The Radeon RX 460 graphics card from AMD is a superb alternative for build-your-own-PC enthusiasts looking to save some money. With a starting price of about $150, depending on the retailer, it has a significant performance and excellent compatibility.
The 460 could be, in a way, the low-budget sister of the R9 390, currently selling for about $200.
This card directly competes with the GeForce GTX 970 from NVIDIA, the undisputable market leader at this point.
AMD suffers the same fate with both GPUs and CPUs. Seemingly relegated to second place, consumers tend to steer toward Intel. However, the company has received more praise in the graphics department, especially with GPUs such as this one.
Features and specifications
With a 1220Mhz Core Clock, the RX 460 is capable of delivering excellent 1080p quality on most titles and ‘exceptional’ DirectX 12 support, the latter according to AMD’s website.
The current market standard, called the DD Edition, offers 896 Stream Processors, 7000 MHz Memory Clock, 4GB of 128-bit GDDR5 memory, and support for HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.3 for monitors with up to a 4K resolution at 120Hz.
The card comes in a FinFET 14nm form factor that’s bound to provide a no-noise experience in every case while also preventing overheating. The latter, however, is still subject to the overall build of the PC.
The RX 460 is a great solution for gamers on a budget
Featuring AMD’s signature GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture, the RX 460 has been around for almost a year, and many reviewers name it the go-to choice for an entry level graphics card. However, many others disagree.
Thanks to its features, the RX 460 will perform at its best with DirectX 12 and Vulkan games. A title such as Resident Evil 7, for example, might reach about 100 fps when in medium quality (1920 x 1080), while another like Overwatch might only get to 50 fps at the same resolution.
Players should then take into consideration the type of system they intend to build (or upgrade). Nevertheless, the card does offer some general advantages like less power consumption, which peaks at 75 watts.
Competitive gamers might make the most of it
Most reviewers agree that those players who do not require extreme resolutions, but only reliable performance, could benefit the most from this card. Usually, this consumer crowd includes e-sports and popular competitive games.
Recent examples could be the Counter-Strike series, Dota, League of Legends, Grand Theft Auto, or Rocket League. The RX 460 also serves as an excellent choice for users looking to get a GPU capable of running 4K for other media, such as movies or shows, at an affordable price.
Source: XFX Force