GTX 460 vs. GTX 550 Ti AMP Edition

[Rustee2011]

Hey Fellow Gamers. I'm about to purchase a new graphics card. I'm torn between the GTX 460 and the GTX 550 Ti AMP Edition. The latter is Overclocked. I currently have a Geforce 9800 GT akimbo (1GB) that has worked great for me for three years now. There is nothing wrong with my current card. I just want DDR5 memory. The 550 Ti AMP edition is overclocked. I will be going SLI when I do my new build. But for now I would be satisfied with 1GB. I have also been peeking at some ATI Radeon cards. The 450 does have a lifetime warranty. Please advise. Thanx.

 

[nforce4max]

The GTS 450 and the GTX 550 Ti are really weak cards compared to even two 9800gt in sli. Just settle for a gtx 460 or better then you will be good for a few years. Just be sure to avoid the crappy cards and you will be fine. The EE versions are something I have been eying for my second gtx 460.

 

[dirtmountain]

I only found 1 game that ran better on the 550Ti AMP then the stock GTX460 768mb, and that was a very small win. For the same price i think the GTX460 768mb is a better buy. If you get a pre-overclocked one or overclock it yourself performance would be even better.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150

*EDIT* there is a caveat, nVidia is phasing out the GTX460, you may have a tough time finding one available for retail in a few months.

 

[nforce4max]

That is why you may want to snatch one up if you are wanting a much better card. Personally it is a GTX 460 or better as the 550 ti is a very weak card. Two 9800gt in sli/crossfire supported games will run circles around it.

GTX 460/6850
GTX 570/6950 for the Russian Roulette

 

[renz496]

I only found 1 game that ran better on the 550Ti AMP then the stock GTX460 768mb, and that was a very small win. For the same price i think the GTX460 768mb is a better buy. If you get a pre-overclocked one or overclock it yourself performance would be even better.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150

*EDIT* there is a caveat, nVidia is phasing out the GTX460, you may have a tough time finding one available for retail in a few months.

nvidia will directly replace GTX460 with this:

http://www.techpowerup.com/143238/NVIDIA-Readies-Non-Ti-GeForce-GTX-560-To-Ward-Off-HD-6790-Threat.html

but there is still no words regarding pricing

 

[17seconds]

Even the massively overclocked Zotac 550 AMP! card (1000 mhz) can't compete with a reference GTX 460:

 

[Rustee2011]

Dang!!! I'm so glad I asked. Thanx so much guys for all the great answers and the much needed support. Okay. I really like Nvidia. BUT, one final query. If I do go with an ATI Radeon Card, which I have been thinking about doing. Would the HD 5870 or 6950 be better? The HD cards do give good reviews. Please advise. Thanx.

 

[17seconds]

The 6950 is way better than the 5870, mainly due to better DirectX 11 tesselation performance.

 

[plznote]

The 6950 is more expensive as it is newer, but performs on average about 5% to 10% better. They are both much faster than the 550 and the 460, But hey are high-end and the former is mid-range. The 6xxx series perform MUCH better in CF than the old 5xxx series.

 

[nforce4max]

Looks like we got another one that only recommends ati cards -_-

 

[17seconds]

Looks like we got another one that only recommends ati cards -_-

I think he's responding to the question about 4 posts above...

 

[nforce4max]

I think he's responding to the question about 4 posts above...

I was poking at your last reply. I am tired of people that only talk about one brand other the other except for when to criticize. Had my fill of this over the years.

 

[Rustee2011]

Best answer selected by Rustee2011.

 

[anupam_luv]

Even the massively overclocked Zotac 550 AMP! card (1000 mhz) can't compete with a reference GTX 460:

I am goin to buy Zotac 460 AMP .... Where would you place Zotac 460 AMP 1GB in this chart...
Do u think tht zotac chips have greater life than EVGA or palit (although I wont alter my decision... bec of shrinked budget I have) ...

Thanks
Anupam

 

[17seconds]

I am goin to buy Zotac 460 AMP .... Where would you place Zotac 460 AMP 1GB in this chart...
Do u think tht zotac chips have greater life than EVGA or palit (although I wont alter my decision... bec of shrinked budget I have) ...

Thanks
Anupam

 

[anupam_luv]

Oh thanks a lot dear... thts not bad for my choice... but can I ask u how could u find the relative chart so quickly...
Is there any way to generate the chart dynamically keepin a particular card as "base" ... I'm sure there must be some....

 

[17seconds]

Oh thanks a lot dear... thts not bad for my choice... but can I ask u how could u find the relative chart so quickly...
Is there any way to generate the chart dynamically keepin a particular card as "base" ... I'm sure there must be some....

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GTX_460_Amp_Edition/31.html

 

[anupam_luv]

Thanks.... useful link ....

But abt my second ques Im still confused.... Do u really think tht zotac chips have greater life than EVGA or palit? Im in doubt because its an excessively overclocked card and I havent seen any superclocked/OC'ed card in evga or palit etc ... that is even near to it? Also zotac isnt seem to be as popular as these brands are ?

btw I hv already ordered this card ... bec my sapphire 5770 card wis showing grey vertical lines whenever I play high end games like gta iv or crysis ..... i tried using fresh OS install (Win 7 x64) with old drivers, changed slots etc but no luck... also I hv been fed up with these AMD chips .... will never go back 2 them...

 

[17seconds]

I would not worry about the lifespan of an overclocked card. These things generally last long enough where you are looking to upgrade long before an overclocked chip even comes close to giving way. The GTX 460 is a relatively cool chip anyway, so it should have a longer lifespan than one of the higher level GTX 470's or 480's.

Good call on ditching AMD. Without lighting the flame too much, I honestly can't comprehend why otherwise well-informed consumers continue to purchase their cards. With performance/cost equal, Nvidia just offers more and has the all-important stable drivers, with real bug fixes, rather than the on-going never-gets-fixed problems with AMD drivers. Also, be sure to fire up a game with PhysX and see some of the extra effects you've been missing.

 

[anupam_luv]

Thanks 4 quick response. You're right ... but imo the first thng tht comes to ppl's mind that makes thm buy amd products is, its low cost and rich features (which they advertise exclusively) along with the low consumption ....
like me when i bought 5770 card i saw its features like eyefinity, 800 stream proc units/850 core clock/4800 mhz mem clock... and without even goin 4 for a review i bght tht card... n now its the card but its me who's feel the heat of the card... googled hundreds of queries reg freezes/vertical/grey lines in games mode (withing 1-2 minuts) but no luck, strangly its working normal otherwise...

As per physX is concernned it can also be used along with ATI drivers ... i've played many games depending on it (which ask me to install it seperately) ... like rail simulator....