Conclusion
Conclusion
NVIDIA’s launch of the GTX 460 SE didn't have anything like the usually loud and boisterous event GPU releases usually undergo. This has led to a great deal of questions surrounding this new product’s positioning in an extremely cluttered market. After pouring over the benchmark numbers over and over again, the reason behind its existence has become a bit clearer but there are still some lingering questions.
With the GTX 460 SE NVIDIA has basically given themselves a way to maximize yields from their GF104 wafers. To do this, any cores which have been deemed unsuitable for the higher-end cards have an extra SM disabled and sold as “SE” derivatives. Clock speeds have been cut as well just to make sure there is some performance separation remaining between different SKUs. The result is of course lower performance than a full-blown GTX 460 1GB but also a reduction in power consumption as well.
Performance numbers for this new SE card were interesting to say the least. At lower resolutions without AA enabled, it really doesn’t compare all that favorably to the similarly priced GTX 460 768MB. Once higher resolutions and image quality settings are used, the GTX 460 SE’s larger memory bandwidth can come into play and it begins to pull out ahead of the 768MB version – at times by significant amounts. It never does come close to matching the GTX 460 1GB but then again, it was never meant to.
One of the most redeeming qualities about this latest GF104 derivative is its ability to maintain consistent framerates when in-game detail settings are pushed to their limits. Unfortunately, the GTX 460 SE’s window of opportunity is extremely limited since its potential can only be fully realized in certain situations.
Gigabyte’s version does go a long way towards sealing this gap by upping the core clocks without a significant price increase. It's overclocking boundaries are absolutely phenomenal and when pushing the clock speeds the OC Edition can achieve, it simply goes like stink. As such, we would highly recommend Gigabyte's product if you are seriously considering the GTX 460 SE.
NVIDIA tried to thread a very fine performance needle here and nailed the target for the most part in terms of relative comparability to other products in their lineup. However, we still have to question the real use of this card. At $160 we just can’t see many people who sport 1080P or larger monitors choosing the SE over the $30 to $40 more expensive and much higher performing GTX 460 1GB. Even the HD 6850 (which can be found for under $190) proves to be more than NVIDIA’s newest card can handle. What we are seeing here is market saturation which isn’t necessarily a bad thing since it can lead to aggressive pricing structures. On the other hand, too many products at the same price point can also result in confusion on the consumer’s part.
The GTX 460 SE 1GB is a good card but it is still quite baffling to us. With it you are more likely to get consistent framerates at higher image quality settings than a GTX 460 768MB and yet there are much better options out there for high resolution, high IQ situations if you are willing to spend a bit more. If anything, this card seems like a push to hit the largest cross section of the $150 to $200 price point by catering to a niche market. Will such a strategy translate into actual sales during the lucrative Christmas shopping season? We'll just have to wait and see...