EVGA Intros Pair of GeForce GTX 460 1 GB FTW Graphics Cards

[btarunr]

EVGA rolled out its fastest GeForce GTX 460 1 GB graphics cards under the FTW variant. FTW in gamer jargon abbreviates "for the win", and is EVGA's highest factory-overclock variant. Available in reference-design (01G-P3-1377-TR) and EVGA's custom-designed "External Exhaust" (01G-P3-1378-TR) models, the FTW cards use clock speeds of 850 MHz core, 1700 MHz CUDA core, and 1000 (4000 MHz effective) memory, as a tiny design deviation from other models, EVGA included MOSFET heatsinks on these cards that cool the VRM area. The external exhaust model is priced at US $269.99, and the standard-design one at $259.99. Both are available at the EVGA Store.



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[DanishDevil]

Well at least they threw in a MOSFET heatsink.

 

[wolf]

+1 to the MOSFET heatsink, and good to see them with some more agressive clockspeeds too, they were kinda getting left behind.

 

[naram-sin]

ha, the first one looks like it borrowed cooler from ati, what with the turbine fan and all...

 

[wolf]

ha, the first one looks like it borrowed cooler from ati, what with the turbine fan and all...

borrowed? from ATi? don't think so...

Nvidia cards have used coolers of this style for a long time, this looks like a carbon copy of a reference GTS250 cooler.

 

[983264]

The First one is:

Colorful GeForce GTX 460 iGame

Core Clock: 900 MHz
Memory Clock: 1050 MHz
Cuda Core: 1800 MHz

http://techpowerup.com/129947/Colorful-Unveils-GeForce-GTX-460-iGame-Graphics-Card.html

Then the second one is:

EVGA GeForce GTX 460 FTW

Core Clock: 850 MHz
Memory Clock: 1000 MHz
Cuda Core: 1700 MHz

Then what comes next?

 

[Sasqui]

I always assumed FTW = F*ck The World

 

[naram-sin]

borrowed? from ATi? don't think so...

Nvidia cards have used coolers of this style for a long time, this looks like a carbon copy of a reference GTS250 cooler.

Well, not to me. I think it resembles more to reference ATI cooler from HD5xxx series (without red stripe(s) and with slightly rounder edges) than to this one:


Though they have pretty similar layout of connectors (except HDMI) but still... Nevermind, something to do...

 

[newtekie1]

I just got the GTX460 EE yesterday.

Some notes for anyone interested:

1. The cooler is very nicely done. It is not just a sticker slapped on a reference cooler. The lettering and design is silk screened on, and the "evga" is inlayed with a very nice silver lettering. It gives a real feeling of quality.
2. The cooler is LOUD! After my HD4890, this is probably the loudest card I've ever owned. Though I use fairly agressive fan profiles, ramping up to 100% at 70°C. It probably wouldn't be too bad if you are fine with warmer temps.
3. I got the vanilla version, and it overclocks to 900/1800/1000(C/S/M), there might be more to the memory but I only had time to test the core last night, but that is pretty much the max for the core.
4. There is room to add your own mosfet heatsinks under the vanilla version's heatsink if you want, and the way the fan is positioned the mosfets get plenty of air. Basically half the air from the blower fan is directed right onto the mosfets.

 

[wolf]

[*]The cooler is very nicely done. It is not just a sticker slapped on a reference cooler. The lettering and design is silk screened on, and the "evga" is inlayed with a very nice silver lettering. It gives a real feeling of quality.

that's really good to hear, I remember getting a horribly done innod 9800GTX once, the sticker was already peeling when I bought it, so I just took it off and the card looked like an nvidia sample

[*]The cooler is LOUD! After my HD4890, this is probably the loudest card I've ever owned. Though I use fairly agressive fan profiles, ramping up to 100% at 70°C. It probably wouldn't be too bad if you are fine with warmer temps.

dissapointing but good to know, you say 70degrees = 100%, what is the average load temps/fan speed with that ramp?

[*]I got the vanilla version, and it overclocks to 900/1800/1000(C/S/M), there might be more to the memory but I only had time to test the core last night, but that is pretty much the max for the core.

900/1800 across the core is freakin' bangin' man, would you mind running some comparisons against your 470 both stock and overclocked for both cards?

[*]There is room to add your own mosfet heatsinks under the vanilla version's heatsink if you want, and the way the fan is positioned the mosfets get plenty of air. Basically half the air from the blower fan is directed right onto the mosfets.
[/LIST]

also excellent to know, given you most likely had to overvolt the card to get to 900 core, little mosfet heatsinks might be the go for longevity.

cheers

 

[newtekie1]

dissapointing but good to know, you say 70degrees = 100%, what is the average load temps/fan speed with that ramp?

I just did some quick test last night after work, not a whole lot of time to mess around with it. But when I was running furmark to test stability I think it was hovering around 65°C, but don't quote me on that, I'll double check when I get home tonight.

900/1800 across the core is freakin' bangin' man, would you mind running some comparisons against your 470 both stock and overclocked for both cards?

Sure, but I don't know if I'll have a lot of time since I'm leaving on a trip this weekend. What are a few games/applications you'd like to see compared?

also excellent to know, given you most likely had to overvolt the card to get to 900 core, little mosfet heatsinks might be the go for longevity.

Yeah, I had to max out the voltage to get that clock speed. I'm still debating about taking the cooler off and adding a few mosfet heatsinks, I think I'll check the temps of the mosfets under load tonight and decide. But you would definitely have to take the cooler off to put the mosfet heatsinks on, but there is room under the fan for them at least. It is also interesting to note that the holes for the mosfet heatsink are in the PCB for the vanilla version of the card, though I'll probably be using some enzotech copper heatsinks modified to fit(the enzotech sinks are a little tall) held on with thermal tape.

 

[overclocking101]

where is this MOSFET heatsink eveyone talks about

 

[wolf]

Sure, but I don't know if I'll have a lot of time since I'm leaving on a trip this weekend. What are a few games/applications you'd like to see compared?

vantage, DMC4 benchmark (highest settings you can throw at it) and maybe unigine heaven?

that should give a decent spread I think.

Yeah, I had to max out the voltage to get that clock speed. I'm still debating about taking the cooler off and adding a few mosfet heatsinks, I think I'll check the temps of the mosfets under load tonight and decide. But you would definitely have to take the cooler off to put the mosfet heatsinks on, but there is room under the fan for them at least.

Yeah it all depends on the temps, if the VRM's arent going over about 80 degrees I wouldn't worry about it, if they are it might well be worth adding something, however small, to help dissipate the heat. that should help keep the whole PCB temperature down a bit.

also another query, does the EE cooler touch the memory chips?

cheers again

EDIT:

where is this MOSFET heatsink eveyone talks about

there isn't a heatsink there on the stock card, what we mean is pretty much under where the blower fan is on the external exhaust models (EE) there is some room to add some little heatsinks onto the MOSFET's that heat up there, chances are they are the VRM's (voltage regulator module)

 

[newtekie1]

vantage, DMC4 benchmark (highest settings you can throw at it) and maybe unigine heaven?

that should give a decent spread I think.



Yeah it all depends on the temps, if the VRM's arent going over about 80 degrees I wouldn't worry about it, if they are it might well be worth adding something, however small, to help dissipate the heat. that should help keep the whole PCB temperature down a bit.

also another query, does the EE cooler touch the memory chips?

cheers again

EDIT:



there isn't a heatsink there on the stock card, what we mean is pretty much under where the blower fan is on the external exhaust models (EE) there is some room to add some little heatsinks onto the MOSFET's that heat up there, chances are they are the VRM's (voltage regulator module)

I should be able to get those benchmarks done tonight, depending on when I get off work. I'll toss the GTX460 in my main machine and benchmark away(since I doubt you want numbers with it paired with the Celeron like it is now). I'll throw in the Mafia II benchmark as well to get a good idea on PhysX performance difference between the two, and maybe Just Cause II and Batman AA if I can get around to it.

You know, I didn't notice if the EE heatsink touched the memory or not, I'll have to check that tonight and get back to you.

 

[wolf]

cheers man, can't wait to see the comparison against its big brother.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

For that price, your loosing the whole price - preformance argument, and moreover your moving close into the realm of the 5850. I'm just not sure I see the point of this card at this price.

 

[wolf]

better value is in the vanilla EE model like newtekie has, and oc that past the FTW clocks.

 

[newtekie1]

For that price, your loosing the whole price - preformance argument, and moreover your moving close into the realm of the 5850. I'm just not sure I see the point of this card at this price.

Well lets put it this way. The GTX460 1GB at 810MHz surpasses the HD5850 in performance ever so slightly, so this card at 850MHz is even better. So yes, this card is right in the realm of the lower end HD5850, but it performs there as well. The advantage of the HD5850 is that it can probably overclock further than the GTX460.

But with everything I've seen from the GTX460s, there isn't much point in buying anything beyond the cheapest vanilla version and overclocking it, as they all seem to hit about the same clock speeds. I think the only notable difference is the MSI Hawk version with a custom PCB and more voltage controls, but I don't think that is even worth it.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Well lets put it this way. The GTX460 1GB at 810MHz surpasses the HD5850 in performance ever so slightly, so this card at 850MHz is even better. So yes, this card is right in the realm of the lower end HD5850, but it performs there as well. The advantage of the HD5850 is that it can probably overclock further than the GTX460.

But with everything I've seen from the GTX460s, there isn't much point in buying anything beyond the cheapest vanilla version and overclocking it, as they all seem to hit about the same clock speeds. I think the only notable difference is the MSI Hawk version with a custom PCB and more voltage controls, but I don't think that is even worth it.

Well you just made my point, if a vanilla version will do the same, whats the point of this one. And yeah it might beat a stock 5850, but the 5850 overclocks too .. . .

I really don't see anything here to justify the nearly 50 + dollars in price premium, moreover the fact that I will be spending roughly 300'ish dollars after tax and shipping, I have to pay 10 dollars extra so I don't have hot air exhausted inside my case, is not kool. I could see the price premium, is if it came with a physical control for adjusting voltage without a soft mod.

As I said before this card really just seems rather pointless, while it may be worth the money to buy an overclocked card to a novice, but on the other hand overclocking a vanilla card is on the same level of difficulty as filling your car with gas.

 

[newtekie1]

Well you just made my point, if a vanilla version will do the same, whats the point of this one. And yeah it might beat a stock 5850, but the 5850 overclocks too .. . .

I really don't see anything here to justify the nearly 50 + dollars in price premium, moreover the fact that I will be spending roughly 300'ish dollars after tax and shipping, I have to pay 10 dollars extra so I don't have hot air exhausted inside my case, is not kool. I could see the price premium, is if it came with a physical control for adjusting voltage without a soft mod.

As I said before this card really just seems rather pointless, while it may be worth the money to buy an overclocked card to a novice, but on the other hand overclocking a vanilla card is on the same level of difficulty as filling your car with gas.

The same can be said about any pre-overclocked card then by your logic. Pre-overclocked cards are for people that don't want to mess around with overclock the card themselves, they just want to put it in and get the benefits of the higher clock speeds. Moreover people buy pre-overclocked cards because they are guaranteed to run at those speeds. This is an issue, even with the GTX460, which does offer more uniform overclocking results than most other cards. Because if you look at even some of the review samples that W1z recieved, they didn't all hit 850MHz. The Zotac one for example only did 835MHz.

Yes it is a little less of a gample with the GTX460 to get a vanilla version and expect overclocking results similar to the highest pre-overclocked cards. However, it is still a gample.

Yes, there is the $10 more for the EE edition, but it isn't really an issue of actually exhausting the air out the back of the case, as the standard cooler still pushes a good amount of air out the back anyway. The issue to me is more a better looking, more classy designed heatsink. The standard edition is just the stock cooler with stickers on it.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

The same can be said about any pre-overclocked card then by your logic. Pre-overclocked cards are for people that don't want to mess around with overclock the card themselves, they just want to put it in and get the benefits of the higher clock speeds. Moreover people buy pre-overclocked cards because they are guaranteed to run at those speeds. This is an issue, even with the GTX460, which does offer more uniform overclocking results than most other cards. Because if you look at even some of the review samples that W1z recieved, they didn't all hit 850MHz. The Zotac one for example only did 835MHz.

Yes it is a little less of a gample with the GTX460 to get a vanilla version and expect overclocking results similar to the highest pre-overclocked cards. However, it is still a gample.

Yes, there is the $10 more for the EE edition, but it isn't really an issue of actually exhausting the air out the back of the case, as the standard cooler still pushes a good amount of air out the back anyway. The issue to me is more a better looking, more classy designed heatsink. The standard edition is just the stock cooler with stickers on it.

Your more or less just restating my argument, I said I see the value in a factory overclocked card, for a select few individuals. I personally payed nearly 60 dollars extra per card for GTX 470 SC+'s for the express reason that they came with high flow brackets and a back plate, and to me it was worth the extra money to have the cards installed with these features and not having to take them off and sell them once I upgrade the cards, as the soft mod took all of 5 mins, and now their sitting at speeds that even give a mildly OC'd 5870 a run for it's money.

That said I will just agree to disagree, I just don't see the added value here, if it came with a high flow bracket (yes they make a huge difference!) and a back plate, I wouldn't even give this card a second glance I would simply order 4 for my folding rig. However to my knowledge they do not. As always it's surely to be another quality from EVGA!

That said, pre game is on and it's time for some FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . .. . . and beer!

 

[newtekie1]

cheers man, can't wait to see the comparison against its big brother.

Well I have to appologize, I did not get the benchmarks done last night as planned. Between working late and needing to go run errands to get ready for my trip, and installing all the games/software to run the benchmarks, I was only able to get the first round of benchmarks done with the stock GTX460.

Also, it turns out my overclock was not 100% stable. When I returned home from work yesterday I found that while furmark was still running, at some point in the 10+ hours it ran the drivers had recovered and the clocks had been reset to defaults. So I had to lower my overclock to 885/1770/1000 and I'm letting furmark run again while I'm at work today to make sure that is stable. I'm thinking Mosfet heatsinks might actually help here, I think I'll order some enzotech ones this weekend.

As for the benchmarks I'm running, I'll be running Vantage, Unigine Heaven, DMC4, Mafia II, Batman:AA, and Just Cause II. All will be run at the absolute maximum settings possible, except for Vantage which will be run at standard Performance presets. All benchmarks will be run at 1280x1024, 1680x1050, and 1920x1080 since I figure those are probably the most relavent resolutions people are using right now(I don't have a 1920x1200 screen or I would use that). The only exception will be DMC4, which doesn't give the option for 1680x1050 for some reasons, so it will only be run at the 1280x1024 and 1920x1080 resolutions.

I'll start a new thread with a mini-review of the card when I get done with all the benchmarks, and I'll include a little more detail about the card and heatsink.

 

[newtekie1]

cheers man, can't wait to see the comparison against its big brother.

I finally got the review up with the performance numbers.

[Mini-Review] eVGA GTX460 1GB EE vs. eVGA GTX470

Sorry it took me so long.