GeForce GTX 460 SE vs Radeon HD 5850

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce GTX 460 SE vs Radeon HD 5850 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 460 SE vs Radeon HD 5850: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 460 SE

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $139 less on MSRP ($160 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 90% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 12.4 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($160 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 5850

2009

Why buy it

✅24.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
86.9% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$160 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.5 vs 12.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $160 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 24.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 460 SE instead at 1,988 vs 1,955, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 460 SE is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2010 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 460 SE makes the most sense to buy today. It is $139 cheaper on MSRP at $160 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 90% (12.4 vs 6.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5850 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 460 SE vs Radeon HD 5850 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GeForce GTX 460 SE

The GeForce GTX 460 SE is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 15 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 650 MHz. It has 288 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,988 points. Launch price was $160.

Radeon HD 5850

The Radeon HD 5850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,955 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 460 SE scores 1,988 and the Radeon HD 5850 reaches 1,955 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 460 SE is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 288 (GeForce GTX 460 SE) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 0.7488 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 460 SE) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 460 SE	Radeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score	1,988+2%	1,955
Architecture	Fermi	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	288	1440+400%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7488 TFLOPS	2.088 TFLOPS+179%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	72+50%
L1 Cache	384 KB+167%	144 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 460 SE gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 460 SE	Radeon HD 5850
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 460 SE has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5850 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5850 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 460 SE and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 5850.

Feature	GeForce GTX 460 SE	Radeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	128 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 460 SE) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 460 SE	Radeon HD 5850
Encoder	UVD 4.0	—
Decoder	PureVideo VP4	—
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 460 SE draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 5850's 151W — a 0.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 460 SE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 460 SE) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 460 SE	Radeon HD 5850
TDP	150W	151W
Recommended PSU	450W-10%	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	210mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	13.3+3%	12.9

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 460 SE came in at $160, while the Radeon HD 5850 launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 460 SE was 46.5% cheaper ($139 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 12.4 (GeForce GTX 460 SE) vs 6.5 (Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce GTX 460 SE offers 90.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 460 SE (2010 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce GTX 460 SE	Radeon HD 5850
MSRP	$160-46%	$299
Performance per Dollar	12.4+91%	6.5
Codename	GF104	Cypress
Release	November 15 2010	September 30 2009
Ranking	#683	#682

Search GeForce GTX 460 SE on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 5850 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.