Gainward announces a 2GB GTX 460
by Ian Cutress on July 31, 2010 5:55 AM ESTIf you’re on the lookout for a GTX460, you had two choices – the 768MB versions, or the 1GB variants. From our recent review, the 1GB versions, due to their increased memory bus width, outperformed the 768MB versions by quite a few percentage points. This is also reflected in the price of the 1GB 460 over the 768MB 460. So now Gainward are adding to the mix, with a 2GB GTX 460 model.
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The Gainward GTX 460 2GB ‘Golden Sample’ uses the same 256-bit memory bus width as the 1GB cards, giving the same rated memory bandwidth as the 1GB models. Out of the box, the card comes pre-overclocked from 675MHz to 700Mhz on the GPU, and stock-clocked at 3600MHz (effective) for the memory. Ports come in the form of HDMI, two DVI, and a VGA.
Gainward’s marketing of their ‘Golden Sample’ series is to promote the overclockability of their cards through improved design and cooling – this card is promoted with 6mm water-based heatpipes and an 80mm fan. The GPU of the 1GB version of the cards, as shown at AnandTech, overclocked to around 825MHz-835Mhz on stock voltages; the double memory on this Gainward 2GB card could ultimately limit memory overclocking.
Two questions arise from the dust – does anyone really need a 2GB frame buffer on a graphics card, and how much does it cost? To answer the first, not many; GPU programmers who require large graphics memory and do not want to shell out money for Tesla products could take advantage. In terms of gaming, a few gaming situations and resolutions would see an immediate benefit from the extra memory; however, with the expectation that gaming will become more detailed in the future, the 2GB could allow for a degree of future proofing. In answer to the second, we’ve heard around $280 is the consumer price. Looking at Newegg.com, a 1GB GTX 460 will set you back at least $230, and the 1280MB GTX 470 comes in at $330 – thus positioning the 2GB GTX 460 between the two.
Ultimately, performance and overclocking figures will show if the 2GB frame buffer, and the price, is justified. There’s no word on release date yet, but expect Gainward to start shipping review samples as soon as they can.
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Earthmonger - Monday, August 2, 2010 - link
I didn't say it was high-end, I said it was expensive. People putting words in my mouth. But anyway, the case is the Fractal Design Array R2.http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/pc-cases...
kwrzesien - Monday, August 2, 2010 - link
Interesting case. Are you using the included PSU with SATA-to-PCIE adapters?Earthmonger - Monday, August 2, 2010 - link
No. Corsair HX620 with a little modding. A 300w PSU is pretty useless when you add a good overclocked CPU and GPU. And the 620 was just collecting dust.formulav8 - Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - link
The 5830 has actually dropped below $200 the last I checked. So p/p should be pretty good.But it has other negatives besides the price. The biggest for me is the power consumption, heat, ect..
Although the 460 isn't a cucumber.
jfelano - Sunday, August 1, 2010 - link
Actually the 5830 is faster than the 1gb GTX460 in Crysis and AvsP.Not to mention $30 cheaper. Forget the 768mb GTX460, it's just poor.
jfelano - Sunday, August 1, 2010 - link
What kind of new, expensive case won't fit a HD5850/5830/5870? My $50 Antec 300 fits all of them.Bad Bimr - Monday, August 2, 2010 - link
I call BS! Who uses a mini-atx case and H20 cooling? Looking at the case you linked to, it has hardly any room for any video card let alone a H20 cooling solution. Even if you squeezed in a H20 cooling solution there is not enough venting in the case for the radiator unless you hacked up (drilled) your "new expensive case. "Earthmonger - Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - link
LMAOSilly rabbit. Are you one of those people who can't quite wrap their head around external cooling? Stuck in the dark ages of LC?
Seriously though. After a while you reach a point where you get tired of stuffing radiators inside cases. I've stopped using tiny triples and quads. I've moved up to 120.9 rads. Currently a pair or Mo-Ra 2 Pros, and soon to be a Mo-Ra 3 180.4 dedicated to this project. I need space for a D5. That's it.
The goal is not portability, but rather a sophisticated and small desktop footprint. And it is Mini-ITX, not Mini-ATX.
rika13 - Saturday, July 31, 2010 - link
I remember them and the golden sample series back in the day of the geforce 2; they were building better boards and selling them overclocked with a warranty. Nvidia was pissed iirc, now everyone does it and Nvidia gets pissed if you don't back up the warranty. They also had the Mexican wrestling masks as their thing back then because they were just that badass.beretta2013 - Saturday, July 31, 2010 - link
I can't remember which game it was, but about 4 months ago I was playing a game with my GTX 275 1792MB that was using 1272MB of video memory and I still had GPU headroom. So a more powerful graphics card could definitely use 2GB. I'm sort of disappointed that the 470 only goes to 1280MB and the 480 1536MB...they are so much more powerful than my card.