GeForce GTS 450 O/C Roundup: Six Custom-Tuned Cards
Table of contents
- 1. Tweaking GeForce GTS 450's Value
- 2. Asus ENGTS450 DirectCU TOP/DI/1GD5
- 3. Asus Overclocking Utilities
- 4. ECS Black GTS 450
- 5. Gigabyte GV-N450-1GI
- 6. MSI N450GTS Cyclone 1GD5/OC
- 7. MSI Overclocking Utilities
- 8. Sparkle Calibre X450G
- 9. Zotac Amp Edition ZT-40502-10L
- 10. Zotac Overclocking Utilities
- 11. Test Settings
- 12. Benchmark Results: 3DMark Vantage
- 13. Benchmark Results: Alien Vs. Predator
- 14. Benchmark Results: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- 15. Benchmark Results: Crysis
- 16. Benchmark Results: DiRT 2
- 17. Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call Of Pripyat
- 18. Relative Performance, Heat, And Power
- 19. Efficiency, Price, And Performance Value
- 20. Conclusion
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.
A month has passed since we first put the spotlight on Nvidia’s GTS 450, comparing it to everything from the Radeon HD 4850 to the GeForce GTX 460. While the basic reference card wasn’t much of an upgrade from last year’s competing parts, its combination of low price and middling performance made it a worthy contender for new, low-cost gaming builds.
Several manufacturers were already prepared at launch to take this part to a higher level of performance, and today we examine a few examples of those efforts.
We invited all major manufacturers to show of their best parts, and six took us up on the offer. Before we move on to individual package descriptions, here’s a brief look at specification differences.
| Asus ENGTS450 TOP/DI/1GD5 | ECS Black GTS 450 | Gigabyte GTS 450 GV-N450OC-1GI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPU Clock | 925 MHz | 850 MHz | 830 MHz |
| Shader Clock | 1850 MHz | 1700 MHz | 1660 MHz |
| DRAM Rate | GDDR5-4000 | GDDR5-4000 | GDDR5-3608 |
| DVI | One Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link |
| HDMI | Full HDMI | Mini HDMI | Mini HDMI |
| DisplayPort | None | None | None |
| VGA | One 15-Pin | By Adapter | By Adapter |
| Output Adapters | None | DVI to HDMI DVI-I to VGA | Mini to Full HDMI DVI-I to VGA |
| Length | 9.3" | 8.5" | 9.1" |
| Height | 4.9" | 5.4" | 4.5" |
| Total Thickness | 1.4" | 2.4" | 1.4" |
| Cooler Thickness | 1.3" | 2.2" | 1.3" |
| Weight | 19 Ounces | 23 Ounces | 20 Ounces |
| PCB Version | Custom | P1060 V1.0 | 3rd-party Reference |
| VRM | Four Phases | Four Phases | Four Phases |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
| MSI N450GTS Cyclone 1GD5/OC | Sparkle Calibre GTS 450 1024 MB | Zotac GTS 450 ZT-40502-10L | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPU Clock | 850 MHz | 850 MHz | 875 MHz |
| Shader Clock | 1700 MHz | 1700 MHz | 1750 MHz |
| DRAM Rate | GDDR5-4000 | GDDR5-3800 | GDDR5-4000 |
| DVI | Two Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link | Two Dual-Link |
| HDMI | Mini HDMI | Mini HDMI | Full HDMI |
| DisplayPort | None | None | Full-Size |
| VGA | By Adapter | By Adapter | By Adapter |
| Output Adapters | DVI to HDMI DVI-I to VGA | HDMI Cable DVI-I to VGA | DVI-I to VGA |
| Length | 8.3" | 8.5" | 7.5" |
| Height | 5.1" | 5.4" | 4.4" |
| Total Thickness | 1.3" | 2.2" | 1.6" |
| Cooler Thickness | 1.2" | 2.0" | 1.4" |
| Weight | 14 Ounces | 22 Ounces | 15 Ounces |
| PCB Version | P1060-000(B) | Nvidia P1060 | Custom |
| VRM | Four Phases | Four Phases | Three Phases |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Lifetime |
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Or you could just get a GTX 460.... I'm 90% sure the price will drop sometime from this friday till next friday.
Why isn't the noise each card makes tested? Any company could throw a vacuum cleaner on a card and call it the fastest.
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!
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.
Or 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!! >
Well then, I guess arctic cooling can really make VGA cooling, especially since ECS and Sparkle use its cooling.
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.
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.
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.
Agreed Noise level test would have made this article near perfect.
Love to see a price drop....hoping to buy
Why isn't the noise each card makes tested? Any company could throw a vacuum cleaner on a card and call it the fastest.
Exactly. If there is no noise tests the we can just assume they are loud. Really loud.
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.
bah .. i can find 2 X gts450 for the price of a GTX460 ... personnaly ill build a SLI GTS450 rig before a GTX460 or 470 .. sure you can add another GTX later, but you will need to put more money again and again
well the article was well written but
we need some ATI cards 5770 5750 to compare with because at this price point
it had better beat them
@Thomas, you have a typo in the System Power Consumption and Relative System Power Consumption charts, in the second line in each chart should be GTS 450 as the reference not the GTX 460.
In an article about value I find it odd that the first passing mention of any prices that I could find was on page 17. For convenience all the prices should be in the tables on the first page.
Also, like others have noted, 5750/5770 should be included in testing. They are in the price range afterall.
Why are you guys using GPU-Z 4.4 when 4.6 has been out for more than a month?
The last "article" to spur GTS450 sales before this card gets lower margins by way of the 6000 series launch and inevitable 460GTX price drop.
Cause' this is Nvidia - it's all about bang for your buck.
Or you could just get a GTX 460.... I'm 90% sure the price will drop sometime from this friday till next friday.
I believe only the 768 model is getting a drop from what I heard.