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Review: NVIDIA ASUS GeForce GTS 450 1GB graphics card

by Tarinder Sandhu on 13 September 2010, 05:05 3.5

Tags: GeForce GTS 450 1GB TOP, ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qazy6

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How we test

We've changed the system setup to better reflect the kind of setup that would house these mid-range cards. Out goes Intel's Core i7 965 and X58, replaced by Core i5 750 and P55.

We've also turned the settings down on the games and benchmarked them at 1,280x1,024, 1,680x1,050, and 1,920x1,080. NVIDIA makes noise about the GTS 450's direct competitor being the Radeon HD 5750 1,024MB, so we've included it and the two GPUs that surround it in AMD's mid-range stable.

GPU comparisons

Graphics cards Current pricing Shader model Stream processors GPU clock speed (MHz) Shader clock speed (MHz) Memory clock speed (MHz) Memory bus width (bits) Graphics driver
ASUS GeForce GTS 450 OC 1,024MB £115 5.0 192 925 1,850 4,000 128 ForceWare 260.52
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 1,024MB £99 5.0 192 783 1,566 3,608 128 ForceWare 260.52
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 768MB £130 5.0 336 675 1,350 3,600 192 ForceWare 260.52
Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 1.024MB £85 5.0 400
775 775 4,000 128 Catalyst 10.8
Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 1,024MB £105 5.0 720 700 700 4,600 128 Catalyst 10.8
HIS Radeon HD 5770 1,024MB £115 5.0 800 850 850 4,800 128 Catalyst 10.8

Test bench

CPU Intel Core i5 750 (2.67GHz, 8MB L3)
Motherboard ASUS P7P55D Premium
Motherboard BIOS 1807
Memory 4GB Kingston DDR3
Memory timings and speed 9-9-9-24-1T @ DDR3-1,333
PSU Corsair HX650W
Monitor Dell 24in 2405FPW - 1,920x1,200px
Disk drive(s) Corsair Nova V128 SSD
Operating system Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit

Benchmarks

Aliens vs. Predator DX11, 1,280x1,024, 1,680x1,050 and 1,920x1,080 resolutions, 2xAA, 8xAF, low quality.
Mafia II DX9, 1,280x1,024, 1,680x1,050 and 1,920x1,080 resolutions, 0xAA, 8xAF, medium quality
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 DX9, 1,280x1,024, 1,680x1,050 and 1,920x1,080 resolutions, 2xAA, normal quality, FRAPS-recorded benchmark.
Crysis Warhead DX10, 1,280x1,024, 1,680x1,050 and 1,920x1,080 resolutions, 0xAA, mainstream quality, Frost map, FRAPS-recorded benchmark.
DiRT 2 DX11, 1,280x1,024, 1,680x1,050 and 1,920x1,080 resolutions, 2xAA, ultra quality, London map.
Temperature To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record GPU core temperature both when idle and whilst playing Crysis Warhead. And, for a worst-case scenario, we throw in numbers from the FurMark stress test.
Power consumption To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record mains power draw both when idle and whilst playing Crysis Warhead. And, for a worst-case scenario, we throw in numbers from the FurMark stress test.
Noise Albeit not scientific, we use the tried-and-trusted human ear to share an opinion on GPU noise.