MSI GTX460 HAWK Talon Attack Vs Powercolor HD5770 CrossFireX

Allan 'Zardon' Campbell October 18, 2010 Featured Tech Reviews, Graphics

KitGuru has been a vocal advocate of the GTX 460 – we believe it is the best value for money card on the market right now. Equally so we have also been singing the praises of AMD's HD5770 since it was released, especially as a paired up, high performance, low cost Crossfire solution. What better than taking prime examples of each set up, clocking them to extremes and launching them at each other, using KitGuru's Large Hadron Benchmark Collider? Don your safety gear and let the smashing begin!

We already know that two HD5770‘s are comfortably faster than a standard GTX460, but can they continue to outperform a card that can feasibly overclock to 1ghz on the core? I wrote this introduction before I attempted to overclock the new MSI card, so I hope I can get close to their claims.

Our normal graphics card review format will be thrown on its head for this review, we are going to overclock the MSI GTX 460 HAWK ‘Talon Attack' as far as it will go first then pit it in a reference and overclocked state against the two PowerColor single slot HD5770's.

The Powercolor HD 5770 cards cost around £125 each inc vat, and the MSI GTX 460 HAWK Talon Attack is available on pre-order for £200 inc vat. If things go well for MSI's Talon Attack, then it would have the price AND performance advantage. There's a lot at stake here!

First let us have a look at the two contenders …

The Powercolor HD 5770 cards are shipped in a similar box to those we have seen from the company before, featuring a rather annoyed looking dude loaded down with weapons. There's an ass-kicking in the air, but is this guy a giver or receiver?

The bundle includes literature on installation, a software CD, power converter, VGA adapter and crossfire cable. No free games are included.

Much like the XFX HD5770 that we looked at recently the Powercolor card is single slot, although PowerColor have opted for a traditional red PCB rather than black.

There is a single dual link DVI connector as well as HDMI and Displayport out.

The Powercolor cooler is an unusual length, with a section of the fan overhanging the PCB area. It requires a single 6 pin power connector for operation.

The cards are clocked at 850 mhz core and 1200mhz on the memory, which is the reference AMD recommended specifications.

If MSI's Talon Attack had theme music, it would probably sound something like this. The HAWK range has always had aircraft symbolism and the Talon Attack version is no different – a stealth bomber takes centerstage.

The box opens up into a beautiful gatefold presentation piece which is very attractive. We will get into the technical data in a few minutes.

The package contains literature on the card, a software disc, power convertors and V check point cables. There is also a guarantee that the card has passed MSI's stringent tests in the factory before shipping.

The first thing we noticed was the weight of the card, caused by the all metal cooling system (called Twin FrozrII). It is an extremely attractive design and really does catch the eye.

The cooler comprises four, heavy duty heatpipes running from either side of the cooler to the dual fan system, which spreads the air flow across the full length.

Once the cooler is removed we can get a closer look at the underside of the nickel plated copper base. The dual 80mm fans are ideally situated to force high levels of air across all the components. MSI are calling the heatpipes ‘SuperPipe Technology' – they are also coated to help improve heat dissipation.

The card offers dual link DVI connectors with a mini HDMI port to cover digital connectivity. It is SLI capable and requires two 6 pin power feeds to operate. There are also three V check points here to utilise with the cables supplied.

As with all high end MSI products,they are using ‘military class components' with a triple overvoltage option controllable via software. The standard overclocked MSI HAWK card is supplied at 780 mhz core, 3600 mhz memory and 1590mhz shader, but this special limited Talon Attack edition is pushed even higher to 810 mhz core, 3900 mhz memory and 1620 mhz shader. These are some seriously impressive ‘out of the box' speeds, although not quite as high as the eVGA GTX460 FTW we reviewed last week (850/4000/1700mhz).

The Talon Attack features a 7+1 Phase PWM design for higher current and overclocking capabilities with enhanced stability. Super Ferrite Chokes are used for 30% higher current capacity and 10% higher Power Efficiency Improvement. The design is all Solid CAP for longer lifespan and HI-C Caps provide more precise GPU voltage. Additionally MSI are using Active Phase Switching to help save power usage by controlling the PWM automatically. MSI are using Hynix 0.4ns GDDR5 memory.

Overclocking the PowerColor HD5770 single slot cards was a straightforward process and we tested each card individually.

As these are single slot cards the cooler has a lot more work to do to maintain a stable environment. We managed to get one of the cards to 890mhz on the core while the other achieved 880mhz. Both cards maxed out at 1240mhz with the memory, these figures are almost identical to the XFX HD5770 single slot results we reviewed in August.

When we use these cards later in an overclocked CrossfireX state we will set them to 880mhz core and 1240mhz on the memory.

Overclocking the MSI GTX 460 HAWK Talon Attack was a slightly more complex routine than normal, as MSI Afterburner software allows you to unlock various voltage settings within the software.

Pushing the voltage on the core as far as it would go we managed to get it stable at an incredible 1ghz ! with memory topping out at 4000mhz effective. Shader values also increased from 1620mhz to 2000mhz. Incredible results.

When the card is under full load there is an LED readout on the back of the card (see picture above) which shows the current being delivered. This picture was taken during a run of Unigine Heaven Benchmark.

We will look at the temperatures in more detail later in the review.

For the review today we have built a strong system which we feel would fit in well with the audience purchasing either of these cards. We are using a Core i7 950 Quad Core CPU with 6GB of Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR3 memory. We have applied a moderate overclock to the processor because we know you guys never run anything at reference speeds!

We are also going to limit testing to 1920×1080 (1080) and 1920×1200 as less than 1% of the enthusiast user base reading this will have a 30 inch screen – this will address the widest possible audience.

MSI GTX 460 HAWX Talon Attack 1GB
PowerColor HD5770 x2

Other Hardware:
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 @ 3.6ghz
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 13
Motherboard: ASRock X58 Extreme 6
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tracer 1600mhz 6GB (3x2GB)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W Toughpower Grand
Chassis: Cooler Master CM 690 II
Monitor: Dell Ultrasharp U2410 (A00)

Software:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
Unigine Heaven Benchmark
Stone Giant
3DMark Vantage
HQV Benchmark
Catalyst 10.9 Driver
Fraps Professional
Steam Client
FurMark
Forceware 260.89 beta

Technical Monitoring and Test Equipment:
Keithley Integra unit
Thermal Diodes
Raytek Laser Temp Gun 3i LSRC/MT4 Mini Temp
Extech digital sound level meter & SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter

Games:
Resident Evil 5
Far Cry 2
Tom Clancy H.A.W.X.
Metro 2033
Alien V Predator

All the latest BIOS updates and drivers are used during testing. We perform under real world conditions, meaning KitGuru tests all games across five closely matched runs and average out the results to get an accurate median figure.

Unigine provides an interesting way to test hardware. It can be easily adapted to various projects due to its elaborated software design and flexible toolset. A lot of their customers claim that they have never seen such extremely-effective code, which is so easy to understand.

Heaven Benchmark is a DirectX 11 GPU benchmark based on advanced Unigine engine from Unigine Corp. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. Interactive mode provides emerging experience of exploring the intricate world of steampunk.

Efficient and well-architected framework makes Unigine highly scalable:

Multiple API (DirectX 9 / DirectX 10 / DirectX 11 / OpenGL) render
Cross-platform: MS Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7) / Linux
Full support of 32bit and 64bit systems
Multicore CPU support
Little / big endian support (ready for game consoles)
Powerful C++ API
Comprehensive performance profiling system
Flexible XML-based data structures

1080p is a standard resolution we use with the Heaven Benchmark on all graphics cards, this means all review results are comparible throughout previous months.

Shaders are set to high, Tessellation to normal, anistrophy to 4 and Anti Aliasing is disabled.

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

At reference speeds, the PowerColor HD5770 CFx has the edge by a couple of frames per second, although minimum frame rates are almost identical.

Efficient and well-architected framework makes Unigine highly scalable:

Multiple API (DirectX 9 / DirectX 10 / DirectX 11 / OpenGL) render
Cross-platform: MS Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7) / Linux
Full support of 32bit and 64bit systems
Multicore CPU support
Little / big endian support (ready for game consoles)
Powerful C++ API
Comprehensive performance profiling system
Flexible XML-based data structures

1080p is a standard resolution we use with the Heaven Benchmark on all graphics cards, this means all review results are comparible throughout previous months.

Shaders are set to high, Tessellation to normal, anistrophy to 4 and Anti Aliasing is disabled.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

After overclocking to 1ghz on the GTX460 core, the MSI Talon Attack card manages to claim a 2.5fps advantage. This is an incredible result for the MSI board beating two HD5770's in CFx.

Futuremark released 3DMark Vantage, on April 28, 2008. It is a benchmark based upon DirectX 10, and therefore will only run under Windows Vista (Service Pack 1 is stated as a requirement) and Windows 7. This is the first edition where the feature-restricted, free of charge version could not be used any number of times. 1280×1024 resolution was used with performance settings.

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

At reference speeds the Crossfire solution outperforms the single MSI GTX460 Talon Attack Edition by around 2,400 points, an easy enough victory.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

When overclocked the scores are much closer, with the MSI card closing the gap to around 400 points.

Stone Giant is a 3rd party Direct X 11 benchmark developed by BitSquid and FatShark to demonstrate the benefits of pervasive tessellation in a game setting. BitSquid is a start up formed in 2009 from the lead engineers at GRIN, who were the developers of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (and others). Their publisher, FatShark, is based in Sweden and recently released ‘Lead and Gold” on Steam.

This benchmark uses tessellation extensively and DirectCompute to render high quality depth of field with soft bokeh.

We run this benchmark at 1920×1080 today with tessellation set to high. Aspect ratio is automatic and window mode is disabled.

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

This is a very heavy tessellation based benchmark which always runs well on nVidia hardware. We can see that the Crossfire solution struggles to even reach an average of 30fps whereas the MSI card is comfortably sitting at 54fps.

This benchmark uses tessellation extensively and DirectCompute to render high quality depth of field with soft bokeh.

We run this benchmark at 1920×1080 today with tessellation set to high. Aspect ratio is automatic and window mode is disabled.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

The distance seperates even further when overclocked with the MSI card gaining another 7 fps when compared to the Crossfire based HD5770 configuration, which still fails to reach an average result of 30fps.

HQV Benchmark 2.0 is an updated version of the original tool and it consists of various video clips and test patterns which are designed to evalute motion correction, de-interlacing, decoding, noise reduction, detail enhancement and film cadence detection.

There are two versions of the program, standard definition on DVD and high definition on Bluray. As our audience will be concentrating on HD content so will we.

This has a total of 39 video tests which is increased from 23 in the original and the scoring is also up from a total of 130 to 210. As hardware and software gets more complicated, the software has been tuned to make sure we can thoroughly maximise our analysis.

Read our initial analysis over here.

	eVGA GTX460	AMD HD5870
Dial	4	4
Dial with static pattern	5	5
Gray Bars	5	5
Violin	5	5
Stadium 2:2	5	5
Stadium 3:2	5	5
Horizontal Text Scroll	5	5
Vertical Text Scroll	5	5
Transition to 3:2 Lock	5	5
Transition to 2:2 Lock	5	0
2:2:2:4 24 FPS DVCAM Video	5	5
2:3:3:2 24 FPS DVCam Video	5	5
3:2:3:2:2 24 FOS Vari-Speed	5	5
5:5 FPS Animation	5	5
6:4 12 FPS Animation	5	5
8:7 8 FPS Animation	5	5
Interlace Chroma Problem (ICP)	5	5
Chroma Upsampling Error (CUE)	5	5
Random Noise: Sailboat	5	5
Random Noise: Flower	5	5
Random Noise: Sunrise	5	5
Random Noise: Harbour Night	5	5
Scrolling Text	5	5
Roller Coaster	5	5
Ferris Wheel	5	5
Bridge Traffic	5	5
Text Pattern/ Scrolling Text	5	5
Roller Coaster	5	5
Ferris Wheel	5	5
Bridge Traffic	5	5
Luminance Frequency Bands	5	5
Chrominance Frequency Bands	5	5
Vanishing Text	5	5
Resolution Enhancement	15	15
Theme Park	5	5
Driftwood	5	2
Ferris Wheel	3	5
Skin Tones	3	7
Total	195	193

The latest nVidia drivers have upped the image quality and AMD are still having issues with the Transition to 2:2 lock. This test failure alone on the AMD side means that the GTX460 scores 195 points compared to 193 points for the HD5770. We are glad to see that the Stadium 2:2 test and the Luminance Frequency Bands test are a pass with the eVGA board – because the recent Zotac GT430 failed both these tests.

Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as Biohazard 5, is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.A Windows version of the game was released on September 15, 2009 in North America, September 17 in Japan and September 18 in Europe. Resident Evil 5 revolves around Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as they investigate a terrorist threat in Kijuju, a fictional town in Africa.

Within its first three weeks of release, the game sold over 2 million units worldwide and became the best-selling game of the franchise in the United Kingdom. As of December, 2009, Resident Evil 5 has sold 5.3 million copies worldwide since launch, becoming the best selling Resident Evil game ever made.

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

Resident Evil 5 is well known to run better on AMD graphics solutions, with the Powercolor HD5770 Crossfire solution outperforming the single MSI GTX 460 card by 18 fps.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

After pushing both GTX460 and HD5770's to the limit we can see that the gulf narrows considerably, down from 18fps to 3 fps in Avg FPS.

Far Cry 2 (commonly abbreviated as “FC2 or “fc2″) is an open-ended first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released on October 21, 2008 in North Americaand on October 23, 2008 in Europeand Australia.It was made available on Steam on October 22, 2008.Crytek, the developers of the original game, were not involved in the development of Far Cry 2.

Ubisoft has marketed Far Cry 2 as the true sequel to Far Cry, though the sequel has very few noticeable similarities to the original game. Instead, it features completely new characters and setting, as well as a new style of gameplay that allows the player greater freedom to explore different African landscapes such as deserts, jungles, and savannas. The game takes place in a modern-day East African nation in a state of anarchy and civil war. The player takes control of a mercenary on a lengthy journey to locate and assassinate “The Jackal,” a notorious arms dealer.

Far Cry 2 is still a popular game and the open world environment can be taxing on even the latest hardware available today.

Our settings: 1920×1200 (60Hz), D3D10, Fixed Time Step(No), Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(4x), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Optimal), Vegetation(High), Shading(High), Terrain(High), Geometry(High), Post FX(High), Texture(High), Shadow(High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High).

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

Far Cry 2 is another engine that runs really well on nVidia hardware/drivers and we can see the massive performance differences between two HD5770's and the single GTX460. 24fps is a huge performance gulf.

Far Cry 2 is still a popular game and the open world environment can be taxing on even the latest hardware available today.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

This is the first time we have seen over 100fps with this engine at 1920×1200 with 8AA from a single GTX460. Incredible!

Tom Clancy HAWX is set in the same universe as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter; as Captain Scott Mitchell, the Ghost leader, is featured in a few missions of the missions.Plot elements are carried over from other Tom Clancy games such as the missile defense system found in Tom Clancy’s EndWar.G4′s interview with H.A.W.X’s lead designer Thomas Simon reveals that the game takes place in between Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Tom Clancy’s EndWar.

The player begins the game in 2014 as the player assumes the role of former U.S. Air Force pilot, David Crenshaw, who is part of an elite unit called H.A.W.X (“High Altitude Warfare eXperimental squadron”), provides fire-support missions for the Ghost team carrying out covert operations in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. However, shortly after the mission, the Air Force decides to deactivate the H.A.W.X squadron and its pilots, including Crenshaw, are recruited into the PMC Artemis Global Security.

We are testing : DX 10.1 with shadows high, sun shafts high, ambient occlusion (SSAO) very high. view distance high, forest high, environment high, texture quality high, HDR on, Engine heat on and DOF on.

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

Even though the HD5770's score a couple of frames extra in the average figures the GTX460 has a 7fps advantage in the all important minimum frame rate area.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

The lead switches around when we overclock the GTX460 core to 1GHZ. An astonishing 9 fps lead averaging 92fps.

Aliens V Predator has proved to be a big seller since the release and Sega have taken the franchise into new territory after taking it from Sierra. AVP is a Direct X 11 supported title and delivers not only advanced shadow rendering but high quality tessellation for the cards on test today.

To test the cards we used a 1080p resolution with DX11, Texture Quality Very High, MSAA Samples 1, 16 af, ambient occulsion on, shadow complexity high, motion blur on. We use this with most of our graphics card testing so cards are comparible throughout reviews.

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

The HD5770's have the edge here with an 11fps frame rate advantage, it is also noticed in ‘real world' terms with overall frame rate smoothness.

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

After overclocking, the results swing in favour of the MSI GTX460 Talon Attack, although the AMD Crossfire Solution is producing slightly better minimum frame rates throughout.

The makers of Metro 2033 – 4A Games was founded by people who split off from GSC Game World a year before the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, in particular Oles’ Shiskovtsov and Aleksandr Maksimchuk, the programmers who worked on the development of X-Ray engine used in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series.The game utilizes multi-platform 4A Engine, running on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows. There is some contention regarding whether the engine is based on the pre-release X-Ray engine (as claimed by Sergiy Grygorovych, the founder of GSC Game World, as well as users who have seen the 4A Engine SDK screenshots, citing visual similarities, shared resources, and technical evaluation of the pre-release 4A Engine demo conducted at the request of GSC Game World), or whether the engine is an original development (as claimed by 4A Games and Oles’ Shiskovtsov in particular, who claims it would have been impractical to retrofit the X-ray engine with console support). 4A Engine features Nvidia PhysX support, enhanced AI, and a console SDK for Xbox 360.The PC version includes exclusive features such as DirectX 11 support and has been described as “a love letter to PC gamers” because of the developers’ choice to “make the PC version [especially] phenomenal”.

We tested at 1920×1080 with settings on default ‘normal’

Firstly we are running this benchmark with all cards at their ‘out of the box' reference clock settings.

The HD5770 configuration outperforms the single GTX460 by 3fps, minimum frame rates are virtually inseparable.

We tested at 1920×1080 with settings on default ‘normal’

Now we are running both solutions in their maximum overclocked state.

With the huge overclocks on the MSI card, the performance lead once again switches with a 3fps difference.

To test power consumption today we are using a Keithley Integra unit and we measure power consumption from the VGA card inputs, not the system wide drain. The best way to get maximum load results is by using Furmark, and even though it is not indicative of a real world situation it shows the limits the card can theoretically demand. The ‘gaming’ results are measured when playing Crysis Warhead and is a more valuable result to take from this.

The MSI card consumes around 18-19watts at idle, compared to around 14 watts each for the HD5770's. When gaming the GTX460 demands more power than both HD5770's, around 14watts. When we overclock the Talon Attack to 1ghz on the core the power consumption increases to around 160Watts, claiming an additional 15 watts over reference. Furmark demands 188 watts and 211 watts respectively from the Talon Attack, slightly more than the 201 and 204watts of the Crossfire solution.

The tests were performed in a controlled air conditioned room with temperatures maintained at a constant 24c – a comfortable environment for the majority of people reading this. These results are taken with the system built inside the Cooler Master CM 690 II which offers great airflow.

Idle temperatures were measured after sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load measurements were acquired by playing Crysis Warhead for 30 minutes and measuring the peak temperature. We also have included Furmark results, recording maximum temperatures throughout a 30 minute stress test.

The MSI Hawk Talon Attack Edition delivers an astounding set of results, peaking at 50c when gaming under reference voltage conditions, only an 8c increase. The PCB layout, component quality and cooler design are all working in tandem to deliver this amazing performance profile. With most things in life, faster means hotter, but not with the Talon Attack.

The Powercolor HD5770 single slot cards run significantly hotter, caused in part by the single slot solutions used in this design – they do run slightly cooler than the XFX HD 5770 Single slot versions we tested in August, but it comes at the expense of noise, although we detail this on the next page.

Return to ambient is a feature we have recently added to our reviews … we measure the time it takes for a solution to return to idle temperatures, immediately after full load. The faster the time (less), the better the cooler – for example a Noctua NH D14 cooler will return an Intel processor to idle temperatures much faster than a reference cooler. This is a good indication of how quickly a heatsink can dissipate heat.

The Twin FrozrII cooler returns the core to idle state in around 10 seconds which is a fantastic result. Unfortunately the single slot cooler on the HD5770's takes 27 seconds to return to idle …. this isn't an issue, but it is an inherent characteristic with such a design.

Recently we have changed our method of measuring noise levels. We have built a system inside a Lian Li chassis with no case fans and have used a fanless cooler on our CPU. We are using a heatpipe based passive power supply and an Intel SSD to keep noise levels to a minimum. The motherboard is also passively cooled. This gives us a build with completely passive cooling and it means we can measure noise of just the graphics card inside the system when we run looped 3dMark tests. Ambient noise in the room is around 20 dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation.

Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on only the video card. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

The MSI Talon Attack has been designed to deliver ultimate cooling performance and as such the noise levels are a little higher than several of the GTX460's we have tested before – the fans are set to higher than normal rpm. It isn't that noticeable until overclocked and loaded with Furmark.

The PowerColor HD 5770's can be easily heard when gaming, even in a modest enthusiast system as they generate over 41dBa. When running Furmark this rises to 46.5dBa. They run cooler than the XFX HD 5770's single slot cards we tested in August but the downside is much higher noise levels.

The whole point of a Stealth Attack Weapon is that the opposition doesn't see it until it's far too late. No tell-tale plumes from the runway monitors, no early warning detection from the satellites and no incoming sound as the missile delivers its deadly payload.

By and large, the first indication of an enemy stealth attack is the phone ringing off the wall when an outsider tries to make contact, only to find that the entire base – and everyone on it – is already dead. These Talon Attacks are deadly in just that way.

It is a common misconception that you need to spend £400 on a new GFX to game at high resolution. Roll the clock back a decade and that might have beeen true, but today's middleweights pack a hell of a punch.

Around the £200 mark ($300 inc taxes) you can purchase a weapon's grade graphic card that will power its way through any engine at 1920×1200… even with AA and all of the other IQ settings cranked to the hilt. It's time to behave like a fat kid locked in a sweet store overnight.

Today's KitGuru challenge saw the most popular soldiers from each unit come to blows. Cranked to the max, they offered a blistering gaming experience for enthusiasts without damaging your wallet, ears or electricity bill.

nVidia's initial GTX460 cards blew us away when they launched. Now that chips have been cherry-picked, coolers improved and PCB designs perfected, we're seeing something amazing. No doubt, MSI has made the market very tricky for the upcoming AMD Radeon 6000 series cards. Could the GTX460 really be enough to keep nVidia in the hearts and minds of hardcore gamers through Christmas and onto 2011? We can't wait until the new AMD cards get in the ring – can they withstand the TALON ATTACK ?

The single slot PowerColor HD5770's are fantastic cards which deserve serious consideration, especially if you are looking for a cool running gaming and media system within a confined chassis. Just be aware that under heavy load they can generate a fair amount of noise as the fans work hard to push hot air away from the PCB. Sadly, due to the cooler design, the cards don't force this air outside the chassis either, so a reasonably capable cooling system would already need to be in place to deal with ambient heat from two boards.

On a performance level the HD5770's never fail to impress and we still think that buying one of these then adding to it later is a very cost effective way to ensure that your system remains future proofed. Unfortunately with the new AMD 6 series cards due for release they may need to undergo a price drop to remain competitive. £130 for one of these cards right now doesn't seem quite as appealing as it did a few months ago. To win in this review, they would need to be less than £99 each inc vat – thats a tall order.

The PowerColor cards are retailing for around £125 inc vat each, meaning a single slot Crossfire graphics configuration is yours for £250.

The MSI GTX460 HAWK ‘Talon Attack' Edition is easily the best GTX460 card we have tested, which came as somewhat of a shock to us, especially as we expected the eVGA GTX460 ‘FTW' to hold the Number 1 mantle for a while. Already, within a week, the honours have changed hands.

In regards to performance, there is nothing to fault as this is the first GTX460 that we been able to overclock to 1ghz on the core, a monumental achievement and one that ensures it will sell extremely well.

Many people will be expecting this card to cost a lot more than a regular GTX460, but surprisingly OCUK are taking preorders for £199.99 inc vat which means that this card really should be the top of your list.

EDIT: We have found out today that the Talon Edition we reviewed was not the final version and while it featured the correct bios, the memory is not the same on the retail product, which would point to why our memory overclocks were not that impressive during our testing . You can therefore expect higher overclocks with the ‘final' product.

Still not sure where to spend your hard-earned? Then let us introduce you to a brand new purchase advice tool – the KitGuru Challenge.

In the first part of the challenge, the competitors get in the ring at stock speeds – armed only with the power the factory gave them. Scores for physical tests, synthetic tests and real world gaming are presented in a simple WIN or LOSE table.

Then, we slap each challenger to the floor and fill 'em full of Monster-Turbo-Nutter-Red-Bull clocks to see which one will be the last man standing. We're proud to present our first Challanger Charts for you today, bringing together PowerColor's radeon HD 5770 CrossFireX solution against MSI's GTX460 Talon Attack!

StockClockChallange — Radeon HD 5770 CrossFire edges out the Talon Attack 7-5 at stock speeds

MAX-OC-Challange — Crippling triple XXX result - small children should look away as the Talon Attacks.

When we look back at the review, the PowerColor HD5770 Crossfire configuration wins 7 out of 12 tests when both solutions are at reference clock speeds. When both are overclocked to the redline however, the results switch 9 to 3 in favour of the MSI GTX460 Hawk Talon Attack card.

Considering it is £50 less expensive that the HD5770's while managing to remain quieter and cooler it wins our shootout today, by a considerable margin.

KitGuru says: MSI GTX460 HAWK Talon Attack Edition is surely going to take some time to knock off the mid range perch – if any of the upcoming AMD 6000 series mid range cards can match this performance for £200 then we will be pleasantly surprised.

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