GTX 460 can't decide which one

[DarKSeeD]

I'm currently looking to purchase a GTX 460 1GB DDR5 but still can't decide whether to go MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA or Asus. Asus and EVGA are quite expensive compared to MSI and Gigabyte and also have the reference specifications. I've read many pages but still no card has the so called "je ne sais quoi".
I'd like to read from owners how pleased or not are with their models.
Right now I have a GTX 260 from Asus+P5Q Deluxe motherboard and SolyTech SL-8600EPS 600W PSU.
Thank you for your time and possible responses.

[FreakZilla]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

Personally Darkseed, I'd go EVGA, Lifetime Warr. All i buy is from EVGA on Video Cards. So in longrun i'd pay the few extra $'s

[Psycho101]

[DarKSeeD]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

Thank you for the replies!
I got the MSI 1GB and I'm pleased that is shorter, cooler and quieter than my previous Asus GTX 260. So far I've run into the following issues: Folding@home isn't working anymore (normal+cmd line clients) even after re-downloading the core files and re-installing. In Mafia II Demo I get lower fps on same settings and drivers compared to my GTX 260.
I will reinstall the drivers and even try the new PhysX. Will post back the results.

[Psycho101]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

That's a known "issue" in Mafia 2. You need the latest PhysX to sort it out. It's the one with the last three digits of the version number ending 513. The 460 should be significantly faster in everything. Note that as it's DX 11 compatable, some newer games that use it will auto select the DX11 rendering path, meaning the game may run slower than your 260 running DX10. If this is an issue there should be a way to force DX10.

With PhysX enabled, Mafia 2 is slow in places mainly due to the pointless use of physX on all the female pedestrian's skirts (nobody even notices them as they're "background noise" so to speak. Using the same method in this link you can make the game use cloth PhysX dfor just the main character, leaving everything else like particles in tact but removing NPC cloth. Thgis can give 20+ FPS in some cases: Mafia II Demo: tweaking PhysX performance | PhysXInfo.com - PhysX News

Do you still have your 260? If so have you thought about using it as a PhysX PPU? You'll get a huge performance increase in Mafia 2 with PhysX on by doing that.

EDIT** Are you using the latest official Forceware? I'm using the beta 259.32 from Guru3D, but the latest WHQL from NVidia works well too.

Also don't forget to over clock. You can basically set the core to 800MHz and the RAM to 1000MHz (4000 QDR) all at default voltage with MSI Afterburner. You'll maybe top out at about 875 core+ with a voltage increase (up to 1.084V is perfectly safe and max GPU temps are ~105c. Hopefully you hit no more than 80c full load though in fur mark.

One thing I recommend is that you buy some cheap aluminium heatsinks for the MOSFETS as the MSI card doesn't have them. Just the fan blowing over them isn't enough at high over clocks, and having a 460 and not OCing it is defeating its purpose as a superb tweaker's card.

[DarKSeeD]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

Using 258.96 + PhysX 9.10.0513. Still get image stuttering regardless the configuration I'm using. One strange thing, the MSI Afterburner reports D3D9!? And another thing with the GTX260 I've managed to get rank C while with the GTX 460 I get rank D all the time. Both cards used with the default values. I'm not OC'ing yet just to see how fast the GTX 460 is. Same settings/drivers used in every test I've made so far. Processor Intel Q9550, W7x64, Corsair 4GB DDRII@1066.
I don't think the power supply will be able to hold both cards, Soly Tech 600W PSU.

Finally managed to make Folding@home to crunch data using FahCore_15.
I'm thinking to sell the GTX260 and use a 8800GT or 9800GT for PhysX that way I can use both cards (GTX460+8800GT) without changing the PSU.

[wazza300]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

mafia 2 runs best if you set physics on medium

[DarKSeeD]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

mafia 2 runs best if you set physics on medium

Please read again. Used the same settings on both cards. With the GTX 260 all went smooth while with the GTX 460 I got stuttering, again, same settings-drivers.

[wazza300]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

yes sorry i should have said with 5770 on medium physics it runs fine for me,with 460 being new its probably drivers,ive just uploaded a video in my youtube sig of mafia2

[DarKSeeD]

Re: GTX 460 can't decide which one

Will try the beta drivers to see if there's any improvement. Anyway the card is good but too bad the heat is dissipated inside the case. I've tested Shattered Horizon (DX10 exclusive title from Futuremark) - level The Arc which is pretty GPU demanding and the fps doubled from ~25 to 50+ and that says a lot about the card.