NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Review | 118 Data compared

The bit-tech review of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 768MB highlights the graphics card as a major turning point for Nvidia's Fermi architecture, successfully reclaiming ground in the mid-range market. Priced competitively at £179 MSRP ($199 US), this card is built on the scaled-down GF104 GPU, packing 336 stream processors running at a 1,350MHz shader clock. A major pro highlighted in the review is its admirable, high-utility performance, which positions it perfectly inline with its price point—landing securely between ATI's Radeon HD 5830 and HD 5850. Furthermore, it serves as an excellent option for DirectX 11 tessellation gaming, managing to embarrassingly outperform Nvidia's own, more expensive GTX 465 model in multiple real-world gaming benchmarks. However, the card does come with noticeable drawbacks that users need to consider. The primary con is its memory subsystem; the VRAM has been cut down to a 192-bit bus width and a 768MB frame buffer, which limits its high-resolution bandwidth compared to the standard 1GB variant. Additionally, while it stands as the least power-hungry Fermi-based card produced by Nvidia up to that point, its power...

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 introduces the GF104 architecture, representing a highly successful, specialized redesign of the original GF100 Fermi chip rather than a simple production shrink. Built on a 35% smaller die with 1.95 billion transistors, it addresses previous criticisms of the Fermi family by being significantly cooler, smaller, more power-efficient, and much cheaper to produce. The architecture shifts the core-to-engine balance by packing 48 CUDA cores per Simultaneous Multiprocessor (SM) for a total of 336 active cores, while doubling texture units to 8 per SM and boosting instruction dispatch units. Offered in a 768MB flavor over a 192-bit bus for $199 and a 1GB version over a 256-bit bus for $229, the card targeted the sweet spot of the mainstream enthusiast market. The primary pros of the GTX 460 include exceptional value for mid-range PC gamers, highly improved thermal performance, better power efficiency, and enhanced texture performance relative to its shader count. On the downside, the reduction of PolyMorph Engines (now 41.5 CUDA cores per engine instead of 30) lowers its relative tessellation efficiency compared to its larger...

The TechPowerUp review of the AXLE GeForce GTX 460 768 MB highlights a 40 nm GF104 card that, despite a 192-bit bus and fewer ROPs, performs only about 7% slower than the 1GB version. Key advantages include excellent power efficiency, particularly during idle and playback, alongside high-performance potential from exceptional manual overclocking headroom. Conversely, the implementation suffers from a sparse retail bundle that notably lacks a required mini-HDMI adapter, along with restrictive dual-monitor output limits. Nevertheless, because it adheres strictly to the reference design, the card is deemed a highly cost-effective, high-performing option for gamers.

The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 1 GB is a mid-range card based on NVIDIA’s GF104 architecture, praised for its 256-bit memory bus, superior connectivity with dual DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort, and excellent manual overclocking potential reaching 835 MHz. It notably improves upon the power consumption issues of earlier Fermi cards and offers solid performance over the 768 MB variant. However, cons include a two-display limit for simultaneous output and a lack of software-based voltage control, limiting the card to NVAPI workarounds. Despite the custom PCB, the card relies on a reference cooler that is audible under load, and this specific sample showed lower factory-set overclocking potential compared to other partner cards.

The Guru3D GeForce GTX 460 Roundup reviews Nvidia’s mid-range GF104-based cards, highlighting the 768MB and 1024MB models for their exceptional performance-per-dollar, capable of challenging higher-end cards like the HD 5850. Key strengths include excellent overclocking headroom, low operating temperatures, and low noise levels under load, making them a standout value option upon release. Conversely, the review notes that while performance is strong, the cards lack the horsepower for three-monitor 3D Surround gaming alone, requiring SLI for such setups. Additionally, specific partner models, such as the Palit Sonic Platinum and Zotac 1024MB, showed inconsistencies in noise levels and cooling performance, and high pricing on factory-overclocked models can diminish the value proposition.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 marks a successful architectural shift for Nvidia, moving from the complex GF100 core to the more efficient GF104 derivative chip. By rearranging its resources, the GF104 architecture implements 48 CUDA cores and eight texture units per Streaming Multiprocessor (SM). This wider configuration allows the mainstream GTX 460 to actually outperform the pricier GTX 465 in numerous gaming benchmarks, successfully targeting AMD's competing Radeon HD 5830. A primary benefit of this card is its vastly improved value proposition, correcting the poor price-to-performance ratio of its predecessor. It is a smaller, cooler-running graphics processor that introduces an updated video engine capable of bitstreaming Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. However, the GPU does feature trimmed back-end specifications compared to high-end Fermi models, reducing the maximum ROP partitions to four and capping the aggregate memory bus at 256-bit. Additionally, performance varies slightly between the two available configurations, as the 768 MB variant sits below the more robust 1 GB model.

The Phoronix review of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (768MB) on Linux, using proprietary driver 256.44, highlights strong competitive OpenGL gaming performance and efficient, cooler operating temperatures (42°C idle, 59°C load) compared to previous Fermi iterations. Priced at $199, the GF104-based card excels in multimedia tasks, offering superior video decoding via VDPAU over ATI counterparts, making it a compelling, efficient mid-range option at the time. Conversely, the review notes significant cons, including immature open-source Nouveau driver support lacking 2D/3D acceleration and a lack of official Linux overclocking support for the GF104 architecture. Additional drawbacks include a limited two-display output restriction compared to ATI’s Eyefinity, no support for 3-way SLI, and an absence of GPU load percentage reporting.

The TechPowerUp review of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SLI highlights the dual-GPU configuration as a high-value, cost-effective alternative to single high-end cards, delivering exceptional 82% scaling at high resolutions (2560x1600). Key pros include performance exceeding the GTX 480, better power efficiency and lower noise than previous Fermi cards, and superior overclocking capabilities. Conversely, the setup requires high resolutions to be effective, as scaling drops significantly at lower resolutions, and it is limited to 2-way SLI, excluding 3-way or 4-way configurations. Further cons involve typical multi-GPU limitations regarding driver profiles, physical space, and power requirements.

The HotHardware review details the launch of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460, a mid-range graphics card utilizing the 40nm-based GF104 architecture. Shifting away from the larger, delayed GF100 chip found in previous GTX 400 series cards, this scaled-down GPU features 336 CUDA cores and is introduced in two distinct retail configurations: a 768MB version and a 1GB version. In extensive performance testing featuring cards from ZOTAC and EVGA—including the EVGA SuperClocked variant—the GTX 460 proved to be highly potent. It consistently outpaced similarly-priced competitors like AMD’s Radeon HD 5830 across several gaming benchmarks such as FarCry 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and Alien vs. Predator. The primary pros of the GTX 460 highlighted in the review include its exceptional price-to-performance ratio, quiet operation, and lower total system power consumption compared to older Fermi GPUs. Its smaller physical footprint, featuring an 8.25-inch PCB, makes it highly versatile for compact cases, and it retains full support for proprietary tech like NVIDIA PhysX and CUDA. However, the review notes a key con regarding NVIDIA's confusing naming scheme. Despite sharing the "GTX 460" name,...

The Alphr Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 review highlights the graphics card as a major turning point and a triumphant, cost-effective redesign of the Fermi architecture built on a new GF104 core. The card brings distinct pros, including its shortened 223mm form factor which improves chassis space and allows for easier access to the dual 6-pin power connectors. Furthermore, it showcases excellent thermal and power efficiency improvements over its predecessor, drawing 127W at idle, 273W under full load, and hitting a cool peak temperature of 68 degrees. Performance-wise, it hits impressive frame rates of 54fps in Crysis (1,600 x 1,200 at High settings) and up to 56fps in World in Conflict, matching or outperforming the more expensive GTX 465 and ATI Radeon HD 5830. However, the review also notes a few architectural and performance cons. While the graphics card incorporates high clock speeds, Nvidia had to split the release into two models: the tested 1GB GDDR5 version with a 256-bit bus, and a cut-down 768MB version with a narrower 192-bit memory bus that limits choice depending on budget. Additionally, its competitive...

The PCMag review presents the Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 as a highly competitive mid-range graphic card that successfully fills a critical sub-$200 gap in Nvidia’s DirectX 11 Fermi lineup. Built on the new GF104 architecture, the card is praised for delivering a superb balance of price and performance, effectively rivaling AMD's ATI Radeon HD 5830. It comes in two distinct variants: a 768MB version priced at $199 and a 1GB version at $229. The review highlights its impressive geometry and advanced tessellation handling under DirectX 11, matching the performance of much pricier competitors like the Asus EAH5850 in synthetic tests like Heaven Benchmark. Additionally, it features excellent overclocking stability, allowing users to safely unlock significant performance gains that can even surpass Nvidia's own, more expensive GTX 465. Despite its strengths, the review notes a few key drawbacks. On the downside, the physical design eliminates the exposed copper piping found on the higher-end GTX 480, resulting in a less premium aesthetic. Connectivity is also somewhat limited compared to its peers; while it provides two DVI-I ports and a Mini HDMI port,...

The Zotac GeForce GTX 460 AMP! Edition is a highly capable, factory-overclocked card based on NVIDIA’s 40 nm GF104 architecture, featuring a 20% core and 11% memory speed increase over the reference design. Key advantages include exceptional 3D performance, a quiet custom dual-slot cooler at idle, full-sized DisplayPort/HDMI outputs, and a bundled full version of Prince of Persia. However, at $259 USD, the card offers a weaker price-to-performance ratio compared to cheaper 768 MB variants. Furthermore, its high out-of-the-box speeds leave limited manual overclocking headroom, and it exhibits higher 3D power consumption alongside a maximum of two simultaneous displays.

The Palit GeForce GTX 460 Sonic Platinum 1 GB, evaluated by TechPowerUp, features a high factory overclock of 800 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory, delivering a 17.5% performance increase over standard cards. Key advantages include strong DirectX 11 performance, excellent value at its $249 price point, and a compact 19 cm PCB design. However, the card’s custom dual-slot cooler operates with higher noise levels compared to competing GTX 460 variants. Due to the aggressive factory overclock, additional overclocking headroom is limited (roughly 6% on the core), and the design is constrained by 2-way SLI only, omitting 3-way or 4-way configurations.

Based on the provided review from Tom's Hardware, a dual GeForce GTX 460 SLI configuration delivers exceptional scaling, offering a massive 90% performance boost over a single GTX 460 baseline while only requiring 53% more total system power. This high efficiency translates into a 24% increase in full-load performance-per-watt. Financially, it represents a highly cost-effective setup that successfully rivals and even "smokes" Nvidia's flagship single GTX 480 across multiple benchmarks at a lower entry price. Thermal management is another surprising upside: when the two cards are spaced closely together, the bottom card actually runs cooler than a single configuration because the system simultaneously ramps up both GPU fans.