source: hardwarezone.comA True Mainstream GPU?
It's been almost a good four months since the launch of Fermi with the GeForce GTX 480, and we have yet to see a true mainstream Fermi GPU. The recently launched GeForce GTX 465, as we have noted in our review, is really a crippled GeForce GTX 470, so that doesn't really count. And with a launch price of US$279, it was also far too costly to be considered a viable mainstream option for casual gamers and regular computer users alike.Fortunately, it seems that NVIDIA has heard our cries and have given us the new GeForce GTX 460.
Positioned by NVIDIA as the card for the gaming masses, the new GeForce GTX 460 is not only more affordable, but perhaps more importantly, it is powered by a brand new chip, codenamed GF104. Notably, the GF104 chip contains 1.95 billion transistors and this is good news because lesser transistors usually mean a smaller die size, which in turn often translates to a cooler and less power hungry chip.
But more importantly, NVIDIA has restructured the GF104 somewhat to make the GeForce GTX 460 a competitive card. The GPC (graphics processing cluster) is the chip's dominant hardware level block, and the GeForce GTX 460 has two GPCs. For comparisons, the top of the line GTX 480 model has four GPCs. So you can tell that the GF104 is a massively reconfigured chip from the GF 100. Delving down to the details, the GeForce GTX 460 has a total of seven SM (streaming multiprocessors) - the GeForce GTX 480 has 15. And if you recall from our review of the GeForce GTX 480, each SM has 32 CUDA cores, however, NVIDIA has reconfigured the GeForce GTX 460 to give it 48 CUDA cores per SM instead, giving it a grand total of 336 CUDA cores.
Additionally, while the GeForce GTX 480 has four dedicated texture units per SM, the GeForce GTX 460 doubles this by having eight texture units per SM. This gives the GeForce GTX 460 a total of 56 texture mapping, which is identical to the GTX 470.
That's not all, to keep the GeForce GTX 460 competitive, it also gets relatively high clock speeds of 675MHz at the core, 1350MHz at the shaders and 3600MHz DDR at the memory.
And there's more, the GeForce GTX 460 will also be launched in two different flavors. It will come with either a 1GB frame buffer or a smaller 768MB frame buffer size. Both variants will utilize ultra-fast GDDR5 memory, have the same hardware configuration, and also clock speeds, but crucially, the 768MB variants will be equipped with a narrower 192-bit wide memory bus width. The 1GB cards, on the other hand, will have another memory controller enabled to have a wider 256-bit memory bus width.
So far, the GeForce GTX 460 is looking to be a pretty interesting addition from NVIDIA, but before we continue with our review, here's a quick look at how it measures up against its closest rivals.
| Model | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB / 768MB GDDR5 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 1GB GDDR5 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1280MB GDDR5 | ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 | ATI Radeon HD 5830 1GB GDDR5 | ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Code | GF104 | GF100 | GF100 | Cypress Pro | Cypress LE | Juniper XT |
| Transistor Count | 1950 million | 3200 million | 3200 million | 2150 million | 2150 million | 1040 million |
| Manufacturing Process | 40nm | 40nm | 40nm | 40nm | 40nm | 40nm |
| Core Clock | 675MHz | 607MHz | 607MHz | 725MHz | 800MHz | 800MHz |
| Stream Processors | 336 Stream Processors | 352 Stream Processors | 448 Stream Processors | 1440 Stream processing units | 1120 Stream Processing Units | 800 Stream Processing Units |
| Stream Processor Clock | 1350MHz | 1215MHz | 1215MHz | 725MHz | 800MHz | 800MHz |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) or Texture Filtering (TF) units | 56 | 44 | 56 | 72 | 56 | 40 |
| Raster Operator units (ROP) | 24 | 32 | 40 | 32 | 16 | 16 |
| Memory Clock | 3600MHz GDDR5 | 3206MHz GDDR5 | 3348MHz GDDR5 | 4000MHz GDDR5 | 4000MHz GDDR5 | 4800MHz GDDR5 |
| DDR Memory Bus | 192 / 256-bit | 256-bit | 320-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 128-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 86.4 / 115.2GB/s | 102.6GB/s | 133.9GB/s | 128GB/s | 128GB/s | 76.8GB/s |
| PCI Express Interface | PCIe ver 2.0 x16 | PCIe ver 2.0 x16 | PCIe ver 2.0 x16 | PCIe ver 2.0 x16 | PCIe ver 2.0 x16 | PCIe ver 2.0 x16 |
| Molex Power Connectors | 2 x 6-pin | 2 x 6-pin | 2 x 6-pin | 2 x 6-pin | 2 x 6-pin | 1 x 6-pin |
| Multi GPU Technology | SLI | SLI | SLI | CrossFireX | CrossFireX | CrossFireX |
| DVI Output Support | 2 x Dual-Link | 2 x Dual-Link | 2 x Dual-Link | 2 x Dual-Link | 2 x Dual-Link | 2 x Dual-Link |
| HDCP Output Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Street Price | Launch Price: US$229 (1GB) / US$199 (768MB) | Launch Price: US$279 | ~US$349 | ~US$300 | ~US$220 | ~US$160 |
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460
The card has been billed as the first mainstream affordable Fermi and it utilizes a traditional block-like cooler unlike older NVIDIA cards, with its fan located dead centre. However, perhaps the most striking thing you'll notice about the GeForce GTX 460 is that it is significantly smaller than previous Fermi cards. The reference GeForce GTX 460 measures only 8.25 inches in length, which makes it easier for it to fit into compact mid-tower casings.
3DMark Vantage Results
The GeForce GTX 460 got off to a promising start with the 1GB variant outpacing the GeForce GTX 465 and also NVIDIA's own previous flagship, the GeForce GTX 285. The 768MB variant, on the other hand, found itself matching the GeForce GTX 465 despite having less frame buffer and having a narrower 192-bit memory bus width.
Crysis Warhead & Far Cry 2 Results
The GeForce GTX 460 continued its promising start with the 1GB variant consistently outperforming the GeForce GTX 465. The 1GB GeForce GTX 460 was on average about 5% quicker than the GTX 465. But what's more impressive is that the 768MB variant of the GeForce GTX 460 was able to continue to match the GTX 465. In fact, the 768MB variant of the GeForce GTX 460 only lost out when 4x anti-aliasing was enabled.
Dawn of War 2 & Battlefield Bad Company 2 Results
Dawn of War 2 has traditionally been tightly contested and the 1GB GeForce GTX 460 extended its winning run against the GeForce GTX 465. The 768MB variant was competitive on the first run, but as we upped the intensity by increasing the resolution, it began to lose ground. Clearly, frame buffer size is important for anti-aliasing performance.
Unigine "Heaven" Results
The 1GB GeForce GTX 460 pressed on with its fine performance, outgunning the GeForce GTX 465 on Unigine, especially when we enabled 8x anti-aliasing. With anti-aliasing enabled, the 1GB GeForce GTX 460 was significantly quicker. The 768MB GeForce GTX 460 did well too, managing to keep pace with the GeForce GTX 465, although it was slightly slower overall.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Results
On S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, the GeForce GTX 465 continued to find itself on the losing end when pitted against the new 1GB GeForce GTX 460. The 768MB variant did well too, managing to hold its own against the GeForce GTX 465.
And against the Radeon cards, both the GeForce GTX 460 once again trumped the Radeon HD 5830. The only time the Radeon HD 5830 looked like it had a lead was on the SunShafts run with DirectX 10 API enabled. In fact, overall, the performance of the 1GB GeForce GTX 460 is somewhat comparable to that of the Radeon HD 5850.
DirectX 11 Results
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DirectX 10 Results
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Temperature
Since the new GF104 chip only has about two-thirds the number of transistors the GF100 has, we were hopeful for some encouraging results. In our testing, the 1GB variant of the GeForce GTX 460 managed a promising 67 degrees Celsius at the GPU core, which is markedly lower than any of its Fermi siblings. The 768MB variant, on the other hand, recorded an even more impressive 60 degrees Celsius. With custom coolers, we are confident these figures will head even further south.
Fermi Done Right, At Last
NVIDIA has been going on and on about how their new Fermi is “DX11 Done Right”, but we have had our reservations about that statement. It is true that the new Fermi cards are powerful and fast, and have better performance in tessellation-heavy applications, but it comes at the price of heavy power draw and high operating temperatures. With the new GeForce GTX 460, however, things have taken a turn for the better.
For one, we are very impressed with the performance of the GeForce GTX 460. In all cases, the 1GB variant of it has proved itself to be as quick as, if not faster, than the GeForce GTX 465. This is despite it packing less CUDA cores than the GeForce GTX 465. So it seems that the modifications NVIDIA has done to come up with the new GF104 chip works.
Against its closest competitor from ATI, the Radeon HD 5830, the 1GB GeForce GTX 460 completely thrashes it. It was faster than the Radeon HD 5830 in almost all instances and on the newer DirectX 11 games such as Bad Company 2, it could be as much as 10% to 25% quicker.
That said, the 768MB variant of the GeForce GTX 460 is no slouch either. Although it was slower than the 1GB version, the 768MB GeForce GTX 460 is able to go toe-to-toe with the GeForce GTX 465 and the Radeon HD 5830, both of which are significantly more costly. Of course, compared to the other Fermi cards, it loses its edge more significantly when we increased the resolution or enabled anti-aliasing, but that's understandable given its smaller frame buffer size. Furthermore, it also has the distinction of being the coolest Fermi card, recording a cool 60 degrees Celsius in our temperature test.
Overall, we are impressed with the GeForce GTX 460. Not only does it offer compelling performance, it is also markedly cooler to run than any other Fermi and less power hungry.. But between the 1GB and 768MB variant, which is the better buy?
To answer that, it's important to consider their price and performance. Launch prices of the 1GB variant has been pegged by NVIDIA at US$229, whereas the 768MB cards will be cheaper at around US$199 - this means the 1GB cards are about 15% more expensive. In terms of performance, the two are fairly close, but the 1GB variants are faster. To be specific, the 1GB cards are about 5% to 6% faster when anti-aliasing is disabled; however, when anti-aliasing is turned on, the gulf between the two increases to about 10% to 15%.
Hence, between the two, the pricing can be said to be quite reasonable. To be honest, considering their performance against competitive SKUs, both cards are value for money and for those who find US$229 too much of a stretch shouldn't worry about going for the less expensive 768MB variant. Unless a high-degree of anti-aliasing comes into play, the 768MB variant is very competitive; and even with anti-aliasing, it holds its own against the more expensive Radeon HD 5830. In fact, its performance on DirectX 10 games is very similar to the old GeForce GTX 285, which, if you recall, was once the fastest single GPU card in the world.
But for those who want a little more performance and future-proofing, and can afford the premium, the 1GB GeForce GTX 460 is a good pick especially if you'll be gaming in full HD resolutions or higher. It is also perhaps one of the most value for money graphics card model NVIDIA has introduced in recent times. At US$229, it's considerably cheaper than the US$279 GeForce GTX 465 which it outperforms; and in some cases, it even challenges and outperforms the US$300 Radeon HD 5850. We've done some internal performance-per-dollar comparisons and the GTX 460 1GB edition comes out a little better than the GTX 460 768MB edition, so our personal choice is clear. In fact, the GTX 460 fares so well overall that we're really wondering why was there even a need to launch a GTX 465 SKU a month earlier.
In closing, the new chip GF104 is certainly very promising, providing class-leading performance with more acceptable levels of power draw and operating temperatures. And we're pleased that NVIDIA has finally got its act together and gave us a proper mainstream Fermi GPU.
Looking ahead, we've heard rumors of a possible GeForce GTX 485 sporting the full 512 CUDA cores that Fermi promises, but when quizzed about the likelihood of such a SKU, NVIDIA said they couldn't comment. There's also talk of an even smaller and less complex Fermi chip, possibly a GF105 or GF106 that would be used with even more affordable mainstream and budget Fermi cards, but once again, NVIDIA neither denied nor confirmed these reports. In any case, if the GeForce GTX 460 is any indication, the future looks encouraging for NVIDIA and we hope to see more of such ideal Fermi-based solutions.
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