GeForce GTX 460 vs GTX 870M

Place in the ranking	486	593
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	1.25
Power efficiency	6.23	2.55
Architecture	Kepler (2012−2018)	Fermi (2010−2014)
GPU code name	GK104	GF104
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	12 March 2014 (10 years ago)	12 July 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$199

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	1344	336
Core clock speed	941 MHz	675 MHz
Boost clock speed	967 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	3,540 million	1,950 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	100 Watt	160 Watt
Texture fill rate	108.3	37.80
Floating-point processing power	2.599 TFLOPS	0.9072 TFLOPS
ROPs	24	24
TMUs	112	56

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
Bus support	PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0	16x PCI-E 2.0
Interface	MXM-B (3.0)	PCIe 2.0 x16
Length	no data	210 mm
Height	no data	4.376"(111 mm) (11.1 cm)
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	2x 6-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	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	3 GB	2 GB
Standard memory configuration	GDDR5	no data
Memory bus width	192 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	Up to 2500 MHz	900 MHz
Memory bandwidth	120.0 GB/s	86.4 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	Two Dual Link DVI, Mini HDMI
Multi monitor support	no data	+
eDP 1.2 signal support	Up to 3840x2160	no data
LVDS signal support	Up to 1920x1200	no data
VGA аnalog display support	Up to 2048x1536	no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support	Up to 3840x2160	no data
HDMI	+	+
HDCP	-	+
HDCP content protection	+	-
Maximum VGA resolution	no data	2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI	no data	Internal
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI	+	-
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming	+	-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder	+	-
Optimus	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Shader Model	5.1	5.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.1
OpenCL	1.1	1.1
Vulkan	1.1.126	N/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.

GTX 870M 8.94
+52.6%

GTX 460 5.86

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 870M 3449
+52.5%

GTX 460 2261

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 870M 4694
+82.6%

GTX 460 2570

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 870M 12624
+62.3%

GTX 460 7776

Octane Render OctaneBench

This is a special benchmark measuring graphics card performance in OctaneRender, which is a realistic GPU rendering engine by OTOY Inc., available either as a standalone program, or as a plugin for 3DS Max, Cinema 4D and many other apps. It renders four different static scenes, then compares render times with a reference GPU which is currently GeForce GTX 980. This benchmark has nothing to do with gaming and is aimed at professional 3D graphics artists.

GTX 870M 34
+25.9%

GTX 460 27

Unigine Heaven 4.0

This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark, a newer version of Unigine 3.0 with relatively small differences. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. The benchmark is still sometimes used, despite its significant age, as it was released back in 2013.

GTX 870M 582

GTX 460 605
+4%

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:

Full HD	45 +66.7%	27−30 −66.7%
4K	19 +58.3%	12−14 −58.3%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	7.37
4K	no data	16.58

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

14−16

+55.6%

9−10
−55.6%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21−24 +57.1%	14−16 −57.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +62.5%	8−9 −62.5%
Battlefield 5	27−30 +68.8%	16−18 −68.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +80%	10−11 −80%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 +55.6%	9−10 −55.6%
Far Cry 5	20−22 +66.7%	12−14 −66.7%
Far Cry New Dawn	24−27 +56.3%	16−18 −56.3%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%
Hitman 3	16−18 +70%	10−11 −70%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 +66.7%	30−33 −66.7%
Metro Exodus	27−30 +55.6%	18−20 −55.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	24−27 +56.3%	16−18 −56.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 +61.1%	18−20 −61.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21−24 +57.1%	14−16 −57.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +62.5%	8−9 −62.5%
Battlefield 5	27−30 +68.8%	16−18 −68.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +80%	10−11 −80%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 +55.6%	9−10 −55.6%
Far Cry 5	20−22 +66.7%	12−14 −66.7%
Far Cry New Dawn	24−27 +56.3%	16−18 −56.3%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%
Hitman 3	16−18 +70%	10−11 −70%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 +66.7%	30−33 −66.7%
Metro Exodus	27−30 +55.6%	18−20 −55.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	24−27 +56.3%	16−18 −56.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 +61.1%	18−20 −61.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	88 +60%	55−60 −60%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	21−24 +57.1%	14−16 −57.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	12−14 +62.5%	8−9 −62.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18−20 +80%	10−11 −80%
Cyberpunk 2077	14−16 +55.6%	9−10 −55.6%
Far Cry 5	20−22 +66.7%	12−14 −66.7%
Forza Horizon 4	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%
Hitman 3	16−18 +70%	10−11 −70%
Horizon Zero Dawn	50−55 +66.7%	30−33 −66.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	27−30 +61.1%	18−20 −61.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	15 +66.7%	9−10 −66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60−65 +71.4%	35−40 −71.4%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

24−27
+56.3%

16−18

−56.3%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	16−18 +70%	10−11 −70%
Far Cry New Dawn	14−16 +55.6%	9−10 −55.6%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	9−10 +80%	5−6 −80%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	5−6 +66.7%	3−4 −66.7%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	9−10 +80%	5−6 −80%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 +100%	2−3 −100%
Far Cry 5	10−11 +66.7%	6−7 −66.7%
Forza Horizon 4	35−40 +54.2%	24−27 −54.2%
Hitman 3	12−14 +71.4%	7−8 −71.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	18−20 +58.3%	12−14 −58.3%
Metro Exodus	12−14 +71.4%	7−8 −71.4%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	10−11 +66.7%	6−7 −66.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	8−9 +60%	5−6 −60%
Watch Dogs: Legion	55−60 +62.9%	35−40 −62.9%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

14−16

+66.7%

9−10
−66.7%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	8−9 +60%	5−6 −60%
Far Cry New Dawn	6−7 +100%	3−4 −100%
Hitman 3	5−6 +66.7%	3−4 −66.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn	35−40 +71.4%	21−24 −71.4%
Metro Exodus	7−8 +75%	4−5 −75%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	6−7 +100%	3−4 −100%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	5−6 +66.7%	3−4 −66.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	4−5 +100%	2−3 −100%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	4−5 +100%	2−3 −100%
Cyberpunk 2077	1−2	0−1
Far Cry 5	5−6 +66.7%	3−4 −66.7%
Forza Horizon 4	10−12 +57.1%	7−8 −57.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	5−6 +66.7%	3−4 −66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	3−4 +200%	1−2 −200%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

9−10
+80%

5−6

−80%

This is how GTX 870M and GTX 460 compete in popular games:

GTX 870M is 67% faster in 1080p
GTX 870M is 58% faster in 4K

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	8.94	5.86
Recency	12 March 2014	12 July 2010
Maximum RAM amount	3 GB	2 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	100 Watt	160 Watt

GTX 870M has a 52.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 60% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 870M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 460 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 870M is a notebook card while GeForce GTX 460 is a desktop one.

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