Which GTX 460 Should I Get? Need Advise Tonight Please! ;)

[blitzace]

So I'm ordering my last online component (woo-hoo!, only mobo, CPU and heatsink from microcenter left) Ahhh what a relief lol

However, I was having some trouble deciding exactly which card of the GTX 460 to get. I'm only looking to snag one for now and SLI in the future. I'm really a fan of EVGA and their great customer service (and lifetime warranties), so here is a link with all of the possible choices.

EVGA 1GB models:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%2050001402%20600007323%20600007779%20600062521&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20460%20%28Fermi%29

After that I'm a bit lost lol I've heard the EE (external exhaust) versions can be a bit loud so I was leaning towards the new reference coolers. However, there are none which have lifetime warranties! So I'm forced to choose between noise and the chances of it breaking beyond the warranty period

Best I can figure is I really want the reference cooler to avoid the noise issue, and I shop using a Chase Freedom credit card which would extend the warranty from 2 years to 3 years which is a huge perk imo! So I'm wondering how much the same graphics card usually costs 3 years down the line (if one card out of the SLI does eventually die on me)?

If it's only a small setback then I have no problem buying the reference version, otherwise I'm open to any suggestions you wise sages might have.

Oh and just fyi, I was kind of leaning towards this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130571

Since theres a rebate going on for it (which ends tonight). Only 18$ more for the Superclocked version over the standard so let me know what you guys think! Thanks very much!

 

[Helltech]

If you're going to be spending that much money on a 460 I would get this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121391

Thats one of the top three 460s and its a decent price. You can also overclock it well.

This is coming from someone who loves EVGA and has two EVGA cards himself, so don't think I'm biased .

EDIT - While I prefer the ASUS one, this one is next best thing and is on sale.. I'd pick it up for how cheap it is.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510

 

[jyjjy]

I wouldn't recommend paying extra for a factory overclock. You can overclock the card easily on your onw and get much, much better results. It is just a waste of money.
EVGA is a good brand but personally I think lifetime warranties on a video card are mostly a marketing gimmick. 3 years covers the useful lifespan of almost any video card.
The best GTX 460 is the MSI Hawk which has a great cooler and a custom PCB which supposedly lets you OC up to 1ghz which is a full 48% over the stock 675mhz speed. That card was just released and you'll likely have a hard time finding it. The other best GTX 460s are the ASUS DirectCU and MSI Cyclone.

 

[Helltech]

Yeah, the HAWK sold out on Newegg overnight already, and with how cheap it was, I bet NewEgg will probably jack up the price now that they know they can sell a lot of them. i hope this isn't the case, just something I'd look out for.

 

[blitzace]

Oh man, I just read some reviews on the hawk, 1Ghz+ is insane! :O

Hrmm well based on your suggestions methinks (plus the crazy hawk that was just released lol) I'm going to have to throw the EVGA idea out the window and start from scratch doh Well at least I don't have to rush with that MSI cyclone deal at least

So how would you rank the various gtx 460 cards Helltech? I noticed you said ASUS was top, followed by MSI cyclone, and then? btw how are you ranking these exactly? curious to kno

Thanks very much for the suggestions, I'll be doing some more research and look forward to hearing more from you guys!

EDIT - How much was the hawk going for on newegg btw? No longer listing the price

 

[jyjjy]

I believe the Hawk was $250. If not that then the two I suggested are the ones to get. Beyond that... the Gigagyte card with the large dual fans gets some nice reviews but it's not cheaper than the better cards so I don't see the point.
If you go for the Cyclone don't forget the combo with the free game;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.455033

 

[blitzace]

I believe the Hawk was $250. If not that then the two I suggested are the ones to get. Beyond that... the Gigagyte card with the large dual fans gets some nice reviews but it's not cheaper than the better cards so I don't see the point.
If you go for the Cyclone don't forget the combo with the free game;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.455033

Thanks! Combo noted Alright so I checked and it looks like the hawk is back in stock at $250!

I kind of want to act fast before it sells out (again) lol so any help is much appreciated.

I trust you guys a lot So based on what you guys recommended, I'm going to just jump on the next card you tell me to! So it's between these 3 cards you mentioned as being the top GTX 460 cards...

1. MSI Hawk = $258

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127518

2. ASUS = $232

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121391&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=eg37dpsg6m

3. MSI Cyclone + Just Cause 2 = $205

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=eg37doi2in

Couple of side notes:

I don't plan on overclocking right away and may be scared / inexperienced enough to do so in the future but I'm willing to try assuming its safe and won't kill the card lol Keep that in mind when making a recommendation please.

Lastly, will I be safe to SLI with any of these choices in the future? I've heard reference coolers don't cool as well when in SLI (EVGA models in particular) but I'm guessing these cards won't have such a problem and will still have great cooling in SLI despite their reference design, correct? My case is storm sniper btw so airflow should be good enough I think.

So you guys tell me, where is the sweet spot for price / performance and which card should I ultimately buy?!

Thanks guys! I reallllllllly appreciate all of the advise. Almost made the wrong choice if not for you

 

[jyjjy]

Well the Hawk is meant for some rather extreme overclocking so perhaps you should just save some cash and go for the Cyclone with the free game. It isn't too shabby for overclocking either and will likely be able to get up around 900mhz. That's short of the 1ghz the Hawk can supposedly get up to but it is still a hefty 33% over the reference 675mhz.
Also there's been some deals lately on the GTX 470 for $270 shipped which is just $12 more than the Hawk so I think that card only really makes sense if you plan to push it to its limits.

 

[blitzace]

jyjjy, I can not emphasize this enough... you, sir... ARE THE MAN!!!!

I didn't get home from classes until late today, and made this post thinking you had logged off for the night... You absolutely made my day lol You truly deserve the title 'addict'

Yea I've seen a lot of GTX 470 deals around that price lately as well. I monitor slickdeals.net like its my job so I've seen it all lol (The last GTX 460 768 MB for $160 was insane)

But I'm a huge fan of the 1GB 460 after reading all the positive articles on Tom's hardware about it, so was holding out for that. I think that's my sweetspot for a graphics card atm. Plan on getting one now and SLI'ing in the future only if its needed.

P.S. I was secretly hoping you'd pick the cyclone lol that's a really good deal to pass up methinks

Going to place my order now! I just want to say thank you so much again to you and Helltech for all of the advise. You saved me from making a poor purchase and directed me towards one of the greatest ones for my build.

Thank you soooooooooo much!

 

[blitzace]

Best answer selected by blitzace.
n
nEdit - If I could, I'd choose both of you for best answer lol just had to pick one was all. Thanks again for everything guys, really appreciate it

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey