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Going into this review we already knew everything there was to know about the GeForce GTX 460, so there were no surprises there. The GeForce GTX 460 offers gamers a serious bang for their buck and is in our opinion the best graphics card in the $200 - $250 US price bracket. With that said, we prefer the Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI (1GB) at $230 US to either the Radeon HD 5830 or 5850 graphics cards.
While the Radeon HD 5830 is a reasonable alternative to the GeForce GTX 460 in either 1GB or 768MB configurations, it is a little light on performance. The Radeon HD 5850 and GeForce GTX 460 1GB can often be found rubbing shoulders and with the ATI card costing anywhere from $60 - $70 US more, it’s hard not to go with the Nvidia card in this match up as well. Nvidia really has pulled a rabbit out of their hat with the GeForce GTX 460. After the release of the GeForce GTX 465 it seemed as though Nvidia was just going backwards, and then from nowhere we get given a card that dominates the mid-range segment. Picking between the 768MB and 1GB version of the GeForce GTX 460 is not easy, as both provide excellent performance and value.
While the GeForce GTX 460 768MB version probably represents the best value, we still prefer the slightly more expensive 1GB version, as we feel it will become the better choice of the two in time. Given how successful the GeForce GTX 460 has been in a relatively short time, it is not surprising that when looking online there are countless examples to choose from. The Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI is certainly one of the better quality GeForce GTX 460 1GB products out there, with its custom PCB design and upgraded cooler. Best of all the GV-N460OC-1GI meets the MSRP of $230 US, making it one of the cheapest GeForce GTX 460 1GB graphics cards available. Still the GV-N460OC-1GI does share this price bracket with some very stiff competition. The Palit GeForce GTX 460 Sonic 1GB, which has a core speed that is 10MHz higher than the Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI, can be had for the same price. Additionally the PCB design has been heavily re-worked and as a result it is significantly shorter than a typical GeForce GTX 460 graphics card. Still the vast majority of the GeForce GTX 460 1GB graphics cards cost $240 US plus and the Palit GTX 460 Sonic Platinum (1GB) card featured in this review costs $250 US. That said, this is a pretty good deal from Palit as you get GeForce GTX 470 like performance at a 17% discount. Taking that into account, those seeking the ultimate bang for their buck will simply purchase the cheapest GeForce GTX 460 1GB graphics card they can and overclock the hell out of it. Given that the Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI is the cheapest 1GB card you can buy, it’s a perfect candidate. With a few minutes work we arrived at a core speed of 850MHz, while the memory was happy at 4020MHz.
With our custom overclock applied the Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI was able to mimic the performance of the GeForce GTX 470 and it did so while costing 23% less. This is an impressive result and it is the very reason why gamers are finding it hard to refuse the new GeForce GTX 460. Adding more value to the GV-N460OC-1GI is the fact that Gigabyte is backing it with a 3 year warranty, while companies such as Palit only offer a 2 year warranty. Finally we have no problem recommending the Gigabyte GV-N460OC-1GI to anyone looking at spending around $230 US on a graphics card, as there really is no better option in our opinion. |
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FootSoldier |
Posted on: 08/11/2010 12:46 PM
I got a pair of these in SLI and they are faster than my friends GTX 480 and they cost less. Very pleased!!! |
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corky |
Posted on: 08/11/2010 01:02 PM
That's a good looking card with a nice price tag. I was thinking of pulling the trigger on one of these and the review has made it all the more tempting, thanks :S |
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cisco |
Posted on: 08/12/2010 01:44 AM
man these things overclock well. are there any versions that allow voltage mods? |
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boomslang |
Posted on: 08/15/2010 01:06 PM
nice review. this card looks the goods. |
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razor9 |
Posted on: 08/15/2010 11:43 PM
I like how they have used dual fans. The load temps are really low. |
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userdude |
Posted on: 08/21/2010 05:23 PM
Would this card overclock better ,with a superior thermal compound ? |
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ProX |
Posted on: 08/22/2010 10:32 PM
Very cool looking card for the money. @ userdude - Maybe but it ran pretty cool as it was. Chances are they got an average overclocking card. What would really improve overclocking is a voltage mod  |
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Mr.November |
Posted on: 09/08/2010 11:15 PM
When I use your overclocking numbers I get a Driver error when running 3D Mark Vantage? So I'm back on 800/1600/1900 Please tell me what I'm doing wrong? Already have the latest drivers... |
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Lee |
Posted on: 09/14/2010 09:42 AM
This looks much more impressive than those new GTS 450 cards. So whats your take, the 768MB of 1024MB version? |
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Ryoga |
Posted on: 12/17/2010 06:51 PM
Hey everyone. Anyone know of problems with these cards because newegg has a lot of spammers saying these cards are horrible and only last for a few weeks then crap out? Please post.  |
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Whippit |
Posted on: 12/21/2010 05:29 AM
Ryoga thats BS I have had one for months now and I game almost every day with it. Great card for the money and it still is! |