Roundup: Nine GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Boards Benchmarked

Average Performance, Power, And Heat

We’ll need to consider our average performance difference to calculate any efficiency differences, so we begin with a cumulative chart:

A 19% GPU overclock and 11% DRAM overclock allows Palit’s Sonic Platinum Overclocking Edition to show a 15% overall lead compared to the reference-clocked Zotac card.

MSI has the coolest-running card, likely due to its huge GPU cooler. Yet its full-fan tests weren’t as spectacular. Asus’ fan supports higher-speed operation, resulting in a relatively chilly GPU temperature that’s available to anyone who can tolerate its higher full-speed noise. ECS’ even larger cooling solution sits in the middle.

Gigabyte constantly claims that its Ultra Durable components save power, but today’s power test is one of those rare occasions where we actually see the difference.

A huge power consumption increase points towards likely voltage mods in Jetway’s non-retail card, possibly putting a wrench in the plans of overclockers who would like to repeat Jetway’s efforts.

Putting power consumption on a percent scale will allow us to gauge efficiency on the next page. The word “relative” refers to a comparison to the baseline, which in this case is Zotac’s reference-speed model.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
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  • Tamz_msc
    Good article.
    Reply
  • TheStealthyOne
    I really am a fan of ASUS' DirectCu/TOP cards.

    I can't decide between the 460 and 5850 versions :P
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    I would have liked noise benchmarks.
    Reply
  • beans4you
    just installed two gigabyte 460 cards in my brothers new setup, they are pretty nice! can't hear them even with the 2 fans on each and they run around 25/29 C idle, this is as far as I've gotten with tests :p
    Reply
  • falchard
    thestealthyoneI really am a fan of ASUS' DirectCu/TOP cards.I can't decide between the 460 and 5850 versionsThats a contemplative choice? Considering its not the 5830, the clear choice is the 5850.
    Reply
  • Lmeow
    Wow. Jetway's 33 % overclock is nSane... especially on what seems to be nVidia's reference cooler.

    I wonder how many cards can reach that 900 MHz with acceptable noise and voltage levels.
    Reply
  • El_Capitan
    This review is trying to tell us what? Higher overclocked cards give better performance? Duh?

    It would have been better to see each card overclocked to it's most stable overclock first, then test the cards with all the benchmarks.

    I read CPU magazine's article comparing the GTX 460's, and same conclusion. Palit is the fastest, but MSI's is the quietest and coolest.

    I've been looking into getting a pair for SLI. Those that don't have extra space between their PCI Express 2.0 slots should go for the EVGA Superclocked because of the external exhaust. Those that do have space like me and prefer low noise would be better off the MSI's. Performance-wise, they're all great overclockers (every card in this review can overclock higher than Palit's factory overclock). Honestly, you really can't go wrong with any of these cards.
    Reply
  • vixiv
    El_CapitanHonestly, you really can't go wrong with any of these cards.
    Basically.
    Reply
  • void
    I have one gigabyte card and very happy with it. Almost complete silent at idle. and not much noise at 100% fan speed. 50% fan speed is enough to keep it around 60c in games
    Reply
  • amgsoft
    If you are going to use the cards in PC in your home, the less noisy and the coolest is often the best choice.
    Reply