used GTX460 vs GTX295

mikerx7 · Mar 12, 2013

hi guys i i have the oportunity to buy any of these used cards at the same price (130 USD) and i wonder which one is better.
the gtx460 is the gigabyte dual fan edition http://es.gigabyte.com/products/page/vga/gv-n460oc2-1gi

and the GTX295 is the EVGA co-op edition http://www.evga.com/articles/00446/

i,ll really apreciate your replies guys

and what about the directx 10 limit from the gtx295?,is this really a problem?, is out there any dx11 mandatory game?

power suply is not a problem i have a 700w real psu,and two 6-8 pin conectors

Azn Cracker · Mar 12, 2013

the gtx 295 is better if you have the power supply to support it and dont mind that its used. Otherwise spend $30 more for a 7850

Kindredsouls · Mar 12, 2013

The 295 will be faster then the 460. Here's Tom's Graphics Card hierarchy chart for last month http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html. That GPU will run very hot and use a lot of power.

I wish you luck!

littleleo · Mar 12, 2013

The 295 was the top of the line for the 200 series it should be the better card. The 460 does support Direct X 11 and the 295 supports Direct X 10. Just check the physical dimensions and the power requirements.

blazorthon · Mar 12, 2013

The GTX 295 supports DX10.1. It should be significantly faster than the GTX 460 in most gaming situations, but since it is a card with two (now) low-end GPUs in SLI, micro-stutter may rear its ugly head. Also potentially worrisome is the mere 896MiB of VRAM capacity. The similarly performing RAdeon 7850 runs into occasioanl problems even at 1GiB, so the you may have to watch the settings that you play on to get it to work properly with many of today's most VRAM capacity-intensive situations.

Crysis 3 is the only game that off the top of my head I know to be DX11 mandatory. Such games may get more common as time goes on, but it'll probably be at least a few years before they're the majority rather than the minority.

amirp · Mar 12, 2013

I would go with the 460, the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion.

Pros...:
-Lower heat
-Lower Power consumption
-DX11
-Quieter,
-No micro-stuttering issues because it's a single card
-Equivalent to a gtx560 easily by overclocking it to the same level...I can say with 99.9% confidence that every gtx 460 will reach the stock gtx 560 clocks.

Cons...:
Slower in games that support SLI

also where are you from? 130 USD seems alot for a used gtx 460

mikerx7 · Mar 12, 2013

blazorthon :

The GTX 295 supports DX10.1. It should be significantly faster than the GTX 460 in most gaming situations, but since it is a card with two (now) low-end GPUs in SLI, micro-stutter may rear its ugly head. Also potentially worrisome is the mere 896MiB of VRAM capacity. The similarly performing RAdeon 7850 runs into occasioanl problems even at 1GiB, so the you may have to watch the settings that you play on to get it to work properly with many of today's most VRAM capacity-intensive situations.

Crysis 3 is the only game that off the top of my head I know to be DX11 mandatory. Such games may get more common as time goes on, but it'll probably be at least a few years before they're the majority rather than the minority.

what does mean micro-stuttering issues?

blazorthon · Mar 12, 2013

mikerx7 :

Micro-stutter is when two or more GPUs running in AFR (alternate frame rendering, the method used by modern multi-GPU technologies such as current versions of SLI and Crossfire) have trouble staying in sync. For example, instead of each GPU delivering a frame one after another in a smooth and consistent patter of say 8ms between frames delivered (16ms for each GPU) equaling a little over 60FPS, one GPU may deliver a frame almost immediately after the other GPU in a pattern of each GPU delivering a frame rught next to the other GPU, but almost a full 16ms between each set of frames being delivered. It's makes for choppy gaming experience even in high frame rates. For example, 60FPS with very bad micro-stutter can look less smooth than 30FPS with no micro-stutter.

A single GPU can't have this issue (although there are other types of stutter that can occur with a single GPU). The GTX 460, unlike the GTX 295, is a single GPU card, so unlike the GTX 295, it can't run into micro-stutter issues.

Micro-stutter is much more common with older dual-GPU setups such as the GTX 295 than it is with much newer dual-GPU and triple GPU setups such as three-way GTX 690.

I'm leaning towards recommending the GTX 460 because of this and other issues with the GTX 295 and I speak as someone whom owns two GTX 295s.

mikerx7 · Mar 12, 2013

blazorthon :

mikerx7 :

Micro-stutter is when two or more GPUs running in AFR (alternate frame rendering, the method used by modern multi-GPU technologies such as current versions of SLI and Crossfire) have trouble staying in sync. For example, instead of each GPU delivering a frame one after another in a smooth and consistent patter of say 8ms between frames delivered (16ms for each GPU) equaling a little over 60FPS, one GPU may deliver a frame almost immediately after the other GPU in a pattern of each GPU delivering a frame rught next to the other GPU, but almost a full 16ms between each set of frames being delivered. It's makes for choppy gaming experience even in high frame rates. For example, 60FPS with very bad micro-stutter can look less smooth than 30FPS with no micro-stutter.

A single GPU can't have this issue (although there are other types of stutter that can occur with a single GPU). The GTX 460, unlike the GTX 295, is a single GPU card, so unlike the GTX 295, it can't run into micro-stutter issues.

Micro-stutter is much more common with older dual-GPU setups such as the GTX 295 than it is with much newer dual-GPU and triple GPU setups such as three-way GTX 690.

I'm leaning towards recommending the GTX 460 because of this and other issues with the GTX 295 and I speak as someone whom owns two GTX 295s.

which kind of issues ?

blazorthon · Mar 12, 2013

Well, the lack of DX11 support, the somewhat small amount of memory per GPU, high power consumption and heat generation, and such that have already been mentioned.

mikerx7 · Mar 12, 2013

blazorthon :

yes i,ve read thank so much 4 ur answers,but is your bill feeling the power consumption from the gtx295?

mikerx7 · Mar 12, 2013

amirp :

yes i know im from mexico and here every grafics card is more expensive,por example the gtx650 non ti standar price is 150 usd

amirp · Mar 12, 2013

mikerx7 :

Ah okay, well then I'd say it's worth it, considering you're getting the 460 for less than the gtx 650 non-ti. The 460 should be faster (as the 560 is faster and like I said you should definitely overclock your 460 to the stock 560 speeds, otherwise the 460 and 560 are identical cards)

blazorthon · Mar 12, 2013

mikerx7 :

Well, it's only a small fraction of say a regular size refrigerator's power costs or even a large TV, but it probably isn't too insignificant when the power cost is considered over the few years that you're likely to have it.

EDIT: I'd say that if I used my two GTX 295s much, that my bill would notice them. It takes looking into a three or six month intervals for it to add up enough to something worth thinking about rather than be noticeable every month like my heating bills in the winter versus the summer, but they'd be noticeable.

iam2thecrowe · Mar 12, 2013

for the same price you could get a brand new hd7770 or 650ti offering the same performance as the 460. but between the 295 and 460 i would certainly chose the 460 even just for the fact that it is a dx11 gpu where the 295 is dx 10. meaning all the new games that come out requiring a dx11 card you would not be able to play at all with the 295.

blazorthon · Mar 12, 2013

iam2thecrowe :

OP said that pricing is worse in Mexico. If a mere GTX 650, comparable to the Radeon 7750, costs $150, the price of a GTX 650 Ti in the USA, then the GTX 650 Ti and especially the Radeon 7850 are probably around or over $200. We could ask OP for more accurate pricing info to be more sure.

iam2thecrowe · Mar 13, 2013

blazorthon :

can he not just cross the border in a dodgy looking van? i see it all the time on movies. Although thinking about it, the mexicans get cought most of the time in those movies.

mikerx7 · Mar 13, 2013

blazorthon :

iam2thecrowe :

you´re so funny :ouch:

and that you suggest is harder to do than to say,besides i live in cancun city so i am FAAAR away from the border

mikerx7 · Mar 13, 2013

blazorthon :

iam2thecrowe :

OP said that pricing is worse in Mexico. If a mere GTX 650, comparable to the Radeon 7750, costs $150, the price of a GTX 650 Ti in the USA, then the GTX 650 Ti and especially the Radeon 7850 are probably around or over $200. We could ask OP for more accurate pricing info to be more sure.

yes here the hd7770 costs $165 and the gtx650 ti $220

swiftsparrow · Jun 14, 2013

It sounds as though the 295 is a bit overpriced... in Ontario here used ones are going for @ 80-110...
Maybe you should factor in if someone is willing to bend on the price a bit too.

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