GTX 460 - still a good midrange?

[Florin Andrei]

I remember reading about GTX 460 a while ago, when it was released - back then it was a good midrange card ("best bang for the buck") and I almost bought it.

But this happened many months ago. I don't need a new card right now, but I'm thinking to get one. The problem is, of course, with the 460 getting pretty old, I'm suspecting there will be a new major release pretty soon. I've no idea what's the typical NVidia release cycle.

So... is the 460 still a good idea? Or am I better off if I wait for the next big thing to trickle down? (I could wait a little bit more)

 

[RavenSEAL]

GTX460 should be just a tab bit slower than the "GTS 550". So really, you should just go with a 1GB GTX460 and OC it.

You can also look at the HD6850 if AMD is something you'd consider.

 

[happy medium]

The gtx460 is a good card if you overclock it right.

 

[3DVagabond]

If you are going to take advantage of the 460's ability to O/C I would lean towards one like happymedium has, the MSI Hawk, or the Gigabyte SOC. Both have the best power stages. The Asus 460 Top is also beefier than the reference design, but not as good as the MSI or Gigabyte, and the cooler tends to be louder. This is assuming good case airflow, as they all dump heat into the case.

But, to answer your question, yes, it's still a good card.

 

[happy medium]

So... is the 460 still a good idea? Or am I better off if I wait for the next big thing to trickle down? (I could wait a little bit more)

There is a gtx550 comming in 2 or 3 weeks, I'd wait for this release, you might see a price drop or you might want to pick up a gtx550.

 

[toyota]

it will depend on your needs AND the rest of your system specs as to whether it is the right card for you.

 

[betasub]

^ This. In general it is still a good mid-range card, but far better for OP to post system-specs and requirements/bugdet in order to get a card recommendation specifically tailored to him (bespoke ).

 

[Dadofamunky]

Better to wait at this point, I think the GTX 460s are still too expensive right now. After those new cards come out you'll probably see a price break. Better yet, get two!

 

[bunnyfubbles]

GTX460 should be just a tab bit slower than the "GTS 550". So really, you should just go with a 1GB GTX460 and OC it.

You can also look at the HD6850 if AMD is something you'd consider.

do we know this for sure or are you just speculating?

Last I knew the 550 was going to be based off of the 450 which is a good deal slower than even the 768MB 460

So unless there's been some new development I wasn't aware of I wouldn't count on the 550 being a 460 slayer.

 

[nanaki333]

well the 570 was essentially a 480 slayer that cost a good bit more

 

[bigbillybear]

Hello,

Im using the Gigabyte GTX 460 factory OC'd version and it honestly rips through any game I have thrown at it... 200 bucks is a good mid way price and I wasnt wanting to spend more then that so I got exactly what I wanted and thne some IMO...

BBB

 

[notty22]

do we know this for sure or are you just speculating?

Last I knew the 550 was going to be based off of the 450 which is a good deal slower than even the 768MB 460

So unless there's been some new development I wasn't aware of I wouldn't count on the 550 being a 460 slayer.

I agree, there was talk of the gts now being a GTX, and it being xx% faster than a 5770. But its still going to be a 128mb interface card with 16 ROP's, as far as I have 'read'.
So at high clock speed it may approach a 675mhz 192mb interface gtx 460~768 card.

 

[badb0y]

The GTX 460 is a very potent card and if you can find one on sale or with a rebate it packs a lot of power for a cheap price.

 

[MrK6]

A GTX 460 offers a tremendous value in respect to performance/$, especially with the 1GB models hitting as low as $120 AR (unless you aren't an overclocker). As other's have mentioned, specs of your current rig OP (especially CPU, PSU, and current GPU), as well as what resolution you're playing at, would help in giving advice :thumbsup:.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

well the 570 was essentially a 480 slayer that cost a good bit more

the 570 is a 480 slayer because the 570 is basically the same thing as the 480 (each is derived from the GF100 which packs ~3 billion transistors), the difference is that the 570 is more efficient and costs less, so of course its going to be the better option.

A 550 vs. 460 scenario is ridiculous because they're two entirely different GPUs.

Again, I haven't kept up with current rumors as much as others might have, but last I heard a potential 550 would be based off of the 450, which implies ~1,170 million transistors vs. the 460's 1,950 million.

So unless they do a miraculous job of squeezing performance out of GF106 in creating the GF116 and also have it running at a record breaking stock clock speed, I really don't see it challenging the 460.

 

[happy medium]

the 570 is a 480 slayer because the 570 is basically the same thing as the 480 (each is derived from the GF100 which packs ~3 billion transistors), the difference is that the 570 is more efficient and costs less, so of course its going to be the better option.

A 550 vs. 460 scenario is ridiculous because they're two entirely different GPUs.

Again, I haven't kept up with current rumors as much as others might have, but last I heard a potential 550 would be based off of the 450, which implies ~1,170 million transistors vs. the 460's 1,950 million.

So unless they do a miraculous job of squeezing performance out of GF106 in creating the GF116 and also have it running at a record breaking stock clock speed, I really don't see it challenging the 460.

The gf116 is a fully unlocked gf106. Have you seen the core clocks of the gf106 (gts450)? 950 core factory overclocks! A fully unlocked gts550 with those kind of clocks should be in the gtx460 768mb range of performance.

I dont think the gts550 is the card to get, I think the gtx560 SE is what some are talking about. It would basically be a gtx460 with higher clocks and less power consumption. Performance in between a 6850 and 6870. I fully exspect this card to be released and should overclock easily over 1000 core.

 

[toyota]

The gf116 is a fully unlocked gf106. Have you seen the core clocks of the gf106 (gts450)? 950 core factory overclocks! A fully unlocked gts550 with those kind of clocks should be in the gtx460 768mb range of performance.

I dont think the gts550 is the card to get, I think the gtx560 SE is what some are talking about. It would basically be a gtx460 with higher clocks and less power consumption. Performance in between a 6850 and 6870. I fully exspect this card to be released and should overclock easily over 1000 core.

there is no way the gtx550 will come remotely close to a gtx460 if gf116 is based off gf106. a gf106 only has a max of 192sp so if the gf116 is based of that then 192sp is it. there is nothing except the 192bit bus with its corresponding 8 tmus to unlock and it looks from rumors to be sticking with 128bit.

 

[happy medium]

there is no way the gtx550 will come remotely close to a gtx460 if gf116 is based off gf106. a gf106 only has a max of 192sp so if the gf116 is based of that then 192sp is it. there is nothing except the 192bit bus with its corresponding 8 tmus to unlock and it looks from rumors to be sticking with 128bit.

I agree, I was wrong, I somehow thought there was more cores to the gf106/gf116.
In any case the gts 550 or whatever they call it should be at 5830 performance levels. It will/should be faster then the 5770 easily.

There is one point I want to point out Toyota. There is a big gap batween this card (gts550) and the gtx560 ti 1gb and I would bet it will be filled with some sort of gtx560 SE part to fill it. Something just like the gtx460 1gb but with higher clocks.

If you noticed nvidia has been playing the filling the gaps game lately.
I believe they will put a card directly in the middle of a 6850 and 6870 and price it accordingly. A gtx560 SE with 336 cores @ 823 core would be perfect.

Mark my words buddy.

 

[-Slacker-]

I'm actually hoping that the 550 is slower than the gtx 460 768, that way it will also be cheaper and will be perfect for my 1280x1024. Right now the 460 768 is overkill for me.

But yeah, the 1 gb 460 is still a good card for 1080p and below.

 

[Emulex]

wait for the dual gpu cards

 

[Castiel]

I just saw a Asus 460 DirectCU 1GB Top OB on newegg for 149.99.. Thats a steal

560 at 800 core is like a 460 at 900 core

 

[blastingcap]

Gaming demands have stagnated. So have screen resolutions, for the most part (most of us on desktops are at 16x10, 1080p, or 19x12, and if you can afford a 30" LCD monitor or Eyefinity, you probably would have no problem affording a stronger card than a GTX 460 anyway).

In other words, for most people, a 460 was, is, and will be a viable mid-range card for at least the next year or so.

Can't wait for next-gen consoles to come out.

 

[Idontcare]

Welcome to the forums Florin Andrei! :thumbsup: