| ASUS GeForce GTX-465 Video Card |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Tuesday, 22 June 2010 | |
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Page 21 of 21
ASUS ENGTX465 ConclusionAlthough the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating for the sample received which may differ from retail versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. Our performance rating considers how effective the ASUS GeForce GTX-465 DirectX-11 video card performs against competing products from both ATI and NVIDIA. Overall, the ASUS ENGTX465/2DI/1GD5 either matched or outperformed the ATI Radeon HD 5850 in more than half the tests, or trailed only slightly behind in performance. Although the GTX 465 stumbles in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Aliens vs Predator, it captures the price to performance ratio in BattleForge, Far Cry 2, and Resident Evil 5. In fact, when BattleForge includes high-strain SSAO, the ASUS GTX-465 demonstrates how well Fermi is suited for DX11... beating ATI's more expensive Radeon HD 5850 by nearly 10% at 1680x1050. At the end of our test gauntlet, the general feeling was that the GeForce GTX-465 is positioned directly between the Radeon HD 5830 and HD 5850 in price, but closer to the 5850 in performance.
Aside from a carbon fiber decal, the ASUS ENGTX465/2DI/1GD5 video card is identical in appearance and construction to the reference NVIDIA design. ASUS has kept with NVIDIA's design and added their own accents, but otherwise this product doesn't differentiate itself from the many other Add-In Card (AIC) partner clones with custom cooling or other design improvements, which means that function takes precedence over fashion. While the graphics card doesn't need to look exciting in order to get the job done, ASUS knows there's a lot of competition that will win over buyers with added product presentation and does what they can with the limited palette. In terms of video card pecking order, the ASUS GeForce GTX-465 occupies the #3 spot in both the NVIDIA and ATI video card lineup. This means that there are four other series of single-GPU graphics cards priced/performing above the GTX-465, which can often create the opportunity or interest in paired SLI sets. As the third GF100 Fermi iteration, the GeForce GTX465 has been designed with the same solid construction. There are exposed electronics on the back of the PCB, but nothing that protrudes enough to require a metal back-plate for protection. The top-side of the graphics card features a protective plastic fan shroud, which receives the same depressed chamfer that allowed previous generations to sustain airflow in SLI configurations. The Fermi GF100 GPU has been moved forward toward the exhaust vents, which allows memory and power components to receive optimal cooling first. While most PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts buy a discrete graphics card for the sole purpose of playing video games, there's a very small niche who depend on the extra features beyond video fast frame rates. NVIDIA is the market leader in GPGPU functionality, and it's no surprise to see CPU-level technology available in their GPU products. Fermi GF100 is also the first GPU to ever support Error Correcting Code (ECC), a feature that benefits both personal and professional users. Proprietary technologies such as NVIDIA Parallel DataCache and NVIDIA GigaThread Engine further add value to GPGPU functionality. Additionally, applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Premier can take advantage of GPGPU processing power. Defining product value means something different to everyone. Some readers take heat and power consumption into consideration, while others are only concerned with FPS performance. With regard to value, there are several ways to look at the $280 GeForce GTX-465 and compare it to the closest rivals: such as the $305 ATI Radeon HD 5850. In terms of product price to FPS performance, the GeForce GTX-465 is one of the most affordable DirectX-11 video card products available. Here's a breakdown of the average USD cost per FPS recorded for the ten tests conducted for this article: As of late June 2010, the ASUS GeForce GTX-465 video card (model ENGTX465/2DI/1GD5) sells at NewEgg for $279.99 while nearly all other GTX-465 models are listed between $250-$260. At the same time, NewEgg lists nearly all Radeon HD 5850 models for more than $305. If you've got money to spend and demand better performance, the ASUS GTX-470 (model ASUS ENGTX470/2DI/1280MD5) delivers on its $350 price point. Additionally, the ASUS GeForce GTX-465 comes with a three-year limited warranty, and for a limited time they've bundled the 'Just Cause 2' full-version PC video game; which is more incentive than the competition. While NVIDIA's GF100 Fermi GPU delivers more than just a giant boost to video frame rates over their previous generation, such as GPGPU functionality that's usable in- and outside of video games, the GeForce GTX-465 is reduced from 16 to 11 Streaming Multiprocessors. This in turn reduces CUDA cores from 512 to 352, and takes down texture units from 64 to only 44. You're getting what you pay for, but keep in mind that you're not paying very much. By comparing video game frame rate performance between the GTX-465 and ATI Radeon HD 5850, the ENGTX465/2DI/1GD5 kit pulls ahead at least half the time and either matches or slightly trails the HD5850 the rest of the time. That's should be enough reason to save $55, or push your system with two units in SLI. As inventory begins to match demand, manufacturers will become more competitive with pricing and bundled extras, so be sure to shop for your best bargain. Pros:
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Comments
Then, the HD5770 is not 256-bit but 128-bit!
I count 5 clear wins for the 5850, 3 for the 465 and one wash (Resident evil 5). From the 465's point of view, thats a staggering 67% more wins for the 5850!!
And by the way, I don't count the two parts of 3D vantage as separate tests.
So not only is the 5850 the faster card with over half the tests won, more importantly, it also offers the most bang for your buck! All according to your own figures!
At least to me, this would count as a clear win for the 5850, but that is hardly what I see in the summary.
Also worth mentioning i think: Having been on Newegg on a few occasions, $305 seemed a bit steep for a 5850, and for aspiring customers for a graphics card, I can tell a 5850 can be found for $285. Only $5 more expensive than the price for the 465 you are quoting, and with that small difference I think the value numbers throughout the test would look a bit different.
You should also check your math on the cost per FPS, because the GTX-465 beats the Radeon 5850 in nearly all of them.
I thank you and congratulate you for your response to the commenter.
I sit here absolutely STUNNED. I can't believe that somebody didn't just "take it" and nearly agree with the ati fan fraud.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
My faith in humanity has been renewed.
Believe me, I really, really appreciate it.
Sincerely sick of the rampant red bias,
SiliconDoc
Did you just report the AC Power differnence between no graphic card in the system and with the Graphics card installed? Did you try to take into account the PSU efficiency?
Power supply efficiency is not taken into consideration for any of our reported results. Only the motherboard, processor, memory, SSD, and video card are drawing power. The math is simply idle/load result minus baseline.
And I don't get your pricing figures. I found a 5850 for $285 and another for $305 in Newegg... the ones you mention beyond $325 include special cooling designs.