Power consumption, temperature and noise
Power consumption has always been a concern for Fermi-based products, but Gigabyte has done an excellent job of lowering under-load power draw. Whilst playing Call of Duty, the Super Overclock card consumed over 10 per cent less power than the similarly-clocked solution from KFA2.
AMD's Radeon HD 6850 and 6870 remain the preferred mid-range solutions for the eco-conscious, but Gigabyte has done well to close the gap.
Now there's a cool mid-range card if ever we saw one. Gigabyte's WindForce 2 performs admirably and is more than capable of keeping the pre-overclocked GTX 460 core cool under load.
Idling at just 26°C is impressive, but keeping the GPU temperature at 67°C after a stint of ultra-intensive Furmark is nothing short of stunning. Despite the similar clock speeds, Gigabyte's card remains a staggering 22 per cent cooler than KFA2's LTD OC.
A word on noise
The class-leading temperatures are excellent, and they're all the more impressive when you factor in the noise - or lack thereof - that's generated by the WindForce 2's dual fans.
The Gigabyte GTX 460 SOC is practically silent when idle and remains barely audible under full load. It's the most impressive combination of performance, low-noise and low temperatures we've seen on a GeForce GTX 460 thus far.
