The NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 requires a single six-pin PCI-E power connection for proper operation. Resting at idle, the power draw consumed only 16 watts of electricity... 6W less than the ATI Radeon HD 5770, and half the amount required for the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, GTX 280, GTX 465 at idle. Once 3D-applications begin to demand power from the GPU, electrical power consumption climbed to full-throttle. Measured with 3D 'torture' load using FurMark, the GeForce GTS 450 consumed 122 watts, which nearly matches the Radeon 5770 yet still below the 8800 GT. Although GF106 Fermi GPUs features the same 40nm fabrication process as the GF100 part, it's clear that NVIDIA's GTS 450 is better suited for 'Green' enthusiasts.

In summary, a single GTS 450 offers considerable power for the money when driven at the most common monitor resolutions (1280x1024 and 1680x1050), but two GTS 460's combine extremely well to fill the $260 price point and beat several more expensive options. We tested the GTS 450 SLI set to work especially well with NVIDIA's 3D-Vision Surround technology, even when performance was modest at 1920x1080. Priced at time of launch for $129.99 the mid-level 1GB GeForce GTS 450 video card is a far better choice than AMD's $120 Radeon HD 5750, and in many cases it makes the $150 Radeon HD 5770 look unfit for its price point. Add a second video card for a grand total of $260, and there's almost nothing that competes in the segment. NVIDIA's GeForce GTS 450 is a real winner for SLI enthusiasts.

Pros:
+ Tremendous overclocking potential!
+ Cool operating temperatures at idle and load
+ SLI consumes only 32 watts of power at idle
+ Great value at $260 - easily beats Radeon 5850
+ Excellent price-to-performance cost ratio
+ Enables triple-monitor 3D Vision Surround capability
+ Fan externally exhausts heat outside of case
+ Quiet cooling fan under loaded operation
+ Outperforms Radeon 5870 in many games
+ Adds 32x CSAA post-processing detail

Cons:
- Triple-SLI not supported