Legit Video Card Reviews
Zotac GeForce GTX 470 Video Card Review
| Manufacturer: | Zotac |
| Product: | GTX 470 |
| Date: | Fri, Jun 04, 2010 - 12:00 AM |
| Written By: | Chris Morrell - |
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Conclusion
This particular sample retails for around $350 USD which is about $50 USD less than the HD 5870. Keep in mind the HD 5850 is also priced currently around $325 which places it slightly below the GTX 470. Factoring in initial cost of ownership and performance and the GTX 470 looks like a decent value, but that doesn't tell the entire story. With graphic cards climbing in power consumption lately we have hit a new high with cards electrically limited by the PCIe standards put in place. Luckily the GTX 470 isn't rated that high with only 215w TDP from the factory. However when you add it to the system power consumption..
Kapow! Power consumption is that one nasty evil that has been slowly creeping into public awareness over the last couple of years. The "green" movement could tarnish the luster of the GTX 470 with its massive draw from the wall. Even though the GTX 470 seriously pumps up the performance compared to the HD 5870 it comes off as a power hog. Part of this is due to the fact that most games nowadays render in the triple digits on both cards and the GTX 470 comes off as overkill. Then consider the 35% overclock we were able to achieve with the stock cooler and overkill seems like an understatement. At stock clocks NVIDIA rates the GTX 470 at 215w and with a little guesstimation we can say when overclocked it is closer to 270w. Now can you imagine putting two of these cards in your case in order to utilize 3D Vision? If you aren't already best friends with the local power company you soon will be.
So at the end of the day how do the cards fall? If you are willing to stomach the power bill and ignore the furnace burning away in your case the Zotac GeForce GTX 470 looks like a very attractive option. If you are a bit conscious about your power consumption though it may be worth paying a slight premium now for the ATI Radeon HD HD 5870 or purchasing the less expensive Radeon HD 5850. Keep in mind though how often you run your system loaded versus at idle. So in conclusion the Zotac GeForce GTX 470 video card is a solid video card albeit hot and a bit hungry.
Legit Bottom Line: ZOTAC's GeForce GTX 470 video card is fast at stock speeds, even faster when overclocked, and a competitor in the $300+ price range.
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Page 1 - Zotac GeForce GTX 470
Page 2 - Box and Bundle Page 3 - Test Configuration Page 4 - Test Results Page 5 - Overclocking Results Page 6 - Conclusion |
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