| GeForce GTS 450 SLI Scaling Performance |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Monday, 13 September 2010 | |
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GeForce GTS 450 SLI Performance ScalingOnly a few years ago NVIDIA's SLI technology was a feature only the most elite gamers took advantage of, helping them to push the fastest graphics cards on the planet even faster. Often times a second GeForce video card could be combined into a SLI set and produce 33-50% more performance. Those days are gone, and Benchmark Reviews has learned that a set of GF106 GPUs can do a lot more than scale; they can multiply. Since a single $129 GeForce GTS 450 can outperform an AMD Radeon HD 5750 and match the 5770, what kind of performance do you get from two GTS 450's for $258? It seems like a pair of mainstream GTS 450's in SLI should compete nicely against AMD's $200 Radeon HD 5830, or maybe even their $270 Radeon HD 5850. As it turns out, two GTS 460's in SLI are good enough to threaten NVIDIA's top-end segment. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 SLI performance scaling. NVIDIA recently earned its reputation back with the GF104 Fermi-based GeForce GTX 460; a video card that dominated the price point even before it dropped to $179 USD and completely ruled the middle market. Priced to launch at $129, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 packs 192 CUDA cores into its 40nm GF106 Fermi GPU and adds 1GB of GDDR5 memory. Benchmark Reviews overclocked our GTS 450 to nearly 1GHz, and even paired them together in SLI to test against several high-end video cards using many of the most demanding DirectX-11 PC video games available. The majority of PC gamers either use 1280x1024 or 1680x1050 monitor resolutions, which is appropriate for a single GeForce GTS 450. Once a second video card is added and configured into SLI, monitor resolutions such as 1920x1200 become possible along with quality settings only upper echelon graphics solutions can reproduce. Alternatively, gamers who purchase NVIDIA's 3D Vision kit and a 120Hz monitor (I suggest the ASUS VG236H model that comes with a NVIDIA 3D-Vision kit enclosed) can add a second GTS 450 to ensure they maintain their current quality and effects settings.
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Video Card SLI SetNVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460 uses a pared-down version of the GF104 GPU, which is actually capable of packing eight Streaming Multiprocessors for a total of 384 possible CUDA Cores and 64 Texture Units. GF106 is best conceived as one half of the GF104, allowing it to deliver four SMUs for 192 CUDA cores and 32 Texture Units. The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 comes clocked at 783MHz, with shaders operating at 1566. 1GB of 128-bit GDDR5 video frame buffer clocks-in at 902MHz, and works especially well with large environment games like Starcraft II or BattleForge. Although it might seem like two GTS 450's in SLI could equal one GTX 460, this report will prove that thory wrong. PC-based video games are still the best way to experience realistic effects and immerse yourself in the battle. Consoles do their part, but only high-precision video cards offer the sharp clarity and definition needed to enjoy detailed graphics. Thanks to the new GF106 GPU, the GeForce GTS 450 video card offers enough headroom for budget-minded overclockers to drive out additional FPS performance while keeping temperatures cool. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the GeForce GTS 450 SLI set against some of the best video cards within the price segment by using several of the most demanding PC video game titles and benchmark software available: Aliens vs Predator, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, BattleForge, Crysis Warhead, Far Cry 2, Resident Evil 5, and Metro 2033. It used to be that PC video games such as Crysis and Far Cry 2 were as demanding as you could get, but that was all back before DirectX-11 brought tessellation and to the forefront of graphics. DX11 now adds heavy particle and turbulence effects to video games, and titles such as Metro 2033 demand the most powerful graphics processing available. NVIDIA's GF100 GPU was their first graphics processor to support DirectX-11 features such as tessellation and DirectCompute, and the GeForce GTX 400-series offers an excellent combination of performance and value for games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 or BattleForge. At the center of every new technology is purpose, and NVIDIA has designed their Fermi GF106 GPU with an end-goal of redefining the video game experience through significant graphics processor innovations. Disruptive technology often changes the way users interact with computers, and the GeForce GTS 450 family of video cards are complex tools built to arrive at one simple destination: immersive entertainment at an entry-level price; especially when paired with NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision. The experience is further improved with NVIDIA System Tools software, which includes NVIDIA Performance Group for GPU overclocking and NVIDIA System Monitor which displays real-time temperatures. These tools help gamers and overclockers get the most out of their investment. EDITOR'S NOTE: This article supplements our stand-alone NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 GF106 Video Card launch-day review. At the time of launch AMD's Radeon HD 5770 cost $150 compared to the $129 GTS 450 price point, making a CrossFire 5770 comparison inappropriate. If AMD moves the Radeon HD 5770 price point, this article will be updated with new test comparisons and results shortly thereafter.
Manufacturer: NVIDIA Corporation Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by NVIDIA.
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Comments
It would seem that now the two mid range 400 series cards are finally out Nvidia are beating AMD on nearly every front, even if it took them a rediculous amount of time to do it.
Going to be interesting to see how the 6000 series will respond to these.
It's a good time to be a consumer.
Also, on NewEgg at least, the price of the GTX 460 is down to $170, increasing its Price/Performance margin even more. Interestingly, there's also GTX 460 1GB (as opposed to 768mB), quite curious how its price to performance stacks up.
Radeon HD 5830 is currently down to $160 w/Rebate, putting in the same price point range and price to performance range [when the GTX 460 was at $180] as the GTX 460. Though Id go with the 460 simply for PhysX & CUDA.
And those were the only two that had lower prices (or at least, lower by enough to make an decent impact).
Well, that always tells me what cards are so good that even they can't make up a dozen unbelievable lies about them.
Thanks for the review, and the indicative post space.