GTX 460, model differences and cooling questions

[g335]

Hello

I bought the MSI Cyclone OC N460GTX 1GD5. Will the cooling for this be good?

I saw the MSI Hawk Talon GTX460 for only 20 dollars more. It has twin fans plus a higher core speed.

Both cards can be OC, but the Hawk Talon has 2 fans and it is higher clocked than mine. Should I take the Cyclone back and buy the Hawk Talon?
I have a 20 dollar gift certificate so it would not cost me any more money.

Which should I get?

 

[17seconds]

The Cyclone is the basic version of the MSI GTX460. It is still a custom design with aftermarket cooling, so it's still a good card. The MSI Hawk Talon Attack is a very specially designed card intended for extreme overclocking. Everything about the design is geared towards attaining the highest clock speeds. So, if you are interested in really pushing your card to very high overclocks, then the Hawk Talon Attack is the card for you. If, on the other hand, you like overclocking, but don't feel a need to set overclocking records, then the Cyclone can overclock well past the Hawk's stock speeds.

Two reviews for you to compare. Note that both cards registered noise levels of 43 Db.
Cyclone OC'ed to 885 mhz:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-460-cyclone-oc-1024-review/19

Hawk OC'ed to 950 mhz:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-460-hawk-review/20

 

[Helltech]

If you have a gift certificate that you havn't used, and you can take it back with ZERO charge, of course it will be worth it.

 

[geofelt]

The time to ask is BEFORE you buy, not after.

The cyclone will cool very well in an open test bed, less so in a case.

In a case, the heat extracted from the card will recirculate, and heat up the air needed to cool both the graphics card AND the cpu.

It takes great case cooling to cope with that.

I prefer a card with a double slot direct exhaust cooler that gets the heat directly out the back of the case. Something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130565

 

[g335]

The Cyclone is the basic version of the MSI GTX460. It is still a custom design with aftermarket cooling, so it's still a good card. The MSI Hawk Talon Attack is a very specially designed card intended for extreme overclocking. Everything about the design is geared towards attaining the highest clock speeds. So, if you are interested in really pushing your card to very high overclocks, then the Hawk Talon Attack is the card for you. If, on the other hand, you like overclocking, but don't feel a need to set overclocking records, then the Cyclone can overclock well past the Hawk's stock speeds.

Two reviews for you to compare. Note that both cards registered noise levels of 43 Db.
Cyclone OC'ed to 885 mhz:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-460-cyclone-oc-1024-review/19

Hawk OC'ed to 950 mhz:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-460-hawk-review/20

Thanks, seems that both cards are good. I think I want the Hawk Talon for the cooling mainly. I will exchange it unless there really is no difference between the fans on both cards.

The time to ask is BEFORE you buy, not after.

The cyclone will cool very well in an open test bed, less so in a case.

In a case, the heat extracted from the card will recirculate, and heat up the air needed to cool both the graphics card AND the cpu.

It takes great case cooling to cope with that.

I prefer a card with a double slot direct exhaust cooler that gets the heat directly out the back of the case. Something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130565

Double slot looks good. Maybe the Hawk Talon is better at cooling.

 

[17seconds]

Thanks, seems that both cards are good. I think I want the Hawk Talon for the cooling mainly. I will exchange it unless there really is no difference between the fans on both cards.
Double slot looks good. Maybe the Hawk Talon is better at cooling.

Those reviews showed the Hawk running at about 57c vs. the Cyclone at 64c. That's even more impressive when you consider the Hawk is clocked considerably higher. Keep in mind, that the review is of the original Hawk. The Hawk Talon Attack is a newer and even better version than the regular Hawk.

"The MSI GTX460 HAWK ‘Talon Attack’ Edition is easily the best GTX460 card we have tested, which came as somewhat of a shock to us, especially as we expected the eVGA GTX460 ‘FTW’ to hold the Number 1 mantle for a while."
http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/msi-gtx460-talon-attack-vs-powercolor-hd5770-crossfirex/

 

[g335]

Those reviews showed the Hawk running at about 57c vs. the Cyclone at 64c. That's even more impressive when you consider the Hawk is clocked considerably higher. Keep in mind, that the review is of the original Hawk. The Hawk Talon Attack is a newer and even better version than the regular Hawk.

"The MSI GTX460 HAWK ‘Talon Attack’ Edition is easily the best GTX460 card we have tested, which came as somewhat of a shock to us, especially as we expected the eVGA GTX460 ‘FTW’ to hold the Number 1 mantle for a while."
http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/msi-gtx460-talon-attack-vs-powercolor-hd5770-crossfirex/

Thanks

 

[g335]

Best answer selected by g335.