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

Tweaking GeForce GTS 450's 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.

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Header Cell - Column 0 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
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Header Cell - Column 0 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
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
  • 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