| ASUS GeForce GTX 460 SLI Performance |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Monday, 02 August 2010 | |
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GeForce GTX 460 SLI PerformanceASUS ENGTX460 Makes Argument for Single and SLI UpgradesWhen Benchmark Reviews first tested the GeForce GTX 460 video card, we knew that NVIDIA had a winner on their hands. For the mid-range price of $200, gamers can enjoy high-speed frame rates and PhysX enhancements. After some additional investigation, it seemed that the price point offered more than just a successful domination of the rivaling ATI Radeon HD 5830, it also surpassed the more expensive GeForce GTX 465. There are several enthusiast video cards that cost more than the GTX 460, which presents the case for combining two of these video cards into a $400 SLI set. At this price segment the GTX 460 SLI set directly competes against the ATI Radeon HD 5870, but could potentially deliver more performance than ATI's Radeon HD 5970. In this article, Benchmark Reviews compares single and SLI performance for the 768MB GTX 460 against the entire enthusiast graphics card segment. The ASUS ENGTX460/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 768MB-GDDR5 graphics card empowers DirectX-11 video games to deliver unmatched geometric realism at the $200 price point. Based on the same Fermi architecture that powers their high-end GeForce GTX 480 model, the ASUS GeForce GTX 460 delivers mid-range performance for gamers on a budget. The GeForce GTX 460 comes armed with NVIDIA's GF104 Fermi graphics processor, and packs seven Streaming Multiprocessors for a total of 336 CUDA Cores and 56 Texture Units. This article will demonstrate 3D video game frame rate performance on a single 768MB ASUS GeForce GTX 460 video card as well as two cards in SLI, and compare the results against the most competitive graphics products in the segment. PC video games are still the best way to experience realistic effects and immerse yourself in the battle. Consoles do their part, but only high-precision video cards offer the sharp clarity and definition needed to enjoy detailed graphics. Thanks to the new GF104 GPU, the GeForce GTX 460 has plenty of headroom for overclockers to drive out additional FPS performance, while keeping temperatures cool. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the GeForce GTX 460 against some of the best video cards within the price segment by using several of the most demanding PC video game titles and benchmark software available: Aliens vs Predator, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, BattleForge, Crysis Warhead, Far Cry 2, Resident Evil 5, and Metro 2033.
ASUS GeForce GTX460 Video Cards in SLIAt the center of every new technology is purpose, and NVIDIA has designed their Fermi GF104 GPU with an end-goal of redefining the video game experience through significant graphics processor innovations. Disruptive technology often changes the way users interact with computers, and the GeForce GTX-460 family of video cards are complex tools built to arrive at one simple destination: immersive entertainment, especially when paired with NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision. The experience is further improved with NVIDIA System Tools software, which includes NVIDIA Performance Group for GPU overclocking and NVIDIA System Monitor which displays real-time temperatures. These tools help gamers and overclockers get the most out of their investment. It used to be that PC video games such as Crysis and Far Cry 2 were as demanding as you could get, but that was all back before DirectX-11 brought tessellation and to the forefront of graphics. DX11 now adds heavy particle and turbulence effects to video games, and titles such as Metro 2033 demand the most powerful graphics processing available. NVIDIA's GF100 GPU was their first graphics processor to support DirectX-11 features such as tessellation and DirectCompute, and the GeForce GTX 400-series offers an excellent combination of performance and value for games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 or BattleForge.
Manufacturer: ASUSTek Computer, Inc. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by ASUS.
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Comments
Great article!
Were I to go with a 2x460 purchase I'm at the limit of my expansion and if the cards don't hold up, I'd have to discard/sell them and start over.
I'm probably worrying about nothing though. A 2x460 setup, even before overclocking is such a huge jump from my GTX275 (OC 666MHz). I imagine it will more than satisfy my needs for this generation of cards. I'm just a worrier.
There's no indication that the GF104 will support triple-SLI. It appears to be reserved for their GF100 GPU.
That 460 SLI is great if you plan on playing one game at a certain resolution and tech setup for many years. The two games from this year REVIEWED...AvP and Metro2033 are games requiring more than 1GB at max settings...So it means SLI is playable at lower resolution but can't max most games at high resolution from 2010 which means 460 SLI will utterly fail in games from 2011 which will be even more demanding and will come with full physics engines.
1536 - 2048MB VRAM is what you should plan on having prior to going full SLI or Crossfire, specially if you are going triple monitor you need all the VRAM you can get. 1024MB is the new "baby-face" minimum.
i7 930 - OC to 4.0ghz with V6 fan cooler
RAM - Xtreem 2x3 6gbs
GPU - single HIS 4870X2
Mobo - Asus P6X58D Premium
PSU - Antec True Power 800w
Resolution - 1900x1020
Driver - Catalyst 10.7a
Since the graphics card give me so much problems, like minor stuttering and inconsistent fps in some games(yes, Crysis is one of them). My biggest disappointment is in Starcraft 2, though I can max out all, during some cutscenes and missions, the fps drops significantly (18-22). So, I am thinking to upgrade my graphics card and can you kindly suggest me which one I should choose: 460 SLI, single 480 or 5970 ? I think I will need to replace my PSU with higher 1k or 1.2k though if I do SLI.
Budget-wise, I am open to anything but I just want to get best of both world, value + performance since I believe why should I waste my money if I just need to take some time to search for the best instead of buying the most expensive(either gtx480 or 5970) which seems to be most powerful without knowing anything.
Since articles from you and tomshardware showing how new fermi is promising ##tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-sli-geforce-gtx-480,2694.html, I am thinking to give it a try but I am also worried if later when I want to upgrade, I will be in dead end. For SSD, any enlightenment for why I should use it ? I just know that it would be great for OS booting up part and data consistency.
SSDs will make everything open faster, and levels will load much quicker.
What I understand is like SSDs is reading from flash memory instead of magnetic tape so it will reduce the time for cycling and finding data from tape. Okay but how about games ? Since if I do partition, games will take huge amount (at least 200-300gb) and for that whole to be faster loading time, I need to use SSD and install all the game on that SSD ? That seems like it will be quite expensive though. Okay, thanks for the enlightenment and appreciate your help !
I was interested when it was released but pondered that for most purposes it wouldnt give any advantage whatsoever.
I'm unsure of how well it works with gaming, just a bit sceptical.
While I beleive that Nvidia has a real winner in the 460. The SLI scaling is really impressive so comparing a 5830 crossfire would have been nice. Keep up the good work
Still, since one GTS 460 easily beats a single 5830, and since two 460's in SLI are nearly twice the performance of one, it could be surmised that a pair of 5830's isn't going to beat an SLI set of 460's anyway.
I'm currently running 5870's in CF. It works great at 2560X1600 and the picture quality is fantastic (BC2 in DX11 is unreal). I held off until after the disappointing 480 launch where heat and power consumption was unacceptable to me.
Nvidia's SLI has always seemed more mature\robust to me so any comparisons between same level cards in single and dual modes is much appreciated.
Again thanks for the great reviews I've been sending links to this site out to friends I don't know how you've slipped under our radar :)
Please, it's f o n d a m e n t a l e xme!
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