MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC Video Card Review

Conclusions

NVIDIA has finally produced a good DirectX 11 GPU, providing a far better value than the overpriced GeForce GTX 465. In fact, with the release of the GeForce GTX 460, buying a GeForce GTX 465 makes even less sense.

The reviewed model from MSI was up to 7% faster than the standard GeForce GTX 460 with 768 MB, comes with a better cooling solution, and allows you to increase the GPU voltage, a nice feature for the serious overclocker. Being only USD 10 more than the standard GeForce GTX 260 with 768 MB, we believe it is worthwhile to pay a little bit more and get this particular model.

The MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC could beat the Radeon HD 5830 in almost all tests. On Crysis Warhead the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC was between 12% and 20% faster, on Far Cry 2 the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC was between 7% and 18% faster, on Aliens vs. Predator the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC was between 9% and 11% faster, and on Metro 2033 the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC was between 9% and  12% faster. On Darkest of Days with PhysX set to “low” (i.e., physics calculations being performed by the CPU) the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC was 92% faster than the Radeon HD 5830, with the difference between the two skyrocketing when we configure the graphics card to perform the physics calculations, since graphics chips from AMD/ATI don’t support PhysX.

The only tie we saw was on Call of Duty 4, when both achieved the same performance level, but at 2560×1600 the Radeon HD 5830 was 6% faster. And on 3DMark Vantage, the Radeon 5830 was between 12% and 16% faster than the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC with image quality settings disabled, but the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC was 4% faster at 1680×1050 and 6% faster at 1920×1200 with image quality settings maxed out. At 2560×1600 with image quality settings at their maximum, however, the Radeon HD 5830 was 7% faster.

That said, the MSI N460GTX Cyclone 768D5/OC is a terrific video card if you have around USD 200 to spend.