Keep GTX460 @ 840/1680/2000 or upgrade to GTX560/HD6950???

Keep GTX460 @ 840/1680/2000 or upgrade to GTX560/HD6950???

  • Keep GTX460 1Gb running stable at 840/1680/2000 - $150CDN

    Votes: 32 61.5%

  • GTX560 and o/c to 950Mhz core range – for $250CDN (extra $100)

    Votes: 9 17.3%

  • HD6950 2GB unlock shadders and o/c to the max – for $300 CND (extra $150)

    Votes: 11 21.2%
  • Total voters
    52
  • Poll closed .
A

amd7674

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
1,813
So I went with open box MSI GTX460 Cyclone 1Gb (14 days no questions asked return policy), after extensive testing last night (OCCT/Furmark) I the most (stable) clocks were 840/1680/2000 @ 1.025V. I had 200mm side fan blowing on it in my HAF 922, so ventilation should not be a problem.
The temps were 70C with default fan profile... a little too noisy for my likings... However after 20 minutes of MW2 it was running at 60C with bearable fan noise

Currently I game at 1680x1050, I might be moving to 1080P in the near future though…. No multi-screen setups, 3D required just pure one monitor setup…..

So my choices are:
- stick with GTX460 1Gb running stable at 840/1680/2000 - $150CDN (better spend money on SSD)
- buy GTX560 and o/c to 950Mhz core range – for $250CDN (extra $100)
- buy HD6950 2GB unlock shadders and o/c to the max – for $300 CND (extra $150)

If first option is still way to go, do you thinking reseating HSF and applying MX-3/MX-4 tim would be worth it? Also I have some spare Ram sinks I might slap on mosfets, better something than nothing….

How much performance do I lose between 1 – 2 (20%) and 1 -3 (40%)? :confused:

Thanks so much….
 
Its your money bro, you have to decide if its worth $100-$150 and I assume that means you are confident in selling the 460 at the right price.
 
samuelmorris said:
Why is 60C load temp an issue? You can go at least as far as 80 with no issue.
Click to expand...

60C is not an issue, I was just hoping for nice GPU clocking at 900Mhz :rolleyes:

Maybe this was a reason why the card was returned... hmmm...

Since I'm having hell of time to decide, I just want to hear other peeps opinion on what should I do. From my understanding GTX460 at 840Mhz should play most of the games nicely at 1080P. I guess there are few games that it will have a straggle with Metro 2033and Crysis, but I'm sure even with o/c GTX560 and unlocked HD6950 I would have to lower the settings in order to play at playable FPS. Once again my CPU is not greatest for gaming... so I'll saffer big time in games like SC2...
 
The answer is simple really..


Do you see yourself buying two 560's for sli?

Or do you see yourself buying two 460's for sli?

2x 460's will outperform 1 560 for only 50 bucks more for a sli setup.
 
nobody_here said:
Its your money bro, you have to decide if its worth $100-$150 and I assume that means you are confident in selling the 460 at the right price.
Click to expand...

the card was open box and I have 14 days no questions asked to return the card for a full refund at the local store... No problems there....

I just wanted to justify if spending extra $100-$150 makes sens and it would yeld some noticable benefits...

Also this is problably my last ugprade for this rig. (other than perhaps small SSD) I'm planning to do a full system makeover in 2 years time.... The card before was 8800GT which I use for the last 3-4 years and still kicking tires in my HTPC .... ;)
 
MadOblivion said:
The answer is simple really..


Do you see yourself buying two 560's for sli?

Or do you see yourself buying two 460's for sli?

2x 460's will outperform 1 560 for only 50 bucks more for a sli setup.
Click to expand...

SLI/CF would require mobo change and probably RAM, which is no go for me.... :(
 
you need more ram now.... doesn't matter what card u get. another 2gb should do ya right. unless u already have 4gb
 
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Hardware canucks' review was disappointing, but the Anand review shows no difference at all between the 1GB and 2GB card until memory limitations are hit, so I think there was something wrong with the HC test. Either that, or Anand made their test data up, seems unlikely (though not impossible :p)
 
I find it very perplexing that you would only consider the 2GB version when you do not even need it. Just flat out say you aren't looking for a AMD card.

Anyhow, stick with what you have since your resolution is too low you do not need anything faster. I'd rather get some more ram, but probably not worth it considering DDR2 is now obsolete and more expensive than DDR3. Or I'd get a SSD instead.
 
IMO it only makes sense to upgrade when the current card you have is no longer able to give you what you want. When you upgrade earlier than that, you tend to spend money you don't need to spend at the time and the card you get, especially in this case, will devalue further and faster than what you have. I'd stick with the 460.
 
Keep what you got for 1680x1050. I recently used to game at that resolution and a 1gb GTX 460 is more than sufficient for that resolution. Even metro and crysis run at pretty good settings at that resolution on a 460 1gb. When the 460 1gb hits rock bottom price snag a 2nd one for SLi to crank settings even further at that resolution and enjoy. I'd imagine this coming few months you should be able to pick up a second GTX 460 for around $90 cdn more.
 
First of all big thank you for all your feedback !!!! :D [H] and its users for years has been very helpful in my computer ventures....

rUmX said:
I find it very perplexing that you would only consider the 2GB version when you do not even need it. Just flat out say you aren't looking for a AMD card.

Anyhow, stick with what you have since your resolution is too low you do not need anything faster. I'd rather get some more ram, but probably not worth it considering DDR2 is now obsolete and more expensive than DDR3. Or I'd get a SSD instead.
Click to expand...

You are probably right in a sense, I'm a little skeptic to change to RED team... mainly drivers. Do not get me wrong Nvidia drivers are far from perect but from I've read are "better". As for 2Gb choice, it is simple I believe at 1080P 6950 1Gb card and well o/c GTX570 will be a wash. However I do like the 2Gb VRAM on 6950 (beside unlocked shaders).... Friend of my with GTX570 is using 1.2Gb of VRAM when playing Metro 2033, Crysis and suprise suprise GTA IV ( probably 4Gb would not be enough) at 1080P. Since I might be moving to 1080P display in the near future, I think extra Vram might be handy. I'm sure my CPU will bottleneck me before I'll need more VRAM for more AA and high textures.... ;) As for DDR2 upping to 6Gb from 4Gb, that is an idea... I'll have to keep my eyes open on some deals...

XacTactX said:
IMO it only makes sense to upgrade when the current card you have is no longer able to give you what you want. When you upgrade earlier than that, you tend to spend money you don't need to spend at the time and the card you get, especially in this case, will devalue further and faster than what you have. I'd stick with the 460.
Click to expand...

True, enough... I the next week or so I'll try my best to test most of the games I'm planning on playing for the next little while... this should help me to decide...

Lord_Exodia said:
Keep what you got for 1680x1050. I recently used to game at that resolution and a 1gb GTX 460 is more than sufficient for that resolution. Even metro and crysis run at pretty good settings at that resolution on a 460 1gb. When the 460 1gb hits rock bottom price snag a 2nd one for SLi to crank settings even further at that resolution and enjoy. I'd imagine this coming few months you should be able to pick up a second GTX 460 for around $90 cdn more.
Click to expand...

I might be moving to 1080P in the near future... and my mobo doesn't support SLI....
 
If you do play GTA IV on PC, then it will love the 2GB of VRAM on the 6950. Otherwise there just aren't a lot of games that require that much memory at 1680x1050. Unless you want extreme AA like 8x and max settings.
 
Well the new revision will be locked so nows the time to get a 6950 if you can. Just flashed one this morning and worked fine :D.
 
vjcsmoke said:
If you do play GTA IV on PC, then it will love the 2GB of VRAM on the 6950. Otherwise there just aren't a lot of games that require that much memory at 1680x1050. Unless you want extreme AA like 8x and max settings.
Click to expand...

No GTA IV fan, it was just an example. However I do like AA and max settings ;)

UZ7 said:
Well the new revision will be locked so nows the time to get a 6950 if you can. Just flashed one this morning and worked fine :D.
Click to expand...

This is very true, if I want to get 6950 2GB now it is the time....
 
Hey amd I originally voted to keep your 460 but if you're confident that you would move up to 1080p or 19 x 12 in the future, a 6950 or 560 both 2GB is not a bad idea. You can always get one used too, and in that case you will know the capability of whatever you're buying, so it's not you're last chance.

About the VRM thing, I looked at TPU's review, and it looks like there is no VRM cooling on your card. Is this your card?

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_460_Cyclone_OC_1_GB/3.html

If you're load temps aren't spiraling out of control then I believe cooling the VRMs would help you alot. From the looks of it, any regular square ramsinks would do the job if you placed one for each set of three. If you keep the 460 just for future reference.
 
@ XacTactX
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What kind of VRM sinks does it have and what are your load temps? If the VRM sinks are puny it might be worth a shot to get some Enzotechs.
------------------------------------------------------------------

There are no VRM sinks on MSI GTX460 Cyclone 1Gb. I have some Zalman Vram coolers I might use… Also I might reseat the card I put some new TIM on it….
 
XacTactX said:
Hey amd I originally voted to keep your 460 but if you're confident that you would move up to 1080p or 19 x 12 in the future, a 6950 or 560 both 2GB is not a bad idea. You can always get one used too, and in that case you will know the capability of whatever you're buying, so it's not you're last chance.

About the VRM thing, I looked at TPU's review, and it looks like there is no VRM cooling on your card. Is this your card?

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_460_Cyclone_OC_1_GB/3.html

If you're load temps aren't spiraling out of control then I believe cooling the VRMs would help you alot. From the looks of it, any regular square ramsinks would do the job if you placed one for each set of three. If you keep the 460 just for future reference.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your feedback…;)

This is exactly the card. I’ll put some Zalman vram coolers on them and see what happens…
The load temp I’m getting is relatively good about 70C after 30 minutes of OCCT…

Yes, I’m planning to move to 1080P, the 32” 1080P at ~$400 are very hard to pass on…
However my 20WMGX2 with IPS panel still looks very nice, but I find it a little small when gaming..

Like I said before the only thing making me hesitant about switching to RED team are their drivers (I know nvidia are not perfect either)…. And perhaps noise levels at load coming from HD6950…. Since I recently had stock GTX460 I wonder if they are much louder at load….

I’m planning to stay with this rig for another 2-3 years before a full makeover… so maybe investing $100-$150 might be not a such a bad idea….


You beat me to it ! ;)
 
Since you already own it, keep the 460 for now, then re-assess when you get a larger display with a higher resolution. If the 460 starts to become insufficient, then it's upgrade o'clock. What hardware's the best for the money may well have completely changed by then.
 
samuelmorris said:
Since you already own it, keep the 460 for now, then re-assess when you get a larger display with a higher resolution. If the 460 starts to become insufficient, then it's upgrade o'clock. What hardware's the best for the money may well have completely changed by then.
Click to expand...

Well put ;), however I still have 10 days no questions asked return policy at local store.... Because of this I change my mind every 10 minutes... :rolleyes:
 
amd7674 said:
Well put ;), however I still have 10 days no questions asked return policy at local store.... Because of this I change my mind every 10 minutes... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

If you have the money now to upgrade, do it & get it over with. You're already pondering the chance for regret by not upgrading when you had the chance. If you have the money for the HD6950 2GB; grab it and never look back. However, if money only allows for the GTX 560; I still grab it & move on. My reasons for telling you this is the fact that when you decide to move onto a bigger display, you'll have a great card ready to go that will serve you for the coming years. If money allows, you need to upgrade in this order HD6950 > GTX 560 > New display ;)

Edit: Also I wanted you to know that my answer was based off the future of you "Needing" to upgrade your monitor. At your current resolution any card is going to be a waste, which is why if I was in your position & decided to keep my current card. A monitor upgrade would be my very next purchase & since you have $150 to spend, another $100-$150 can achieve that. So your options should be A) keep 460 & save for a new monitor B) GTX 560 C) HD6950
 
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terrybogard21 said:
If you have the money now to upgrade, do it & get it over with. You're already pondering the chance for regret by not upgrading when you had the chance. If you have the money for the HD6950 2GB; grab it and never look back. However, if money only allows for the GTX 560; I still grab it & move on. My reasons for telling you this is the fact that when you decide to move onto a bigger display, you'll have a great card ready to go that will serve you for the coming years. If money allows, you need to upgrade in this order HD6950 > GTX 560 > New display ;)

Edit: Also I wanted you to know that my answer was based off the future of you "Needing" to upgrade your monitor. At your current resolution any card is going to be a waste, which is why if I was in your position & decided to keep my current card. A monitor upgrade would be my very next purchase & since you have $150 to spend, another $100-$150 can achieve that. So your options should be A) keep 460 & save for a new monitor B) GTX 560 C) HD6950
Click to expand...


Very well put....

Too be honest I don't think I'll go for GTX560, since in a nutshell is GTX460 on staroids with few more shaders and higher o/c... I’m planning to use my 20” WMGX2 kick ars monitor (1680x1050) unless it blows up :p, however I might game @1080P once in a while on my 40” Bravia in the bedroom….

So the only queston is; is it worth it spending extra $150 on HD6950 to get ~20-30% boost (and extra 1Gb of VRAM) over my GTX460, if I’m planning to keep the rig unchanged for the next 3 years or so? I might upgrade to SSD regardless of my video card choice.

I guess I'll have to look at some benchies at 1680x1050 and 1080P to see how much improvement I wuold get with HD6950 2GB card...
 
It can be worth it, if it unlocks to a 6970. Then you're looking at around a 45-50% boost over a stock 460 1GB, even at 1920x1200.
 
few more days, but at the "moment" I'm leaning toward HD6950 2Gb card... If was going with that card... which one would be better Sapphire or PowerColor?
 
amd7674 said:
few more days, but at the "moment" I'm leaning toward HD6950 2Gb card... If was going with that card... which one would be better Sapphire or PowerColor?
Click to expand...

Like another poster stated, spend the extra & grab an XFX. I have one & from what I've seen from other posters, they have been able to hit 900/1400 fairly easy without much hassle with the shader unlock bios. XFX on the AMD side is like the EVGA to Nvidia! Great customer service, great warranties, & overall great products that allow you to use even after-market coolers.

amd7674 said:
Can I re-seat HSF on MSI cards? or will it void warranty?
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MSI doesn't allow any kind of modding outside of what comes with the card; so yes a different HSF on the card would void the warranty. Can read more about it here:

http://us.msi.com/index.php?func=html&name=warranty_general

Now in terms of overall experience with the card for the last 4 days; I can tell you that I love it! I was able to save my stock bios, mod that same bios to unlock the shaders/ voltage control, than overclock it to 900/1400 @ 1.0v

So far it has been very stable for me, besides the confusing AMD drivers example: (11.1 / 11.1a ) Anyways, the only few gripes I have about it, is the fan noise. Anything over 40% & it's a small jet, once you hit 65%+ you're looking at 747 status which bothers me. So make sure you have great case cooling because that helps a lot. The other is a long issue AMD has had for a year now with the card down-clocking when playing certain codecs/ hardware acceleration in videos (YouTube, vlc etc.) It's a big deal to me that I have to change settings as a band-aid, I want things to just work.

Last gripe is the two games I play, Nvidia leads in the driver department, it's not really a gripe, but if I get better performance from Nvidia, than I want Nvidia. I'm a fan boy of both AMD/Nvidia - Intel/AMD, but when it comes to my money, the company with the best product for my needs get's it. So I have some thinking myself to do, but these are my personal views on these issues. Good luck with your decision.
 
Turn the fan down, it doesn't need to be as high as 40% for the majority of games. You'll get away with 30% for weaker games, 36% for mainstream stuff.
 
XacTactX said:
Hey amd I originally voted to keep your 460 but if you're confident that you would move up to 1080p or 19 x 12 in the future, a 6950 or 560 both 2GB is not a bad idea. You can always get one used too, and in that case you will know the capability of whatever you're buying, so it's not you're last chance.

About the VRM thing, I looked at TPU's review, and it looks like there is no VRM cooling on your card. Is this your card?

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_460_Cyclone_OC_1_GB/3.html

If you're load temps aren't spiraling out of control then I believe cooling the VRMs would help you alot. From the looks of it, any regular square ramsinks would do the job if you placed one for each set of three. If you keep the 460 just for future reference.
Click to expand...

Just an update....

I did slap some vram sinks on the card, however it did not help the cause... THe most I can squeeze out of the GPU is stable 840/1680/2000 @ 1.025V.. After 35 minutes of OCCT I was getting 77C with the fan running noise acceptable 60%. Tonight I'll install few games and run some benchmarks... If I don't like what I see I might go for GTX560 (Gigabyte OC or SOC). If I had a better CPU (I'm sure it would bottleneck GPU) I could go for GTX570 as they are getting cheaper....
 
amd7674 said:
Just an update....

I did slap some vram sinks on the card, however it did not help the cause... THe most I can squeeze out of the GPU is stable 840/1680/2000 @ 1.025V.. After 35 minutes of OCCT I was getting 77C with the fan running noise acceptable 60%. Tonight I'll install few games and run some benchmarks... If I don't like what I see I might go for GTX560 (Gigabyte OC or SOC). If I had a better CPU (I'm sure it would bottleneck GPU) I could go for GTX570 as they are getting cheaper....
Click to expand...

I'm taking back my HD6950 2GB & grabbing a GTX 570, but for my own personal reasons. I'm upset at AMD :mad: that basically 2 small issues have gotten in my way of such a damn great card. Anyways, let us know what you decide to go with, I'm curious how this ends.
 
terrybogard21 said:
I'm taking back my HD6950 2GB & grabbing a GTX 570, but for my own personal reasons. I'm upset at AMD :mad: that basically 2 small issues have gotten in my way of such a damn great card. Anyways, let us know what you decide to go with, I'm curious how this ends.
Click to expand...

Whys that?
 
First of all, thanks to everyone who voiced his opinion/comment in this thread….;)

I was set to keep GTX460, but last night after seeing GTX570 on special I could not resist and I went over my budget with MSI GTX 570 for $299CDN (-$20MIR). The card also comes with two excellent d/l games Just Cause 2 and Mafia II.

Since I’ll be using current rig for the next 3 years or so, hence I wanted to put the best card I could now. Just like I did when I bought 8800GT several years ago. It was a close race, but at the end I prefer Nvidia’s drivers, although not perfect, at least I know what I’m getting.

I just hope I made the right decision and my VX550 PSU will hold up to the task.

The card should arrive sometime next week. :D
 
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