GTX 460 768MB Enough? or 1gb...

YamahaAlex37

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I can have the EVGA GTX 460 768MB new for $165 including shipping and no rebates, and with Metro 2033 which i want to try. The next cheapest models with the 1gb seem to be over $200. Is it really worth it if I'm no a tight budget? I'd like to play 1080p, but I don't mind turning the graphics down.

It sucks, i'm so close to buying the 460 for $165 becuase it's a great deal, but i'm stuck in a loop cycle:

hmm i might as well get 460 1gb its not that much more... read more benchmarks... hmm i might as well just get the 470 its not that much more and almost as good as 480... read more benchmarks.. hmm i might as well just get the 480 and finance, its the only card that will actually play dx11 games fluidly with highest settings in 1080p... then realize WTF am i spending this much on a gfx card for!?!?... and back to 460 768mb and loop cycle starts over

PLEASE HELP!

Should I just tough it out on my 9800gt and wait for prices to come down?
 
I can have the EVGA GTX 460 768MB new for $165 including shipping and no rebates, and with Metro 2033 which i want to try. The next cheapest models with the 1gb seem to be over $200. Is it really worth it if I'm no a tight budget? I'd like to play 1080p, but I don't mind turning the graphics down.

It sucks, i'm so close to buying the 460 for $165 becuase it's a great deal, but i'm stuck in a loop cycle:

hmm i might as well get 460 1gb its not that much more... read more benchmarks... hmm i might as well just get the 470 its not that much more and almost as good as 480... read more benchmarks.. hmm i might as well just get the 480 and finance, its the only card that will actually play dx11 games fluidly with highest settings in 1080p... then realize WTF am i spending this much on a gfx card for!?!?... and back to 460 768mb and loop cycle starts over

PLEASE HELP!

Should I just tough it out on my 9800gt and wait for prices to come down?

Funny Post :D, @ 1920x1080 the 768MB version should be fine but dont plan on maxing settings on metro or other uber high end games as you may run into ram limitations. The 460 overclocks very well, what I'd do if I were you is try and see how far you can take your new 768mb version via overclocking and tweaking and play metro and see how you feel about it. If your not happy then consider a better card but just keep in mind that metro 2033 is a hog of a game and most games these days are console ports so they should run fine on the GTX 460.

Heads up though, your probably gonna get some people saying that there are other cards that can run DX11 fluidly @ 1080p cause there are several nvidia and ati cards that can.
 
Funny Post :D, @ 1920x1080 the 768MB version should be fine but dont plan on maxing settings on metro or other uber high end games as you may run into ram limitations. The 460 overclocks very well, what I'd do if I were you is try and see how far you can take your new 768mb version via overclocking and tweaking and play metro and see how you feel about it. If your not happy then consider a better card but just keep in mind that metro 2033 is a hog of a game and most games these days are console ports so they should run fine on the GTX 460.

Heads up though, your probably gonna get some people saying that there are other cards that can run DX11 fluidly @ 1080p cause there are several nvidia and ati cards that can.

I agree on 1Gb being better than 768MB for Metro 2033, but from the wording of OP he hasn't bought any GTX 460 yet.

Although Metro 2033 is almost always GPU-bottlenecked, it's just one game; I think he needs to upgrade his CPU first before his GPU, especially if he can "tough it out" as he said, or not play that game, or play it at lesser settings for a while. Athlon II X2 250? Bottleneck, anyone? After the CPU upgrade he can then get an appropriate GPU, and 6xxx cards may be out by then and perhaps drive down the prices for GTX 460s.

Possibly PSU upgrade needed too... he didn't list it in his sig, as of the time of writing of this post.
 
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I agree on 1Gb being better than 768MB for Metro 2033, but from the wording of OP he hasn't bought any GTX 460 yet.

Although Metro 2033 is almost always GPU-bottlenecked, it's just one game; I think he needs to upgrade his CPU first before his GPU, especially if he can "tough it out" as he said, or not play that game, or play it at lesser settings for a while. Athlon II X2 250? Bottleneck, anyone? After the CPU upgrade he can then get an appropriate GPU, and 6xxx cards may be out by then and perhaps drive down the prices for GTX 460s.

Possibly PSU upgrade needed too... he didn't list it in his sig, as of the time of writing of this post.

Not sure if his CPU would bottleneck his GPU. I've read that happens rarely though, when gaming at lower resolutions. People used to think it happened more often than it actually did, and would constantly mention that xyz cpu would bottleneck this and that but it was all horseshit.

However I haven't been following AMD's CPUs lately and I'm not sure how an athlon 2 dual core @ 3Ghz would handle that setup.

Something tells me it wont bottleneck the GPU and if so a little overclocking can remedy the issue.
 
That cpu will be fine for now. At that high a resolution, the gpu is doing most of the work. A new cpu would definitely help and should be on the upgrade list but the gpu should be first.

The 1GB versions of the 460 are $220 and up right now where the 768 is going for $180. Youll get 2 or 3 more frames with the 1GB card but it aint worth the $40, not by a longshot.

So Id say get the 768 card now. Theres no point in waiting cause I dont think prices will come down much further. Even when the new 6000 cards come out I dont think youll be able get the same performance for $165. I mean a GTX260 is obsolete and still goes for nearly $200! Im mot expecting huge price drops.
 
i dont know what his is equivalent to but my cpu at stock bottlenecks my card BAD its not as bad at 3ghz but id bet i still have room for improvement i game at 1080p as well
 
Not sure if his CPU would bottleneck his GPU. I've read that happens rarely though, when gaming at lower resolutions. People used to think it happened more often than it actually did, and would constantly mention that xyz cpu would bottleneck this and that but it was all horseshit.

However I haven't been following AMD's CPUs lately and I'm not sure how an athlon 2 dual core @ 3Ghz would handle that setup.

Something tells me it wont bottleneck the GPU and if so a little overclocking can remedy the issue.

I think you meant higher resolutions, not lower resolutions, because higher res's presumably beat up GPUs more thus it matters less if the CPU is also hurting, because GPUs more likely will bottleneck first.

Athlon II X2 250 is pretty close to what I have in my HTPC (I run the same chip at 2.8GHz) so I am sorta familiar with its performance.. obviously I don't run Metro 2033 on my HTPC, though! :) It's decent but not that great for gaming.

CPU bottlenecks do happen. E.g.: http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page13.html You'd think 19x12 at Ultra settings means a GPU bottleneck, for sure, but... Note that Tom's rates OP's CPU as on the same level as a C2D E4700/4600/6600/4500/6420
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i5-760-core-i7-970,2698-7.html

But Metro 2033 is very GPU-bottlenecked so if he really only cares about that one game, then he can ignore the fact that his CPU is on the weak side.
 
That cpu will be fine for now. At that high a resolution, the gpu is doing most of the work. A new cpu would definitely help and should be on the upgrade list but the gpu should be first.

The 1GB versions of the 460 are $220 and up right now where the 768 is going for $180. Youll get 2 or 3 more frames with the 1GB card but it aint worth the $40, not by a longshot.

is 1080p considered high res these days. I guess it's upwards of 1.77 million pixels, where as 1680x1050 is at around 1.6 million pixels. I would say 19x12 or 25x16 or more high res and at those resolutions the 1gb model would be a better choice, depending on the quality settings applied of course

OP how big is your monitor and what res do you plan on running your games at? Also while were at it what kind of Power Supply does your rig have and finally do you plan on upgrading anything else cpu etc..?
 
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I think you meant higher resolutions, not lower resolutions, because higher res's presumably beat up GPUs more thus it matters less if the CPU is also hurting, because GPUs more likely will bottleneck first.

Athlon II X2 250 is pretty close to what I have in my HTPC (I run the same chip at 2.8GHz) so I am sorta familiar with its performance.. obviously I don't run Metro 2033 on my HTPC, though! :) It's decent but not that great for gaming.

CPU bottlenecks to happen. E.g.: http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page13.html You'd think 19x12 at Ultra settings means a GPU bottleneck, for sure, but... Note that Tom's rates OP's CPU as on the same level as a C2D E4700/4600/6600/4500/6420
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i5-760-core-i7-970,2698-7.html

But Metro 2033 is very GPU-bottlenecked so if he really only cares about that one game, then he can ignore the fact that his CPU is on the weak side.

Well no then i'd say your post is very relevant because that's just one game, I don't think the op only wants to play just that. I'm sure COD Black ops etc.. will be in his rig and the cpu is something to consider then.
 
Thanks for the feedback so far... i actually already have ordered a x3 440 and a unlocking mobo to hopefully have a x4, and that's why my budget is so tight.

My monitor is 22", and desired gaming res is 1920x1080. I will definitely be playing other games such as bfbc2 and cod black ops, but i like to use metro as a benchmark for what future dx11 games may hold, and i want to be at least 1-2 year future proof.

I'm having a real hard time justifying $220 vs $165 for an extra 256mb of ram. Now I have just found out about EVGA's step up program, so after 3 months if the card isn't cutting it, would it be worth it and take advantage of the program?
 
Be sure to get a card with -AR (lifetime warranty) part number suffix if you plan to Step Up. Others with -TR (2-year warranty) are not eligible.

MSRP on the 768MB versions have dropped $20 at EVGA's store.
 
Be sure to get a card with -AR (lifetime warranty) part number suffix if you plan to Step Up. Others with -TR (2-year warranty) are not eligible.

Where do you read this? I see this nowhere. Here the -TR model I am considering is at least eligible to step-up too: http://www.evga.com/stepup/, but as for stepping up from I see nothing about -AR as a requirement:

Q: What is an eligible card?
A: For a card to be eligible for the step up program it must meet the following requirements;

* It must be an EVGA graphics card. Cards from other manufactures will not be accepted.
* You must have purchased the card, and be the original owner of the card. Cards obtained as prizes, through EVGA recertification program, cards purchased used and cards originally issued as review units, etc. are not eligible.
* Card must be in working order and free of cosmetic and physical defects.
* Card must be registered with EVGA. The registration information (name, address, phone, etc) must match the original invoice.
* Card must have been purchased with in the 90 days preceding your request for step up.
* Card must be returned with all original materials and packaging.
* Please make sure that the card is professionally packed and secured before shipping back to EVGA
* Cards obtained as part of a complete system from a non approved system vendor are not eligible.
* Only certain system integrators are currently eligible for the Step-Up™ Program.
* For customers who receive their card as part of a complete computer system, only the card and any associated cables will be required.
* This Step-Up™ Program is not valid with any other offers, promotions, etc.
 
Does anyone know if I buy the 460 768mb if I can use the step-up program? Also, if I buy it now for $170 from tiger direct, and and the price of the 480 goes down (it should in 3 months, right?), I will still get $170 minus whatever the price of the $480 is in the future, correct?
 
Does anyone know if I buy the 460 768mb if I can use the step-up program? Also, if I buy it now for $170 from tiger direct, and and the price of the 480 goes down (it should in 3 months, right?), I will still get $170 minus whatever the price of the $480 is in the future, correct?

What's your PSU? Can it handle a GTX 460, let alone a GTX 480?
 
Where do you read this? I see this nowhere. Here the -TR model I am considering is at least eligible to step-up too: http://www.evga.com/stepup/, but as for stepping up from I see nothing about -AR as a requirement:

Q: What is an eligible card?
A: For a card to be eligible for the step up program it must meet the following requirements;

* It must be an EVGA graphics card. Cards from other manufactures will not be accepted.
* You must have purchased the card, and be the original owner of the card. Cards obtained as prizes, through EVGA recertification program, cards purchased used and cards originally issued as review units, etc. are not eligible.
* Card must be in working order and free of cosmetic and physical defects.
* Card must be registered with EVGA. The registration information (name, address, phone, etc) must match the original invoice.
* Card must have been purchased with in the 90 days preceding your request for step up.
* Card must be returned with all original materials and packaging.
* Please make sure that the card is professionally packed and secured before shipping back to EVGA
* Cards obtained as part of a complete system from a non approved system vendor are not eligible.
* Only certain system integrators are currently eligible for the Step-Up™ Program.
* For customers who receive their card as part of a complete computer system, only the card and any associated cables will be required.
* This Step-Up™ Program is not valid with any other offers, promotions, etc.


EVGA Step-Up Terms

-"Only graphics cards carrying limited lifetime warranty will be eligible"

caveat emptor
 
thanks staypuft! looks like i would pay $185 for the -AR version, which might only help if i decide to step-up in subtracting some costs for the 480.

btw, psu is rosewill 600w sli ready
 
I can have the EVGA GTX 460 768MB new for $165 including shipping and no rebates, and with Metro 2033 which i want to try. The next cheapest models with the 1gb seem to be over $200. Is it really worth it if I'm no a tight budget? I'd like to play 1080p, but I don't mind turning the graphics down.

It sucks, i'm so close to buying the 460 for $165 becuase it's a great deal, but i'm stuck in a loop cycle:

hmm i might as well get 460 1gb its not that much more... read more benchmarks... hmm i might as well just get the 470 its not that much more and almost as good as 480... read more benchmarks.. hmm i might as well just get the 480 and finance, its the only card that will actually play dx11 games fluidly with highest settings in 1080p... then realize WTF am i spending this much on a gfx card for!?!?... and back to 460 768mb and loop cycle starts over

PLEASE HELP!

Should I just tough it out on my 9800gt and wait for prices to come down?

Simply put, my opinion, tight budget, get the 768MB version (if you don't plan to SLI), hey you get a free game you want, and OC the crap out of it, you'll be happy.
 
Funny Post :D, @ 1920x1080 the 768MB version should be fine but dont plan on maxing settings on metro or other uber high end games as you may run into ram limitations.

I agree on 1Gb being better than 768MB for Metro 2033,

1GB makes 0 difference in Metro 2033, a 1GB card won't affect that particular game at all vs. 768MB, better to OC the cards core/shaders to improve Metro performance.
 
excellent advice thankyou brent encourage me to spend less money this is what i like to hear!

I should get a nice fps boost in crysis and bfbc2 from my 9800gt correct? i'm currently forced to play crysis in medium, 1360x768
 
1GB makes 0 difference in Metro 2033, a 1GB card won't affect that particular game at all vs. 768MB, better to OC the cards core/shaders to improve Metro performance.
well I checked vram usage and it most certainly is above 768mb at 1920x1080 on high settings with no AA. so I cant imagine it always being smooth at those settings and certainly not on very high with AA or tessellation. I think getting a 768mb card for that res for long term use is not very wise plus you are getting less memory bandwidth and rop performance too.
 
well I checked vram usage and it most certainly is above 768mb at 1920x1080 on high settings with no AA. so I cant imagine it always being smooth at those settings and certainly not on very high with AA or tessellation. I think getting a 768mb card for that res for long term use is not very wise plus you are getting less memory bandwidth and rop performance too.

NOT what I want to hear! lol jk, i appreciate feedback. Honestly i played the metro demo on my 9800gt 512mb on mostly high settings (dx10 of course) and it played really well so i imagine the 460 768 may suit my needs. Otherwise the -AR 1gb model is $230 vs -AR 768 model is $185 with an additional $10 mir.

If im going to spend $230, there is a 5850 for $250... oh god... the loop cycle, its happening again this time its taking different forms helllp
 
1GB is probably a good idea if you plan on running SLI, then you with have the pixel pushing power to run settings that will need 1GB. 768MB if you only want one card.
 
1GB is probably a good idea if you plan on running SLI, then you with have the pixel pushing power to run settings that will need 1GB. 768MB if you only want one card.

I don't plan on SLI, only one PCIx16 here.

You may find this chart interesting. Note also the 1GB version has more ROPs than the 768MB, as well as 256-bit bus. Memory quantity aside, the cards are very similar but not identical.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Axle/GeForce_GTX_460_768_MB/27.html

So there does appear to be a memory wall, if you crank up AA. AA is very memory intensive.

Thanks, but I don't see them turning up the AA, just increasing res, at low res they seem equal but at higher res huge difference.

Can anyone tell me since I am 1920x1080, should I be comparing to 1900x1200 or 1680x1050
 
768MB only if you want one card, and planning on keeping it for a while (2+ years). 1GB should retain their resale value better than 768MB.
 
I don't plan on SLI, only one PCIx16 here.



Thanks, but I don't see them turning up the AA, just increasing res, at low res they seem equal but at higher res huge difference.

Can anyone tell me since I am 1920x1080, should I be comparing to 1900x1200 or 1680x1050
even at 1680 the 768mb model is already at a disadvantage in some games. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/07/12/nvidia-geforce-gtx-460-graphics-card-review/10


again its the reduced ROPs and memory bandwidth in addition to the reduced memory that can hurt the cards performance. I just don't see the point in getting a card that is gimped right from the get go at 1920 for several games.
 
I'm only seeing a average 3 fps difference at the highest res...


I'm not too impressed with many of theses benchmarks in crysis:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...sk=view&id=559&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=8
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-gf104-fermi,2684-8.html

should I even be expecting a nice performance gain switching from a 9800gt?
 
well I checked vram usage and it most certainly is above 768mb at 1920x1080 on high settings with no AA. so I cant imagine it always being smooth at those settings and certainly not on very high with AA or tessellation. I think getting a 768mb card for that res for long term use is not very wise plus you are getting less memory bandwidth and rop performance too.

The question becomes how much does not having enough video ram affect a game. I know with my 320mb 8800GTS, some games ran like crap because of lack of video ram, whilst others were perfectly fine. COD4 in reviews used in the 500mb range at the same settings I'd play at, but it'd run fine with my 320mb card. Other games like DIRT and Gears of War would run better on lower end cards which had 512mb.

Personally I bought a 768mb GTX460. I bought it because the 1gb version was almost 30% more expensive and even at 1920x1080 that I play, the 1gb version sure as hell wasn't 30% better. It cost me not much more than the higher end 5770s. But that said, I dont intend to hold on to it for a long time, its only to keep me satisfied until the higher end cards get their shit together and actually become worth buying.
 
ok so now i am looking at a xfx 5830 for $200. it seems to be right in between the price difference of 460 768 and 1 gb, it has 1gb, i like the lifetime warranty, and it looks sexy. is this card a good compromise
 
ok so now i am looking at a xfx 5830 for $200. it seems to be right in between the price difference of 460 768 and 1 gb, it has 1gb, i like the lifetime warranty, and it looks sexy. is this card a good compromise

No because you can probably overclock the 460 to performance that you will never see on the 5830 even if overclocked. They overclock well but not as well as either of the 460 models. BTW there is a 2gb GTX 460 for around the same price as the 1gb model current with rebate for $229.99 here. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261077

That may make you feel more comfortable in spending the extra 20-30 bucks ;)
 
ok so now i am looking at a xfx 5830 for $200. it seems to be right in between the price difference of 460 768 and 1 gb, it has 1gb, i like the lifetime warranty, and it looks sexy. is this card a good compromise

At that price no. I heard that it's on sale for $150AR but I don't know about that or what company it is. I know there is/was a $170AR HIS model on sale on newegg recently.

Personally I'd just wait for the 6xxx series coming out as soon as October, but I understand that you may not be able to wait that long. If you can somehow swing it though, that series may drive down the price of everything else and maybe you could get a 1GB 460GTX or HD5830 for cheaper or even get a 6xxx card.
 
hmm... i found a diablotek 5850 for $250.


according to this it would be better than the more expensive 470 (at least good enough for metro)?
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/04/05/metro_2033_directx_11_gameplay_performance_iq/4

Seems to me like you are stuck in the "loop" again, cycling through options. ;)

You seem especially focused on Metro 2033, in which case go for a GTX card because Metro 2033 is biased in their favor. Also your PSU is a bit iffy... Rosewill? It's probably okay for a GTX 460 at least, but you may want to see how many amps it gets on the 12V rail and to make sure it has 2 PCIe six-pin connectors, just to be safe. Some cheaper no-name PSUs (Rosewill is inhouse Newegg but I doubt they subcontract it out to a high-quality company) can't provide reliable, sustained power up to their rated wattage.
 
ok so now i am looking at a xfx 5830 for $200. it seems to be right in between the price difference of 460 768 and 1 gb, it has 1gb, i like the lifetime warranty, and it looks sexy. is this card a good compromise

If you don't mind turning down the graphics and your budget is tight, then GTX 460 768MB is sufficient. The 1Gb version gives you more headroom for growth - SLI, multi-monitor surround gaming, more performance with future games.
 
haha the loop is killling my brain cells!!!

i honestly probably won't even buy metro unless it comes free with the card, i only like to use it as a reference for what future directx11 games may require.

and since alot of people said with 1920x1080 res and the vram maxing out at 768, wouldn't the 5830 with 1gb be a better choice? even if metro is gtx biased, would the 1gb of the 5830 offer more in other games at higher resolution?
 
haha the loop is killling my brain cells!!!

i honestly probably won't even buy metro unless it comes free with the card, i only like to use it as a reference for what future directx11 games may require.

and since alot of people said with 1920x1080 res and the vram maxing out at 768, wouldn't the 5830 with 1gb be a better choice? even if metro is gtx biased, would the 1gb of the 5830 offer more in other games at higher resolution?

no it'll still run beter on the GTX 460 768MB, as previously mentioned if metro is your guide for dx11 future proofing look at the GTX 460 768mb/1gb/2gb and up. All cards there and above are great. Whether AMD or nvidia

To keep it simple and limit your loop

on ATI/AMD 5850/5870/5970 or wait for amd 6000 series due out Quarter 4 of this year (Oct-Dec)

on Nvidia GTX460 768/1g/2g/GTX470/GTX480 or wait for amd 6000 series due out Quarter 4 of this year (Oct-Dec)

Dont look below any of those cards

When the 6000 series hits several things are bound to happen 1. There will be new kick ass cards from AMD to consider 2. Nvidia's prices will drop and you may be able to get a 470 for about $250 any day and a GTX 480 for around $300-$350
 
haha the loop is killling my brain cells!!!

i honestly probably won't even buy metro unless it comes free with the card, i only like to use it as a reference for what future directx11 games may require.

and since alot of people said with 1920x1080 res and the vram maxing out at 768, wouldn't the 5830 with 1gb be a better choice? even if metro is gtx biased, would the 1gb of the 5830 offer more in other games at higher resolution?

At 19x12 resolution for Metro 2033, I would prefer more VRAM:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Axle/GeForce_GTX_460_768_MB/27.html

The 768MB just runs into a brick wall at the tested setting, though you COULD just turn off AA and save a load of VRAM usage in the process and thus make it usable again... also, none of those framerates are really playable anyway.

But a better-though-costlier choice is the GTX 460 or GTX 470 or to wait and see what HD6xxx does to prices for GTX cards. Or to simply turn off AA! If you do then 460GTX-768MB might be more viable.
 
I say get whatever is decent at a cheap price. I picked up the 768MB GTX 460 because I got it for $121 after all discounts. There was a deal about a week back for a $146 768MB version (evga) w Metro 2033.

I would wait till the next hot deal on the 768MB version. There will always be better cards and over the long haul, prices will just keep dropping
 
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