Which GTX 460 1GB should I get.

[betasub]

I refuse to install Steam client on my system.

offtopic: why lopri? I think i know a few reasons, but im still interested in getting your answer

In case lopri forgot...

 

[Leyawiin]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133326

I personally like Nvidia's reference cooler. Seems to be pretty effective and quieter than most 3rd party (and at least makes some attempt to exhaust air out of the case).

 

[Maverick2002]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133326

I personally like Nvidia's reference cooler. Seems to be pretty effective and quieter than most 3rd party (and at least makes some attempt to exhaust air out of the case).

It has pros & cons. If you have really poor case ventilation, the reference cooler may be a little better. On the flipside, if you have decent ventilation the "open face" coolers will be a lot more effective. Just have to make sure you can get the hot air out of your case, but the open ones get heat away from the card better.

 

[DEFIANT!]

$20 off SC2 if you don't already have it as well.

Ah yes, that's what made the deal even sweeter for me....didn't have to wait for SC2 to drop in price.

 

[lopri]

In case lopri forgot...

Oh, Steam.. Well, it's just those that are already covered by others. Technical reasons (occasional lock-ups and corrupted/disturbed installers, etc.), financial reasons (I sell my finished games, usually bundled with a video card), and privacy reasons. Yeah I know, it's like worrying about running into the least expected person in Times Square but then again that has happened to me more than once. It's just a principle that I do not want to compromise if I can. I block via firewall or run all (most) the home-phoning applications in generic VMs. My main system can do all my work without the Internet connection. Once GPU virtualization becomes practical I might consider Steam.

Back on topic, I found out my local MicroCenter has two vendors' GTX 460 1GB on sale: Sparkle and Palit. Sparkle has the reference cooler and Palit has a custom cooler with bigger fan. Both below $210. They had a 2GB version for $240 as well. Is there any review on Palit's custom HSF?

 

[lopri]

Back on topic, I found out my local MicroCenter has two vendors' GTX 460 1GB on sale: Sparkle and Palit. Sparkle has the reference cooler and Palit has a custom cooler with bigger fan. Both below $210. They had a 2GB version for $240 as well. Is there any review on Palit's custom HSF?

Anyone?

It's this cooler that I'm curious about.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-075-_-Product

 

[tweakboy]

Don't get the MSI, its cheap PCB, Get the gigabyte one, end of story.. have fun, gl

 

[Leyawiin]

Don't get the MSI, its cheap PCB, Get the gigabyte one, end of story.. have fun, gl

The MSI is anything but cheap in its manufacture. They both use upgraded components compared to a run-of-the-mill GTX 460. Newegg actually has quite a few "one star" reviews on the Gigabyte - seems they have a tendency to fail after a month or so.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

 

[happy medium]

Anyone?

It's this cooler that I'm curious about.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-075-_-Product

This review (and they are tough to find) says the Palit runs cool and extremely silent.
http://www.techtree.com/India/Reviews/Palit_GTX_460_1GB_Sonic_Edition/551-112469-537-13.html

 

[lopri]

Thank you for the link, happy medium. I will probably stop at the MC later on to pick that up.

 

[Dodger1]

Newegg.ca has the following two cards, either of which I would recommend.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814127518

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814121389

Here are the reviews on both of those cards.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=577&Itemid=72

http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-460-hawk-review/

 

[lopri]

I've got the Palit one for $230. 2GB onboard memory. (a first for me) Build quality isn't as good as I hoped it to be, but the card runs cool and performs admirably so I'm impressed. I didn't do side-by-side, but I simply played SC2 with the card oc'ed to 800/1000 and just looking at the FRAPS counter it seems like 5~10 FPS faster than the 5870 (non-oc'ed) in SC2! I thought I was CPU bound with this game (even at 2560x1600) but this card proved me wrong. Maybe I will do a side-by-side test but so far I am very happy with this my first 2GB video card.