With the GTS 450 we get a compact, low noise, cool running card which in single GPU mode often exceeds the performance of the 5750 and on occasion exceeds the 5770. We were able to game at a minimum of 1680x1050 throughout this review and on more than one occasion the GTS 450 allowed us to hit 1920x1080 with 8x anti-aliasing without any framerate issues.
In addition to this impressive performance in “standard" gaming tests with DirectX 9, 10, 10.1 and 11 we also have the option to take advantage of PhysX and 3D Vision on the GTS 450. In both of those tests the results achieved exceeded our expectations. In Mafia 2, the game which makes best use of PhysX to date, we were able to play at 1920x1080 with maximum in-game settings. Then moving to Batman: Arkham Asylum with maximum PhysX we were able to combine a 1680x1050 resolution with 3D Vision for an experience which far exceeds that available on the competition from AMD.
Looking specifically at the Palit model and its performance in SLI we have the fastest GTS 450 available and with the great scaling provided by NVIDIA's drivers two of these cards combine to exceed the 5770 in CrossFire, often by a significant amount. Palit also give us an efficient, low noise cooler and compact PCB design which makes it ideal for installing in HTPC environments. When we add to that a selection of outputs which exceed the reference card it is clear that Palit's GTS 450 is a hugely desirable product.
Summary
The GTS 450 had an impact on the midrange market before it was even released, forcing the competition to adjust their pricing in order to compete. Looking at single card framerates the Palit GTS 450 generally sits between the 5750 and 5770 but in terms of features it is far superior to the competition from AMD. For those who buy two things are a little different though as the SLI system offers far better performance than 2x5770 in CrossFire.
