far Cry New Dawn	5−6 −1260%	65−70 +1260%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	3−4 −1533%	45−50 +1533%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	2−3 −2500%	50−55 +2500%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 −1850%	39 +1850%
Far Cry 5	4−5 −1175%	50−55 +1175%
Hitman 3	8−9 −750%	68 +750%
Horizon Zero Dawn	8−9 −1225%	106 +1225%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	2−3 −3250%	65−70 +3250%
Watch Dogs: Legion	20−22 −925%	200−210 +925%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

7−8

−986%

75−80
+986%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	1−2 −4400%	45−50 +4400%
Far Cry New Dawn	2−3 −1800%	35−40 +1800%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	2−3 −1450%	30−35 +1450%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	1−2 −3700%	38 +3700%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	1−2 −2800%	27−30 +2800%
Far Cry 5	1−2 −2600%	27−30 +2600%
Forza Horizon 4	1−2 −6200%	60−65 +6200%
Watch Dogs: Legion	1−2 −2600%	27 +2600%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

4−5

−900%

40−45
+900%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	60 +0%	60 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	240−250 +0%	240−250 +0%
Metro Exodus	89 +0%	89 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	115 +0%	115 +0%

4K
High Preset

Hitman 3	45 +0%	45 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	190−200 +0%	190−200 +0%
Metro Exodus	55−60 +0%	55−60 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	63 +0%	63 +0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077	18 +0%	18 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	67 +0%	67 +0%

This is how GTX 460M and RTX 3060 compete in popular games:

RTX 3060 is 1233% faster in 900p
RTX 3060 is 226% faster in 1080p
RTX 3060 is 1520% faster in 1440p
RTX 3060 is 1633% faster in 4K

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

in Forza Horizon 4, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 3060 is 6200% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RTX 3060 is ahead in 62 tests (86%)
there's a draw in 10 tests (14%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	3.13	44.29
Recency	3 September 2010	12 January 2021
Maximum RAM amount	1536 MB	12 GB
Chip lithography	40 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	50 Watt	170 Watt

GTX 460M has 240% lower power consumption.

RTX 3060, on the other hand, has a 1315% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, a 700% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 400% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 460M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 460M is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3060 is a desktop one.

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