GeForce GTX 460 in Detail
Based on Fermi's third-generation Streaming Multiprocessor architecture, the GeForce GTX 460 boasts 336 CUDA cores, which is almost twice the shader power of the GT200 architecture used by the GeForce GTX 260. This means that the GeForce GTX 460 has just 4.5% fewer cores when compared to the GTX 465.
The GeForce GTX 460 also has the same number of TMUs (Texture Mapping Units) as the GeForce GTX 470 with 56 in total, 27% more than the GeForce GTX 465. The Inno3D GeForce GTX 460 (768MB version) features 24 ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines) while the 1024MB versions will carry 32 like the GeForce GTX 465.
The GTX 460 clock speed for fixed function units is 675MHz, while the CUDA cores operate at a more aggressive 1350MHz. Compared to the GTX 465 and GTX 470 these are clocked 11% higher on the new boards.
As mentioned before, there will be two versions of the GeForce GTX 460, one teamed with 1024MB of GDDR5 memory and a smaller more affordable version with 768MB of GDDR5. Both will carry memory clocked at 900MHz (3600MHz DDR). Besides the memory capacity difference, the 768MB cards feature a 192-bit wide memory bus versus the 1GB variants that get a wider 256-bit bus.
In terms of peak memory bandwidth, the 1GB card should max out at around 115 GB/s versus the 86.4 GB/s limitation of the smaller 768MB cards, a 25% bandwidth reduction. It is interesting to note that the 1GB version of the GeForce GTX 460 will actually have 12% more bandwidth at its disposal compared to the more expensive GeForce GTX 465.
At least on paper for now we learn that the Thermal Design Power rating of the GeForce GTX 460 is very reasonable compared to previous GeForce models based on the Fermi architecture. The 1024MB version is rated at 160 watts and the 768MB version is rated at 150 watts. This should make the 1024MB cards 20% more efficient than the GTX 465 and about 9% more efficient than the competing Radeon HD 5830.
The GeForce GTX 460 draws in power from the PCI Express slot and through a pair of external PCI Express power connectors. The GTX 460 requires dual 6-pin connectors, which is the same configuration used by the Radeon HD 5830. The GeForce GTX 460 also features a single SLI bridge connector allowing it to be paired with another graphics card.