Roundup: Nine GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Boards Benchmarked

By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Happy with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460, we invited a dozen of the industry's top graphics companies to show off their unique interpretations of the card. Nine responded with what they feel are exceptional products. Can they get any better than reference?

Palit GTX 460 Sonic Platinum Overclocking Edition

Available as part number NE5X460HF1102, Palit’s GTX 460 Sonic Platinum Overclocking Edition is both the smallest and fastest card in today’s lineup. A custom circuit board reduces mounting length by 0.9” compared to reference design cards, easing card-to-drive clearance issues that occur in many of today’s mid-sized cases.

Moving the power connectors to the top of the card similarly improves card-to-drive clearance, though the power supply location of some compact gaming cases could interfere with installation. SLI users will be pleased to note that the mid-profile GPU cooler fits within the broadly-accepted confines of a second expansion slot.

Palit moves its second dual-link DVI connector to the card’s second expansion slot, reducing the amount of air that can flow through the adjacent vents. This axial-fan cooler pushes air from both ends however, so that the reduced airflow at the back shouldn’t be problematic. The end result is a design that allows a full-sized HDMI connection and a VGA output without the use of any adapters.

An 800 MHz GPU clock tops today’s factory-configured overclocks, while the GDDR5-4000 data rate is matched only by Asus.

Palit’s Vtune utility lacks the voltage adjustment found on today’s second-fastest competitor, yet that competitor’s adjustment range is miniscule. The GPU and RAM can be increased up to 1040 MHz and GDDR5-4800, software limits that are almost certain to exceed hardware capabilities.

Advanced settings for Palit’s Vtune are limited to fan speed.

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.
91 Comments Comment from the forums
  • 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