The design and construction of this card are very solid. My biggest complaints are the fan noise (profile only allows for 40-80% control - 40% is too loud for use in idle and 80% is the loudest thing I've ever heard. The fan has .48A current which is awful high too. My biggest complaints about this card are with the fan, but the thermal performance also leaves a bit to be desired. All-in-all I love this card due to its OC and quality design, but I'm working to address the niggling issues too :) I reapplied the thermal paste and that gained about a 5-6C drop in temps, which is outstanding. I'm going to look into managing the fan profile better as well. Left to auto, it hovers in the low 70s while gaming and high 70s while benchmarking.

Despite the heat issues this card still OC's like a demon. The farthest I've gone on stock voltage so far is 830/1000 clocks. I was able to unlock voltage control with Afterburner so I'll be pushing it further too. My biggest limiting factor now, as mentioned before, is heat :( I'll post my results though :)

The only question for me that remains is what DDR5 ram modules this card uses. They were faded to the point where I could not read them. I'd love if someone could clear that up so I can get an idea of how far I can push them :)

PCB - Very Referency - Yes, that's a word now


Heatsink/Fan - Solid construction!


Fan Specs - This baby is loud - I want to see one that's quieter, more efficient, and requires less amperage...


Heatsink w/o shroud. It looks very similar to HIS IceQ5 models, but theirs have a copper base instead of direct-touch pipes


Heatsink base - Direct-touch pipes ftw :) - The pipes and base are well-finished. Many graphics card heatsinks I run into are all scuffed up, good work EVGA.

Nice thread.  So the stock heat sink is a bit bigger than the reference GTX 460 design.

staryoshi87    
Heatsink base - Direct-touch pipes ftw :)

No.  Direct touch heat pipes save money but contact is worse with the GPU due to the gaps and they usually have a somewhat rough finish.  Flat, smooth copper base FTW.  This is why any high end heat sink uses flat copper bases and cheaper ones use direct touch heat pipes.

Would be nice to see more direct-touch style bases like this:

I was reading somewhere that the memory doesn't overclock as well (Fermi) as Cypress because it gives alot of memory errors the more you push them.. so you may need to loose the timings for more error free Mhz..

staryoshi87

boredgunner

Nice thread.  So the stock heat sink is a bit bigger than the reference GTX 460 design.

staryoshi87    
Heatsink base - Direct-touch pipes ftw :)

No.  Direct touch heat pipes save money but contact is worse with the GPU due to the gaps and they usually have a somewhat rough finish.  Flat, smooth copper base FTW.  This is why any high end heat sink uses flat copper bases and cheaper ones use direct touch heat pipes.

Not with Fermi GPUs. Their IHS and core are so massive it works just like a CPU. I would understand that argument with a HD5800 series cards, but even then I'd question it. My DirectCU model from Asus worked wonders. These heatpipes are SMOOTH. No rough finish on these ones. This solution is superior to a copper base as it gets heat to the fins quicker this way.

There is no way to be sure which solution would work better, unless they make the same exact heat sink but with a flat copper base.  I still expect flat bases to offer better performance, which is why any top of the line heat sink, CPU or GPU, use flat copper bases.  Better contact with the core, but it does take longer for the heat to reach the fins since the base has to transfer heat to the heat pipes first.  

But judging by your results and my stock results, the direct touch heat pipe cooler works fine.  There are bigger problems with our cards, like the fan control for yours, the tiny fan on my GTX 480 and the unremovable grill on the GTX 480 which prevents me from securing fans onto the heat sink.

boredgunner

There is no way to be sure which solution would work better, unless they make the same exact heat sink but with a flat copper base.  I still expect flat bases to offer better performance, which is why any top of the line heat sink, CPU or GPU, use flat copper bases.  Better contact with the core, but it does take longer for the heat to reach the fins since the base has to transfer heat to the heat pipes first.  

But judging by your results and my stock results, the direct touch heat pipe cooler works fine.  There are bigger problems with our cards, like the fan control for yours, the tiny fan on my GTX 480 and the unremovable grill on the GTX 480 which prevents me from securing fans onto the heat sink.

I've used so many mid to high-end graphics cards I can eyeball a good solution at this point (~15-20 in the last year alone lol) :P I believe in the strength of direct-touch in this application.

But yeah, I hate this fan more than some sort of analogy.

How is it the temp when the fan is set to 80% in game. I use noise-canceling headphones so outside noises are not a problem for me.

Temp doesn't really matter that much for me since its exhaust plus lifetime warranty on the card. But if its Loud at idle. then its a problem. Water Cooling defeats my purpose for the gtx 460 evga. I love the looks of it. Besides i hear water cooling kits aren't compatible with the new gtx460.

Something to do with the wholes on the reference design or someone pointed out.

Direct Contact Heatpipes are all marketing, looks at gap between some of them !

Most look like they have been finished off using a "Bastard File"

Thermalright and Noctua do not use them and they make some of the best heatsinks !

The Nvidia Die is not that big under that IHS.

jj509

How is it the temp when the fan is set to 80% in game. I use noise-canceling headphones so outside noises are not a problem for me.

I don't think even noise-canceling headphones can cancel out this rampaging torrent. This fan is a power-hog and as loud or louder than any turbine I've ever used. (And I've used a lot). But in regard to your question, 80%, which is the max speed, should keep game temps pretty cool. @ Factory OC'd clocks I would wager to think you'd be in the upper 50s given solid ambient temps and airflow.

scubs

i don't get why people always complaining about fan and noise.. my 480 is relatively quiet at around 50-55% fan speed and i normally don't need to go above 60% for my cooling needs (stays below 70c most of the time when gaming).

if you want a library-silent card, then go watercooling..

Because this card cannot keep up at lower fan speeds. At 40%, which is the lowest setting, it's audible over other fans. It usually runs about 55% during games and only manages to keep the card at ~75C. At this speed, it is audible over my headphones and annoying. I do have the PC to my right though, so it may be better in an ATX case on the ground.

helmutcheese

Direct Contact Heatpipes are all marketing, looks at gap between some of them !

Most look like they have been finished off using a "Bastard File"

Thermalright and Noctua do not use them and they make some of the best heatsinks !

The Nvidia Die is not that big under that IHS.

But the IHS spreads the heat, as its name states. This heatsink is capable of transferring it more efficiently than a copper-base model IMO. I left the stock TIM in the gaps to ease the application of Diamond IC (Thickest TIM I've ever used)

thor123

I also do not get why people complain much about the noise.  I would be more annoyed at the card running at higher temps then trying to have it be silent.  I run my GTX 260 at 80% fan speed when gaming, and most games do not break 55-60.  Whereas if I left it at 40% speed most games get into the high 60s.  When that loud you can hear it from 10+ feet away but up close next to the case it is really not that bad.

It's distracting. When in idle, the GPU fan is all I hear. When watching movies, it's the same. This card needs to allow the fan profile to drop below 40%. 30% would be a nice sweet-spot. When gaming, the fan is loud to the point of distraction as well. It's a turbine blower though, so it's to be expected. I just wish they would have used a better fan with lower power consumption (5.84w on a fan is bonkers) like the new delta turbines.

All-in-all this card is great. It would make a great desktop GPU. However for my application I'm starting to think that the removal of heat from the case is not worth the high temps and noise. I chose this model because I'm running an ITX platform. However I think I'm going to end up picking up a MSI model or something similar that will run much more efficient thermally while doing so at quieter fan speeds. Even if they dump heat back in the case, I'll figure something out :P But for now I'll keep rocking this baby, as its factory OC and performance are just divine :)

I agree about the noise cancelling phones, they did not work on the 200s at 100%, so why now. That is why i pulled out the fan and duct taped a 120MM to it in stead. man that gets a lot of flow, with little noise. Of course, i kept the fan for RMA purposes...

Also, i am with you on distracting noise. When i am shooting the bad guys in games, i prefer to do so in peace and quiet, so when i get shot back, i hear all the pretty bullet noises... but a loud fan kills the joy.

Here are some furmark temps (10 minutes runs) at the Factory OC clocks (763/950)

Auto Fan
Fan Speed: 40-65%
Ambient Temp: 23.5C
Idle Temp: 31C
Load Temp: 84C

Max Fan
Fan Speed: 80%
Ambient Temp: 23.5C
Idle Temp: 28C
Load Temp: 76C

Overclock 860/1050
Fan Speed: 80%
Ambient Temp: 23.5C
Idle Temp: 29C
Load Temp: 86C

While not terrible, 65% is a bit loud to be managing a toasty 84C. These cards are rated for 104C, so it isn't in any danger, but it's annoying to me when it's shooting back out into my living room :P 76C at 80% would be fine if it were within reason on the noise front. It's blasting off! lol

I just ordered the MSI GTX 460 1GB OC model (Cyclone). I'll be putting out another review with a comparison of the two cards. Whichever one strikes the best balance of GPU and ambient temperature, noise, and overclocking ability will be the card I keep :)

I would like to do some testing @ 675/900 so potential buyers would get an idea of where that card will fall too. I need to find out what its default voltage is though, as I cannot go below 0.987 using afterburner :/