GeForce GTS 450 O/C Roundup: Six Custom-Tuned Cards

Tweaking GeForce GTS 450's Value

A month has passed since we first put the spotlight on Nvidia’s GTS 450, comparing it to everything from the Radeon HD 4850 to the GeForce GTX 460. While the basic reference card wasn’t much of an upgrade from last year’s competing parts, its combination of low price and middling performance made it a worthy contender for new, low-cost gaming builds.

Several manufacturers were already prepared at launch to take this part to a higher level of performance, and today we examine a few examples of those efforts.

We invited all major manufacturers to show of their best parts, and six took us up on the offer. Before we move on to individual package descriptions, here’s a brief look at specification differences.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Asus ENGTS450 TOP/DI/1GD5ECS Black GTS 450Gigabyte GTS 450 GV-N450OC-1GI
GPU Clock925 MHz850 MHz830 MHz
Shader Clock1850 MHz1700 MHz1660 MHz
DRAM RateGDDR5-4000GDDR5-4000GDDR5-3608
DVIOne Dual-LinkTwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-Link
HDMIFull HDMIMini HDMIMini HDMI
DisplayPortNoneNoneNone
VGAOne 15-PinBy AdapterBy Adapter
Output AdaptersNoneDVI to HDMI DVI-I to VGAMini to Full HDMI DVI-I to VGA
Length9.3"8.5"9.1"
Height4.9"5.4"4.5"
Total Thickness1.4"2.4"1.4"
Cooler Thickness1.3"2.2"1.3"
Weight19 Ounces23 Ounces20 Ounces
PCB VersionCustomP1060 V1.03rd-party Reference
VRMFour PhasesFour PhasesFour Phases
WarrantyThree YearsThree YearsThree Years
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Header Cell - Column 0 MSI N450GTS Cyclone 1GD5/OCSparkle Calibre GTS 450 1024 MBZotac GTS 450 ZT-40502-10L
GPU Clock850 MHz850 MHz875 MHz
Shader Clock1700 MHz1700 MHz1750 MHz
DRAM RateGDDR5-4000GDDR5-3800GDDR5-4000
DVITwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-LinkTwo Dual-Link
HDMIMini HDMIMini HDMIFull HDMI
DisplayPortNoneNoneFull-Size
VGABy AdapterBy AdapterBy Adapter
Output AdaptersDVI to HDMI DVI-I to VGAHDMI Cable DVI-I to VGADVI-I to VGA
Length8.3"8.5"7.5"
Height5.1"5.4"4.4"
Total Thickness1.3"2.2"1.6"
Cooler Thickness1.2"2.0"1.4"
Weight14 Ounces22 Ounces15 Ounces
PCB VersionP1060-000(B)Nvidia P1060Custom
VRMFour PhasesFour PhasesThree Phases
WarrantyThree YearsThree YearsLifetime
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Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
  • Randomacts
    Or you could just get a GTX 460.... I'm 90% sure the price will drop sometime from this friday till next friday.
    Reply
  • Why isn't the noise each card makes tested? Any company could throw a vacuum cleaner on a card and call it the fastest.
    Reply
  • carlhenry
    i have a palit gts 450 sonic (not platinum, clocked at 880MHz). very satisfied with it and can play everything (except crysis) on maximum settings @ 1680x1050. nvidia should lower the prices a bit and this card will be the bang for the buck!
    Reply
  • wribbs
    I agree Randomacts; A pimped out 450 leaves me at half mast at best. Maybe there are a few people out there that a 450 is all they want but seriously just get a 460 or 5770/5830.
    Reply
  • hemburger
    RandomactsOr you could just get a GTX 460.... I'm 90% sure the price will drop sometime from this friday till next friday.BUT I WANT ONE NOW!! >:(
    Reply
  • aznshinobi
    Well then, I guess arctic cooling can really make VGA cooling, especially since ECS and Sparkle use its cooling.
    Reply
  • jestersage
    I was hoping a GTX460 and an HD5770/5830 reference cards/price would also be included. It would have helped those considering to cards in a somewhat expanded range of choices to make a more meaningful decision.
    Reply
  • jestersage
    Interesting... I'd go for an MSI card or Zotac card then if those were my only options.

    I was hoping a GTX460 and an HD5770/5830 reference cards/price would also be included. It would have helped those considering to cards in a somewhat expanded range of choices to make a more meaningful decision.
    Reply
  • quiky87
    I would also really have liked to see than noise level in this article especially as I would consider one of these cards for an HTPC where noise is critical.
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    Agreed Noise level test would have made this article near perfect.

    Love to see a price drop....hoping to buy :D
    Reply