GeForce GTX 460 vs Radeon HD 6970M

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 460

2010Core: 675 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6970M

2011Core: 680 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 460 vs Radeon HD 6970M Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 vs Radeon HD 6970M 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 vs Radeon HD 6970M: 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

2010

Why buy it

  • 30.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 768 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2010 hardware with 768 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 113.3% higher power demand at 160W vs 75W.

Radeon HD 6970M

2011

Why buy it

  • 166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 768 MB).
  • Draws 75W instead of 160W, a 85W reduction.
  • More future proof: TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 460 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 11.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 460 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 30.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.2% in PassMark G3D (2,275 vs 2,270), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 460 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 460 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GTX 460 vs Radeon HD 6970M Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 460

The GeForce GTX 460 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 12 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 336 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,275 points. Launch price was $229.

AMD

Radeon HD 6970M

The Radeon HD 6970M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,270 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 460 scores 2,275 and the Radeon HD 6970M reaches 2,270 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 460 is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 6970M uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 336 (GeForce GTX 460) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6970M). Raw compute: 0.9072 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 460) vs 1.306 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970M).

FeatureGeForce GTX 460Radeon HD 6970M
G3D Mark Score
2,275
2,270
Architecture
Fermi
TeraScale 2
Process Node
40 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
336
960+186%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.9072 TFLOPS
1.306 TFLOPS+44%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
56+17%
48
L1 Cache
448 KB+133%
192 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 460 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6970M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 460Radeon HD 6970M
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 has 768 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6970M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 6970M gives you 166.7% 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 and System on the Radeon HD 6970M.

FeatureGeForce GTX 460Radeon HD 6970M
VRAM Capacity
0.75 GB
2 GB+167%
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 460 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 6970M's 75W — a 72.3% difference. The Radeon HD 6970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce GTX 460) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6970M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce GTX 460Radeon HD 6970M
TDP
160W
75W-53%
Recommended PSU
450W
350W-22%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Perf/Watt
14.2
30.3+113%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 6970M (2011 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce GTX 460Radeon HD 6970M
MSRP
$199
Codename
GF104
Blackcomb
Release
July 12 2010
January 4 2011
Ranking
#652
#654

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