Just received my MSI N460GTX Hawk and driver questions

ITPaladin

Golden Member
Dec 16, 2003
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I haven't had an nvidia card in several years.

I had one maybe early 2000 then when upgrading went with AMD.

Now I am back with this card thanks to the Hot Deals forum.

MSI has their driver dated "Release Date 2010-09-20" on their website for W7 x64.

The Geforce website lets you manually download 460 drivers but the choices are:

GTX 460 SE v2
GTX 460 SE
GTX 460 v2
GTX 460

Should I use MSI or which of these choices above? There is an auto-detect on the download page. I haven't installed it yet.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
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It's all the same driver, nvidia and AMD make you jump through that "pick your exact model" hoop for tracking and on the off-chance that there ever is a card-specific driver.
 

notty22

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2010
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ITPaladin

Golden Member
Dec 16, 2003
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What is your opinion on the stock hsf?
I normally play MMOs (not THAT game), with lite single player stuff (just got Portal pack and Witcher packs via Steam) or TF2.
Should I use a copper HSF from...?

Maybe some day when I can afford a bunch of newer $60 single player games and BF or what ever I will try them out.
 

notty22

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2010
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The HawK HSF is excellent. You will probably never see temps higher than the 70's.

The cyclone's (I use) can best be described as similar to the stock Intel cpu heat sink, for it's base. Then off the base block it uses a couple heat pipes with aluminum fins and a central single fan.

The HawK uses a base copper block with numerous heat pipes that exit out to a 10 inch aluminum fin array with dual fans dissipating the heat. Dual fans allow for slower speeds for less noise.
 

ITPaladin

Golden Member
Dec 16, 2003
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Installed the drivers from MSI (MSI really need to code their auto download/install utility better. It keeps telling me I have the older driver/software installed on certain items and never updates to what I just had it install).

I then went to the nVidia website for Geforce and let it auto-detect. It said:

GeForce GTX 460
Has been detected in your system.
Your current driver is 258.96
Latest Driver Version 280.26

I also have PerfectUpdater by Raxco Software on my system and it tells my my nVidia drivers are "ancient" 2010-07-09 and drivers are available from its database dated 2011-08-03.
 
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ITPaladin

Golden Member
Dec 16, 2003
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yeah now I have to wait for the 137.9 mb driver download sheesh.
It is going awefully slow with my browser timer telling me ~40 min to complete.
Sigh...tv show watching time. I do notice the wonderful lack of fan noise now.
That card fan was going out. I even had two tiny screws fall out from the 3870 as I took it out. I found one but no idea where the other went.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
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40 minutes? good grief, I downloaded them in just over 1 minute and it was only using about 1/3 of my 30 meg connection.