Roundup: Nine GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Boards Benchmarked

Features
By
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?

Shuffling Through The Cards

Awarded for its position as the best bang-for the buck graphics solution in both single-card and SLI configurations, the only question in the minds of hopeful buyers of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460 1 GB card is: which particular board to buy? Over a dozen manufacturers offer a vast array of clock speeds, accessory packages, and support. So, we asked that question for you.

Nine companies responded with the product they felt offered the strongest argument for their brand, and today we’re going to compare these reference and aftermarket-altered GeForce GTX 460s. Here’s a quick overview of what your $220-$260 can buy:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
General Details: GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Products 1-3
Row 0 - Cell 0 Asus ENGTX460 TOP/2DI/1GD5ECS Black NBGTX460-1GPI-FEVGA GTX 460 01G-P3-1373-AR
GPU Clock775 MHz765 MHz763 MHz
Shader Clock1550 MHz1530 MHz1526 MHz
DRAM RateGDDR5-4000GDDR5-3700GDDR5-3800
DVITwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-Link
HDMIMini HDMIMini HDMIMini HDMI
DisplayPortNoneNoneNone
VGABy AdapterBy AdatperBy Adapter
Output AdaptersDVI to HDMI, DVI-I to VGADVI to HDMI, DVI-I to VGAMini to Full HDMI, DVI-I to VGA
Length9.6"8.5"8.3"
Height4.9"5.4"4.4"
Total Thickness1.6"2.4"1.4"
Cooler Thickness1.4"2.2"1.3"
Weight22.0 Ounces24.5 Ounces20.5 Ounces
PCB VersionM5Q-1041P(B)Nvidia P1041 1.0Nvidia P1041 0B
VRMFive PhasesThree PhasesThree Phases
WarrantyThree YearsThree YearsLifetime
Added Value92 mm Fan CD WalletArctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo Pro coolerExtended Warranty Step-Up Program
Swipe to scroll horizontally
General Details: GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Products 4-6
Row 0 - Cell 0 Gigabyte GTX 460 GV-N460OC-1GIJetway GTX 460 "Mystery Card"MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GD5/OC
GPU Clock715 MHz900 MHz725 MHz
Shader Clock1430 MHz1800 MHz1451 MHz
DRAM RateGDDR5-3600GDDR5-3800GDDR5-3600
DVITwo Dual-LinkOne Dual-LinkTwo Dual-Link
HDMIMini HDMIFull HDMIMini HDMI
DisplayPortNoneNoneNone
VGABy AdapterOne 15-PinBy Adapter
Output AdaptersMini to Full HDMI, DVI-I to VGANoneDVI to HDMI, DVI-I to VGA
Length8.9"8.3"8.3"
Height4.6"4.4"5.1"
Total Thickness1.4"1.4"1.4"
Cooler Thickness1.3"1.3"1.3"
Weight20.0 Ounces18.0 Ounces18.5 Ounces
PCB Version3rd-party ReferenceNvidia P6723rd-party Reference
VRMThree PhasesThree PhasesThree Phases
WarrantyThree YearsN/AThree Years
Added Value2x 92mm Fans $20 "Starcraft 2" RebateN/AOversized Cooler
Swipe to scroll horizontally
General Details: GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Products 7-9
Row 0 - Cell 0 Palit GTX 460 Sonic PlatinumSparkle GTX 460 1024 MB GDDR5Zotac GTX 460 ZT-40402-10P
GPU Clock800 MHz700 MHz675 MHz
Shader Clock1600 MHz1400 MHz1350 MHz
DRAM RateGDDR5-4000GDDR5-3600GDDR5-3600
DVITwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-Link
HDMIFull HDMIMini HDMIFull HDMI
DisplayPortNoneNoneFull-Size
VGAOne 15-PinBy AdapterBy Adapter
Output AdaptersNoneHDMI Cable DVI-I to VGADVI-I to VGA
Length7.4"8.3"8.3"
Height4.4"4.4"4.4"
Total Thickness1.5"1.4"1.5"
Cooler Thickness1.4"1.3"1.3"
Weight16.0 Ounces16.5 Ounces20.0 Ounces
PCB VersionCustomNvidia P1041Custom
VRMFour PhasesThree PhasesThree Phases
WarrantyOne YearLifetimeLifetime
Added ValueNone6' Mini to Full HDMI Cable, Extended WarrantyFree "Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands" Extended Warranty

With the general details for each of today’s cards covered on the first page, let’s see what specifics make each of these cards shine.

TOPICS
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