GeForce GTS 450 O/C Roundup: Six Custom-Tuned Cards

Features
By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Anyone interested in Nvidia's GeForce GTS 450 has a keen eye for value. But many enthusiasts still want the best performance they can afford. In today’s test, six factory-overclocked models challenge a standard-speed card in performance and value.

Gigabyte GV-N450-1GI

Gigabyte sent its card before the retail box had been printed, but a quick check of the largest shopping sites shows that this card ships with a DVI-to-VGA and a mini-HDMI-to-full-HDMI adapter.

Gigabyte’s cooler design is similar to the third-party universal cooler employed by ECS, but has been custom fitted to this particular card. That custom fitment removes any excess space between the sink and card, making this a two-slot design.

With a layout lifted completely from the reference card, the GV-N450-1GI relies on its twin-fan cooler and factory overclock to stand out from the crowd.

A GPU clock of 830 MHz and GDDR5-3608 appear very conservative for a card with this much cooling, though users are welcome to try for even more performance. Gigabyte had no overclocking software of its own for this particular model by the end of September, but the card does work with several universal utilities available over the ‘net.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
48 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Randomacts
    Or you could just get a GTX 460.... I'm 90% sure the price will drop sometime from this friday till next friday.
    Reply
  • Why isn't the noise each card makes tested? Any company could throw a vacuum cleaner on a card and call it the fastest.
    Reply
  • carlhenry
    i have a palit gts 450 sonic (not platinum, clocked at 880MHz). very satisfied with it and can play everything (except crysis) on maximum settings @ 1680x1050. nvidia should lower the prices a bit and this card will be the bang for the buck!
    Reply
  • wribbs
    I agree Randomacts; A pimped out 450 leaves me at half mast at best. Maybe there are a few people out there that a 450 is all they want but seriously just get a 460 or 5770/5830.
    Reply
  • hemburger
    RandomactsOr you could just get a GTX 460.... I'm 90% sure the price will drop sometime from this friday till next friday.BUT I WANT ONE NOW!! >:(
    Reply
  • aznshinobi
    Well then, I guess arctic cooling can really make VGA cooling, especially since ECS and Sparkle use its cooling.
    Reply
  • jestersage
    I was hoping a GTX460 and an HD5770/5830 reference cards/price would also be included. It would have helped those considering to cards in a somewhat expanded range of choices to make a more meaningful decision.
    Reply
  • jestersage
    Interesting... I'd go for an MSI card or Zotac card then if those were my only options.

    I was hoping a GTX460 and an HD5770/5830 reference cards/price would also be included. It would have helped those considering to cards in a somewhat expanded range of choices to make a more meaningful decision.
    Reply
  • quiky87
    I would also really have liked to see than noise level in this article especially as I would consider one of these cards for an HTPC where noise is critical.
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    Agreed Noise level test would have made this article near perfect.

    Love to see a price drop....hoping to buy :D
    Reply