I guess it really depends on what resolution he plays on. The 460 little brother card might be over the top for smaller monitors, but then again I do not see many competitive cards that will save him a lot of money on the GPU and still give him a lot of performance.
Do not understand why he would be opposed to it, but if his heart is set on a cheaper option and he games at 1680 or lower, then something less powerful will suit him as well.