Which GT 240? Or maybe GTS 250?

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reality99

Limp Gawd
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reality99 said:
I'd like to spend no more than ~$60AR and these cards seemed to fit the budget. Which would I see better performance out of? The one with 512MB DDR5 or the 1GB DDR3? It's going in a system that already has an 8800GT so it would need to use the same driver if anyone else has a different suggestions.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130537

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130533
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Look at the specs. The GT 240 is a downgrade from a 8800GT.
 
I'm keeping the 8800GT to run my 2 main monitors. The GT 240 is to run a third monitor and a TV. Nothing intense on the TV/third monitor-I just want something that can play movies clearly without lagging etc. I have to upgrade mobos to fit another pci-e x16 card and just need a decent second card-nothing for intense gaming...

I'm leaning towards the GT 240. I have an 850 watt psu so it can handle any card but I don't need a really powerful card-just a budget friendly mid range card and like that the GT 240 is passive cooling. My computer is mainly for productivity- engineering student so lots of technical papers, researching, a few CAD drawings, etc. The 8800GT handles autoCAD better than the computer labs on campus and the screen space allows me to reference drawings or research while I'm working. May seem like overkill but it really is useful!:cool:
 
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What kind of movies are you going to play? Because if it is just sd content why not get an nvidia 210? I got one for $15 after rebate.
 
munkle said:
What kind of movies are you going to play? Because if it is just sd content why not get an nvidia 210? I got one for $15 after rebate.
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Some SD some HD. I want something a little more powerful than necessary so it doesn't have to run at load and won't get too hot. I don't have an overheating problem but the 8800GT does put out some heat and I don't want to have to worry about heat in my case.
 
reality99 said:
Some SD some HD. I want something a little more powerful than necessary so it doesn't have to run at load and won't get too hot. I don't have an overheating problem but the 8800GT does put out some heat and I don't want to have to worry about heat in my case.
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Thats flawed logic, if a GT210 has a peak tdp of say 25W and it has to run at full usage then it is still making less heat than a GT240 at half load with its 75W tdp. If you are just looking to drive extra monitors, you don't need anything powerful. I am running two 1680*1050 side monitors off of a 256mb 8600GT I had sitting around with no problem, even when things are being rendered on the side screens. If you have your heart set on GT240 vs GTS250 then I would get the 240 as it is a significantly newer design and has some nice HTPC features (mostly same as the GT210) if you ever need to use it for that.

If you were going to get the GTS250 you may as well apply that cash towards a new primary card and move the 8800GT into auxillary duty. The GTS250 is the exact same chip design as your 8800GT but with a die shrink and 128SP's versus 112.
 
Based on your needs the 240 is fine, don't spend unnecessary cash... but don't downgrade to the 210 either that's silly...

I would however also be tempted to get a ~450/ 5770 or 460/6850 and put the 8800 in the other machine.
 
R-Type said:
Thats flawed logic, if a GT210 has a peak tdp of say 25W and it has to run at full usage then it is still making less heat than a GT240 at half load with its 75W tdp. If you are just looking to drive extra monitors, you don't need anything powerful. I am running two 1680*1050 side monitors off of a 256mb 8600GT I had sitting around with no problem, even when things are being rendered on the side screens. If you have your heart set on GT240 vs GTS250 then I would get the 240 as it is a significantly newer design and has some nice HTPC features (mostly same as the GT210) if you ever need to use it for that.

If you were going to get the GTS250 you may as well apply that cash towards a new primary card and move the 8800GT into auxillary duty. The GTS250 is the exact same chip design as your 8800GT but with a die shrink and 128SP's versus 112.
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They actually both use ~13-15W idle and ~40-50W at load. There is only a very slight difference btwn the 210 and 240 regarding power consumption. I am not dead-set on any specific card. I don't want an underpowered card but I don't need a GTX480 either.

YamahaAlex37 said:
Based on your needs the 240 is fine, don't spend unnecessary cash... but don't downgrade to the 210 either that's silly...

I would however also be tempted to get a ~450/ 5770 or 460/6850 and put the 8800 in the other machine.
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They're actually both going to be in the same machine-easier to have one computer. And also cheaper to throw a few upgrades in it rather than building a whole new one.
 
YamahaAlex37 said:
Based on your needs the 240 is fine, don't spend unnecessary cash... but don't downgrade to the 210 either that's silly...

I would however also be tempted to get a ~450/ 5770 or 460/6850 and put the 8800 in the other machine.
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I had completely forgotten about GTS450's since you see so many deals on the 460.

This GTS450 is packing the EVGA warranty for 110 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130572


Anand doesn't have GTS450 numbers in his Bench tool, but you can see how massive a performance difference there is between your 8800gt and the 768mb GTX460 that has been on sale for as low as ~130. You can then put the 8800gt into the second application and have your GTS250 class power there.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/178?vs=156
 
reality99 said:
They actually both use ~13-15W idle and ~40-50W at load. There is only a very slight difference btwn the 210 and 240 regarding power consumption. I am not dead-set on any specific card. I don't want an underpowered card but I don't need a GTX480 either.
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I didn't know the GT210 drew that much at load, although I know the GT240 can pull close to the pci-e limit of 75W. I have one in my fiance's pc and its oc limited due to slot power.
 
found a 512mb 9800gt for $55. I know it's outdated but is it more powerful than a gt 240?
 
Its the exact same as your current 8800GT, so yes more powerful but seemingly very pointless. Why buy a second card that is the exact same as your main card but without the opportunity to do sli?
 
Save up for a 768MB GTX460 mate, you can grab one from newegg for 140 bucks after rebate.
 
R-Type said:
Its the exact same as your current 8800GT, so yes more powerful but seemingly very pointless. Why buy a second card that is the exact same as your main card but without the opportunity to do sli?
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Ok, I see your point. I was only on my phone and couldn't really do much research on it-9800's arent that common anymore and I didn't know if it was much better than gt 240 or gts 250.

I really don't need a $150 video card. The 'newest' game I have is BF2 (the only game I occasionally play).

Ok after looking I have a couple more questions. It seems the longer I wait or as soon as I decide on a card I find more options and have more questions. I know eyefinity is for running multiple monitors and makes them show up as "1 really wide/tall" monitor to your computer, right? If i got an entry level eyefinity card such as this one or maybe this one could I use it to run 2 monitors in landscape and 1 in portrait, and my 8800GT to run my TV?

Would I have a problem running both of these cards in the same machine with Windows 7 Ultimate?
 
Stay away from the GT240 and lower cards.
Read Anan's review: NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 240: The Card That Doesn't Matter
A HD5670 is also not a huge performance upgrade from your 8800GT, but it is a much better HTPC card than what you currently have since it can bitstream HD audio over HDMI while none of the Nvidia cards can and is as you mentioned Eyefinity capable.

If you want a real upgrade performance wise the HD5750 or GTS250 are the minimum acceptable step up. Give us a definite budget to give you a better recommendation.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5670,2533.html
 
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I am not looking for an upgrade, simply something to run more monitors. Initially I was going to get a PCI-e x1 card to run a 3rd monitor/TV but that option didn't work so now I am upgrading mobos to one that has 2 pci-e x16 bus's.

Since I had planned on a pci-e x1 card I had budgeted ~$60 but that obviously went out the window with the new mobo. I'd like to spend ~$70 but will spend up to $100/105 if it means a significant difference.

It would be nice to have the eyefinity option to span the desktop across my 2 main monitors and 3rd in portrait mode. But depending on price, it is something I can do without.

cliffnotes version:
-don't need upgrade, just something to run more monitors (4 total on my system)
-use: productivity, watching movies (some HD content), simple CAD/solidworks drawings
-budget: $70-100
-needs to be able to run in conjunction with 8800GT in Windows 7 Ultimate
 
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http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1535709
# MSI 9400GT 512MB PCIe *Brand New* - $34 + shipping
# ASUS EAH4350 512MB PCIe (Passive, silent) *Brand New* - $25 + shipping
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http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1548516
Sparkle GeForce GTS 250 1 GB, PCI-Express, Low-Profile Ready, Video Card ($65.00)
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http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1541631
Galaxy Low Power Low Profile 9600 GT - $65 Shipped
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http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1549163
Sapphire 4850 - 512MB version
Description - No a single problem what so ever. Stock heatsink.
Asking $65 shipped
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Just to get started ;)

I wouldn't buy any of the higher end cards mentioned new (aka gts 250), if you have to buy new get a weaker card for what you're doing.

Just thought I'd mention these
 
I have found another 8800GT for ~$50 and it sounds like a good deal. The only thing I'm still confused about is power consumption. In most of the tests here, the 8800GT draws less power than GT 240 or GTS 250 and many newer cards. But on the last test (page 6) when it broke it down by power drawn by PCI-e port the 8800GT drew ~80watts which is more than most other cards. I'm not sure I understand this, or what it means?

I know the PCI-e port can only provide 75 watts then the rest of the power comes from psu, right? But what difference does this make efficiency wise if the 8800GT draws more power from PCI-e but less power overall? Or am I reading this wrong?
 
I believe the mistake you're making is looking at the 1GB and DDR3 GT 240s on the chart. Those are the inferior models when it comes to power consumption because DDR3 is inefficient and 1GB of RAM uses more power than 512MB. Further down the list, you'll see that the 512MB GDDR5 card, which would be the preferable model for your configuration, sips power and runs very cool in every situation. As others have said, it would be a great solution. I have one sitting in my closet that I got for $40 AR and it's a nice card. It failed for me as a PhysX solution, but it's a great backup card to have around. It has no power connector and from my own tests matched the results in your chart. From my research, it would be best to stick with the EVGA or PNY models because they use the quietest coolers. This is the kind of cooler you want. Avoid ones like this.

reality99 said:
I have found another 8800GT for ~$50 and it sounds like a good deal. The only thing I'm still confused about is power consumption. In most of the tests here, the 8800GT draws less power than GT 240 or GTS 250 and many newer cards. But on the last test (page 6) when it broke it down by power drawn by PCI-e port the 8800GT drew ~80watts which is more than most other cards. I'm not sure I understand this, or what it means?

I know the PCI-e port can only provide 75 watts then the rest of the power comes from psu, right? But what difference does this make efficiency wise if the 8800GT draws more power from PCI-e but less power overall? Or am I reading this wrong?
Click to expand...
 
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That card will get outdated very quick... you should save about $100-150 more bucks and go with the popular GTX460 series.... they are voted around the net as the "best bang for the buck"

The GTS 250 would be a better choice... but seriously the GTX460 would put it to shame and last you 10x longer probably.
 
Luxor said:
That card will get outdated very quick... you should save about $100-150 more bucks and go with the popular GTX460 series.... they are voted around the net as the "best bang for the buck"

The GTS 250 would be a better choice... but seriously the GTX460 would put it to shame and last you 10x longer probably.
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He is just driving extra monitors, not gaming.
 
Luxor said:
That card will get outdated very quick... you should save about $100-150 more bucks and go with the popular GTX460 series.... they are voted around the net as the "best bang for the buck"

The GTS 250 would be a better choice... but seriously the GTX460 would put it to shame and last you 10x longer probably.
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the GTS 250 is a pretty new version of an 8800GTS 512MB (but 55nm) , the performance really wouldn't be that different.

The 250 has 128shader cores, and the 8800GT has 118 shader cores.

not to mention like the previously poster said, he's not gaming
 
I don't need the newest and greatest with the top performance, but I do like mid range items because I keep my components for a long time. I know everything will be outdated within a week of buying it anyways but I plan to keep most of my parts until they crap out. Found this on Newegg and about to pull the trigger after looking at it a little more.
 
reality99 said:
****See post 18 for more/updated info


I'd like to spend no more than ~$60AR and these cards seemed to fit the budget. Which would I see better performance out of? The one with 512MB DDR5 or the 1GB DDR3? It's going in a system that already has an 8800GT so it would need to use the same driver if anyone else has a different suggestions.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130537

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130533
Click to expand...

GT 240 isn't even as fast as the 8800GT. That's a downgrade... So Why Bother?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-240,2475-12.html

Ok. The GTS 450 isn't a bad card. It's a def upgrade over a 250 GTS and an 8800 GT. It's slightly slower than a 5770 overall. That card really shouldn't cost more than $99 AR though for the performance it gives. JMO.

Try this link. $94.99 after MIR. NM it's the same as yours. :)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127527&cm_re=gts_450-_-14-127-527-_-Product
 
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vjcsmoke said:
GT 240 isn't even as fast as the 8800GT. That's a downgrade... So Why Bother?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-240,2475-12.html
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I'm adding more monitors and need a card to drive them...Not looking to upgrade


edit: Yea, thats the card I found and it looks nice. I don't have a problem paying $20/30 more than budgeted for an upgrade then I can move my 8800gt to secondary.

Will that card allow me to do 'surround' on 2 monitors or do I have to have 2 in SLI? Doesn't really make a difference to me, just kind of curious after looking at the GTS 450. It says its surround ready but needs SLI for 3D surround-my monitors aren't 3D so I don't care about that. Can't really find an answer either way anywhere...
 
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