MSI GTX 460 HAWK 1 GB

[SpaceManSpiff]

Thorough review as always, Wiz. Your hard work really lets me know how my card is holding up, and where the value is. However, your 'value and conclusion' always leaves me baffled.

I have a year-and-a-half old HIS 4890 running a comfortable 10% OC. According to your reviews, it's still nearly as good as this 460. I did a quick look at your 4890 reviews in the archives, and the best one only scored a 9.0 and a Recommended.

This brand new card gets a 9.4 and an Editors Choice? If anything, I'd dock 'em for lack of adequate progress.

 

[gvblake22]

Thorough review as always, Wiz. Your hard work really lets me know how my card is holding up, and where the value is. However, your 'value and conclusion' always leaves me baffled.

I have a year-and-a-half old HIS 4890 running a comfortable 10% OC. According to your reviews, it's still nearly as good as this 460. I did a quick look at your 4890 reviews in the archives, and the best one only scored a 9.0 and a Recommended.

This brand new card gets a 9.4 and an Editors Choice? If anything, I'd dock 'em for lack of adequate progress.

Old review scores aren't continuously updated every time a new review is published.Each day that passes makes the final score less relevant but the content and general performance can always be compared (assuming they are all tested on the same hardware).

As for your performance comparison, a 21% improvement with an 18% reduction in max power consumption all at the same (or less) price point on launch isn't adequate?

 

[SpaceManSpiff]

Actually, average power consumption is for the 460 is only 9w lower, which is only a 6% improvement. If the 4890 is using old numbers, then I suppose they'd only get better with improved drivers (ATI always seems to be plagued by drivers). I don't know where you are finding a 20% performance increase, as the 3DMark numbers are awfully close. I suppose I'm expecting a lot better performance at this price point over a card that's a generation old.

I appreciate all the work Wiz does, but I'm baffled by how the value/conclusion is calculated. I've always considered it to be skewed by opinion, which is why I largely ignore it and go with the test numbers instead. With that in mind, I find this card to be quite underwhelming and not 9.4/Editors Choice material.

 

[gvblake22]

I don't know where you are finding a 20% performance increase, as the 3DMark numbers are awfully close. I suppose I'm expecting a lot better performance at this price point over a card that's a generation old.

Relative Performance at all Resolutions.
That averages the scores of all benchmarks at all resolutions. The 4890 has 79% of the performance available on tap with the GTX 460.

I appreciate all the work Wiz does, but I'm baffled by how the value/conclusion is calculated. I've always considered it to be skewed by opinion, which is why I largely ignore it and go with the test numbers instead. With that in mind, I find this card to be quite underwhelming and not 9.4/Editors Choice material.

I think it is mostly subjective, especially since there is no obvious rubrick or scoring anywhere else. But yeah, W1zzard will have to comment on that.

Personally, I think it's a great card. The GTX 460 1GB is reasonably priced (although I wish it were a little closer to the $200 mark) and offers very good performance, even at higher resolutions with AA. The relatively moderate to low power consumption and more compact PCB is just icing on the cake. I was saving up for a 5850, but I've switched my sights to the GTX 460 1GB now instead.

 

[GSquadron]

Nice looking card

 

[Cecil]

An interesting fact is that it some games perform worse then the 768 MB Cyclone. See below
[url]http://img.techpowerup.org/100902/battleforge_1920_1200_cyclone.gif[/URL][url]http://img.techpowerup.org/100902/battleforge_1920_1200_hawk.gif[/URL]

In those cases, the game isnt bottlenecked by the memory bandwith. When that happens, its bottlenecked by the core.

Strange, though no two benchmark runs are ever the same, I just noticed lower FPS on other cards in the 2nd pic. HD5870 loses 10fps, while GTX480 loses 14fps

You cant compare direct framerates, you have to compare by percentages. They both took an 18% hit.

 

[Shou Miko]

i think it could be nice if u tried to use MSI Afterburner, W1zzard and adjusted the voltage alittle to see if u could hit 1ghz with this HAWK version of the GTX460 1GB ^^

 

[W1zzard]

i think it could be nice if u tried to use MSI Afterburner, W1zzard and adjusted the voltage alittle to see if u could hit 1ghz with this HAWK version of the GTX460 1GB ^^

thanks for reading the review:

You can control GPU VCore, Memory voltage and PLL voltage.

I did spend some time with it and the maximum I reached was 940 MHz core and 1070 MHz memory. Please be advised that simply dragging the sliders up to the maximum is not the way to achieve such clocks. You have to carefully try moving up and down while testing stability and clocks to reach the right maximum. Changing PLL clock did not do anything noticeable for the clocks.

The range of voltage is quite limited (measured physically at the measure points):
VCore: 1.02 V ... 1.14 V (default) ... 1.24 V (+8.7%)
VMem: 1.47 V ... 1.58 V (default) ... 1.69 V (+7.0%)
PLL: 0.98 V ... 1.08 V (default) ... 1.11 V (+2.8 %)

 

[Shou Miko]

no shit W1zzard with was more bcs of this: http://www.msi.com/index.php?news_no=1088&func=newsdesc

even ino not every card is identical but still, 1ghz on MSI's GTX460 HAWK should be in reach on almost every card still my own Gainward does 900mhz on the core at 1.125v i haven't tested furter.

 

[W1zzard]

that's the result i got. nothing i can do about it. check the other reviews and come to your own conclusion what reviewers reach

 

[Calle2003]

thanks for reading the review:

You can control GPU VCore, Memory voltage and PLL voltage.

I did spend some time with it and the maximum I reached was 940 MHz core and 1070 MHz memory. Please be advised that simply dragging the sliders up to the maximum is not the way to achieve such clocks. You have to carefully try moving up and down while testing stability and clocks to reach the right maximum. Changing PLL clock did not do anything noticeable for the clocks.

The range of voltage is quite limited (measured physically at the measure points):
VCore: 1.02 V ... 1.14 V (default) ... 1.24 V (+8.7%)
VMem: 1.47 V ... 1.58 V (default) ... 1.69 V (+7.0%)
PLL: 0.98 V ... 1.08 V (default) ... 1.11 V (+2.8 %)

So this card has very high voltage since default voltage on GTX 460 is:
1.012 V (default) ... 1.087 V (max)
My card doesn't have measure points but I have measured the max with TechPowerUps GPU-Z and reached the max voltage (without modifying the BIOS) with MSI Afterburner.
Temps doesn't seem very high though, so it's safe to flash my MSI GTX 460 Cyclone 1GB with MSI N460GTX Hawk 1024 MB BIOS?

PS
Unfortunately I only reach 850 MHz@1.087 V VCore but I reach 4500 MHz memory with no voltage adjustments.

 

[Shou Miko]

So this card has very high voltage since default voltage on GTX 460 is:
1.012 V (default) ... 1.087 V (max)
My card doesn't have measure points but I have measured the max with TechPowerUps GPU-Z and reached the max voltage (without modifying the BIOS) with MSI Afterburner.
Temps doesn't seem very high though, so it's safe to flash my MSI GTX 460 Cyclone 1GB with MSI N460GTX Hawk 1024 MB BIOS?

PS
Unfortunately I only reach 850 MHz@1.087 V VCore but I reach 4500 MHz memory with no voltage adjustments.

i won't use that bios if i was u, it's not made for ur card so no guarantee that it will work on ur Cyclone card bcs it isn't the same pcb in basic.


and to W1zzard ino, but still it could be cool seeing what the GTX460 HAWK could do at 1ghz and be on that on air

 

[Calle2003]

i won't use that bios if i was u, it's not made for ur card so no guarantee that it will work on ur Cyclone card bcs it isn't the same pcb in basic.


and to W1zzard ino, but still it could be cool seeing what the GTX460 HAWK could do at 1ghz and be on that on air

Well I figured the same thing, I'm just so disappointed with my clock@850/1700/4000 but I can see you also have rather high voltage (1.125 V instead of the maximum 1.087 V). What clock did achieve before changing your BIOS?
BTW I'm joining your GTX 460 club and I'm going to post a nice pic of my system!

 

[Shou Miko]

Well I figured the same thing, I'm just so disappointed with my clock@850/1700/4000 but I can see you also have rather high voltage (1.125 V instead of the maximum 1.087 V). What clock did achieve before changing your BIOS?
BTW I'm joining your GTX 460 club and I'm going to post a nice pic of my system!

atm i am stock at 900mhz core 1000mhz memory and 2000mhz shader i think i need a new cooler to get higher core clock but still i am happy atm with the 900mhz, and Calle2003 i actually modded my GS (Gold Sample) to GLH (Goes Like Hell)

but i have posted at my GTX460 Club a link with unlocked voltage bios' for some GTX460 cards and Calle2003 u r more than well come, all with GTX460 cards are ^^