Comparing video cards

[Stoic raptor]

I'm going to get a new video card. Nvidia Geforce GT 240. I plan to get it from Best Buy for $109.99.
The full name is
Galaxy - NVIDIA GeForce GT240 1GB PCI Express Graphics Card
Here are the basic specs:

Spoiler: basic specs

Product Features


Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GT240 graphics processing unit (GPU)
For high-quality graphics power.

1GB memory
Delivers visual realism.

PCI Express interface
Along with a core clock speed of 900MHZ (1800MHz effective) for high-speed processing.

NVIDIA unified architecture
With NVIDIA CUDA technology for extreme processing and enhanced efficiency.

NVIDIA Pure Video HD technology
For clear, detailed graphics in high-definition.

DirectX 10 support
For enhanced gameplay.

Shader Model 4.1 support
Ensures compatibility with current and future gaming titles.

HDMI, DVI and VGA ports
For flexible connectivity.

Site from Best Buy:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Galaxy+-+NVIDIA+GeForce+GT240+1GB+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9715834.p?id=1218172864731&skuId=9715834

Site from Nvidia (compares other video cards with the one I want):
http://www.nvidia.com/object/graphics_cards_buy_now.html

I use 2 computers to play. One computer uses Nvidia Geforce 9100 (integrated graphics), the other uses Nvidia Geforce 8400 (I don't know the exact memory of both cards. I believe it is around 256 MB, definitely below 1GB)
They can run games like Team Fortress 2 at about medium to low settings, but games like Left for Dead 2 can barley run at minimum settings. The fps isn't that great either. I am asking because although I am sure I found the right card for me, I want to be absolutely sure. The Nvidia site said that the GT 240 is 18x better in gaming than the 8400 and computes 9x better (I am unsure about the 9100).

I want to get a new card because of my cousin. I tried his gaming computer (I believe it used an ATI Radeon 5750) and was blasted by awesomeness. I realized I needed an upgrade.
So is this card good? Should I absolutely wait for a better one? My budget is about $100, $150 if I have to.

TD;LR: Is the Nvidia Geforce GT 240 a good video card?

 

[migo]

Depends on what your definition of good is. I'd go for a Radeon 5670 1GB at that price.

 

[oplinger]

Those are specs? What the hell is this shit? I see exactly 1 spec in that list.

Is it the GDDR5 version? GDDR3? All in all its good for maybe a small budget.

You could pick up a GTS 250 for about $100-$130, its more powerful. definitely a better deal.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Those are specs? What the hell is this shit? I see exactly 1 spec in that list.

Is it the GDDR5 version? GDDR3? All in all its good for maybe a small budget.

You could pick up a GTS 250 for about $100-$130, its more powerful. definitely a better deal.

The 250 for $114 has 512MB. Is that ok?

 

[oplinger]

Those are specs? What the hell is this shit? I see exactly 1 spec in that list.

Is it the GDDR5 version? GDDR3? All in all its good for maybe a small budget.

You could pick up a GTS 250 for about $100-$130, its more powerful. definitely a better deal.

The 250 for $114 has 512MB. Is that ok?

Indeed it is. Unless you can find the 1 gig version for about the same. I'd say you've found your best deal.

Newegg has the 1 gig version for about $135. Not that big of a jump. Interestingly the one with free shipping is better than the one you have to pay to ship, which makes the cheaper card more expensive.. I love you Newegg.

Course if you're not shopping online...this information is useless to you.

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

I'd stay away from "galaxy" it's kind of an unknown manufacturer. I'd also stay away from ATI til AMD changes up its stuff since they are done after the current gen and AMD is dropping that name completely. I'd go for something Evga or XFX. both have been very reliable for me. evga even has an upgrade program that I have used before that's awesome, you send in your old card for credit towards a new one. Worked great for me.

edit: ALWAYS stay far, far, far, far away from best buy for parts. ALWAYS. best buy will rape you with no lube when it comes to price. just sayin. If you have to, get a paypal account or take your money that mom and dad gives you and go to walmart and load it on a prepaid visa card, then order online. you will get a much much much better deal on ANY parts man

 

[Stoic raptor]

Those are specs? What the hell is this shit? I see exactly 1 spec in that list.

Is it the GDDR5 version? GDDR3? All in all its good for maybe a small budget.

You could pick up a GTS 250 for about $100-$130, its more powerful. definitely a better deal.

The 250 for $114 has 512MB. Is that ok?

Indeed it is. Unless you can find the 1 gig version for about the same. I'd say you've found your best deal.

Newegg has the 1 gig version for about $135. Not that big of a jump. Interestingly the one with free shipping is better than the one you have to pay to ship, which makes the cheaper card more expensive.. I love you Newegg.

Course if you're not shopping online...this information is useless to you.

I wasnt going to buy online, until the guy below your quote said so. I would have to agree.
Best buy is pretty pricy.
I would need to get a prepaid card. Never buy online with a credit card.

EDIT: seems good, but it seems to be large. I have to check my space. The cooling system also seems good.
Now I just need more money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-445&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

Some people also seemed to have problems with overclocking. Can you explain what that is?

 

[TheComedown]

I wasnt going to buy online, until the guy below your quote said so. I would have to agree.
Best buy is pretty pricy.
I would need to get a prepaid card. Never buy online with a credit card.

EDIT: seems good, but it seems to be large. I have to check my space. The cooling system also seems good.
Now I just need more money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-445&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

Some people also seemed to have problems with overclocking. Can you explain what that is?

Overclocking is increasing the core clock and or the memory clock so that the card runs faster, this can cause a large number of problems though, mainly with temperatures but if you don't know what your doing its easy to fry your gpu or drain your psu. From the sounds of it its not something you'd be wanting to do.

I was going to get the GTS 250 untill my friend pointed out that he could get me a Sapphire HD 5770 OC edition (DDR5, DX11 as opposed to DDR3) for the same price. But compared to the 240 the 250 is easily worth the small price increase.

 

[Funkysandwich]

I have a Gigabyte GT 240. It's a decent card, but it has less features then my old 9500 GT did. No SLI, Cuda, and the HDMI port doesn't support sound either.

I'd go for something a little better if you can afford it. The GT240 is adequate for now, but will quickly become outdated.

 

[TheComedown]

I'd also stay away from ATI til AMD changes up its stuff

Why? It doesn't effect any of their current cards nor will it, they will just come out with the AMD stamp instead of the ATI one untill they are discontinued. There is no reason to stay away from any of their cards at the moment unless your getting a better deal else where.

 

[daltob]

I'd go with a 5670 since it's what im using right now it's pretty good or for a bit more you could get a 5770 that has twice the processing powa

 

[Stoic raptor]

I wasnt going to buy online, until the guy below your quote said so. I would have to agree.
Best buy is pretty pricy.
I would need to get a prepaid card. Never buy online with a credit card.

EDIT: seems good, but it seems to be large. I have to check my space. The cooling system also seems good.
Now I just need more money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-127-445&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

Some people also seemed to have problems with overclocking. Can you explain what that is?

Overclocking is increasing the core clock and or the memory clock so that the card runs faster, this can cause a large number of problems though, mainly with temperatures but if you don't know what your doing its easy to fry your gpu or drain your psu. From the sounds of it its not something you'd be wanting to do.

I was going to get the GTS 250 untill my friend pointed out that he could get me a Sapphire HD 5770 OC edition (DDR5, DX11 as opposed to DDR3) for the same price. But compared to the 240 the 250 is easily worth the small price increase.

Since the integrated graphics on my computer is nvidia, could I still get an ATI?
And is there a place were I could buy cards from a store? I would rather not buy online if possible.
I dont even know how soon I can get an extra $30 dollars.

 

[Stoic raptor]

I'd go with a 5670 since it's what im using right now it's pretty good or for a bit more you could get a 5770 that has twice the processing powa

Depends on what your definition of good is. I'd go for a Radeon 5670 1GB at that price.

Like this?
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0345506
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0329808
Seems very good, and just $10 more than the $240
Better deal?

 

[TheScottishFella]

I'm going to get a new video card. Nvidia Geforce GT 240. I plan to get it from Best Buy for $109.99.
The full name is
Galaxy - NVIDIA GeForce GT240 1GB PCI Express Graphics Card
Here are the basic specs:

Spoiler: basic specs

Product Features


Powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GT240 graphics processing unit (GPU)
For high-quality graphics power.

1GB memory
Delivers visual realism.

PCI Express interface
Along with a core clock speed of 900MHZ (1800MHz effective) for high-speed processing.

NVIDIA unified architecture
With NVIDIA CUDA technology for extreme processing and enhanced efficiency.

NVIDIA Pure Video HD technology
For clear, detailed graphics in high-definition.

DirectX 10 support
For enhanced gameplay.

Shader Model 4.1 support
Ensures compatibility with current and future gaming titles.

HDMI, DVI and VGA ports
For flexible connectivity.

Site from Best Buy:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Galaxy+-+NVIDIA+GeForce+GT240+1GB+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9715834.p?id=1218172864731&skuId=9715834

Site from Nvidia (compares other video cards with the one I want):
http://www.nvidia.com/object/graphics_cards_buy_now.html

I use 2 computers to play. One computer uses Nvidia Geforce 9100 (integrated graphics), the other uses Nvidia Geforce 8400 (I don't know the exact memory of both cards. I believe it is around 256 MB, definitely below 1GB)
They can run games like Team Fortress 2 at about medium to low settings, but games like Left for Dead 2 can barley run at minimum settings. The fps isn't that great either. I am asking because although I am sure I found the right card for me, I want to be absolutely sure. The Nvidia site said that the GT 240 is 18x better in gaming than the 8400 and computes 9x better (I am unsure about the 9100).

I want to get a new card because of my cousin. I tried his gaming computer (I believe it used an ATI Radeon 5750) and was blasted by awesomeness. I realized I needed an upgrade.
So is this card good? Should I absolutely wait for a better one? My budget is about $100, $150 if I have to.

TD;LR: Is the Nvidia Geforce GT 240 a good video card?

I have a GTS 250 it's pretty kickass.

 

[Wolfram23]

I wouldn't upgrade to less than a GTS 250, really. I have a GT 240 - as a PhysX card. My main GPUs are HD 5850s. Anyway, the GT 240 will be a step up over an 8400 but at the same time, you're talking just a bit more for a much better performing GPU with the GTS 250.

Aside from that, NV just released their "budget" fermi card so you should REALLY look for a GTS 450 (~$130 Newegg - if you can price match you're in good shape). It's a mid range card but it's DX11 compliant, whereas the GTS 250 is not.

As for Radeon cards, the 5670 is pretty good or the 5770. All the 5xxx series are DX11 compliant as well, and generally use less power and heat than the NV cards - but like someone above said, the 5xxx cards are going to get phased out by the end of year as the 6xxx cards start to be introduced, which will probably mean big price cuts (hopefully).

You might also consider a simple 9800GTX. It's basically a GTS 250 IIRC, but it's the older model and maybe a little more power hungry, but it's also cheaper.

 

[Stoic raptor]

I wouldn't upgrade to less than a GTS 250, really. I have a GT 240 - as a PhysX card. My main GPUs are HD 5850s. Anyway, the GT 240 will be a step up over an 8400 but at the same time, you're talking just a bit more for a much better performing GPU with the GTS 250.

Aside from that, NV just released their "budget" fermi card so you should REALLY look for a GTS 450 (~$130 Newegg - if you can price match you're in good shape). It's a mid range card but it's DX11 compliant, whereas the GTS 250 is not.

As for Radeon cards, the 5670 is pretty good or the 5770. All the 5xxx series are DX11 compliant as well, and generally use less power and heat than the NV cards - but like someone above said, the 5xxx cards are going to get phased out by the end of year as the 6xxx cards start to be introduced, which will probably mean big price cuts (hopefully).

You might also consider a simple 9800GTX. It's basically a GTS 250 IIRC, but it's the older model and maybe a little more power hungry, but it's also cheaper.

I read reviews, and everyone said that it overheated after a few months(generally 6 months for most) so I want to avoid that. I did not buy a separate cooling system for my computer. It did over heat a lot a few months ago, but that was because of dust, but you wouldn't believe how long it took for me to figure that out.

EDIT: Here is a GT 250 for a very good price. I could literally buy it right now (Not including tax).
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0339454
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0338989
Man Micro Center is so much cheaper, good thing there is one close buy. And now I have a means to buy online too.

 

[Wolfram23]

Almost all cases of suddenly overheating in PCs is due to dust. You should try to get into the habit of checking for dust montly and cleaning it all out every 6 months at the latest. If you have intake fans, it can help to put dust filters on them. They can get pretty white after only a few weeks (from dust settling).

In my old PC, I killed the 8600GT after about 1.5yrs or so due to an unkown dust buildup. Now I know better lol.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Almost all cases of suddenly overheating in PCs is due to dust. You should try to get into the habit of checking for dust montly and cleaning it all out every 6 months at the latest. If you have intake fans, it can help to put dust filters on them. They can get pretty white after only a few weeks (from dust settling).

In my old PC, I killed the 8600GT after about 1.5yrs or so due to an unkown dust buildup. Now I know better lol.

I will clean it monthly. The computer is in a corner so it could gather dust easily. Well it was. Now it isn't, but I will clean it anyway. That overheating was a monster. It only overheated in-game though

 

[oplinger]

I will clean it monthly. The computer is in a corner so it could gather dust easily. Well it was. Now it isn't, but I will clean it anyway. That overheating was a monster. It only overheated in-game though

You'll usually only notice overheating when its under a load. Otherwise it has to be a rather large dust build up for you to notice.

It's because dust makes heat dissipate slower, so the cooling ratio is off.

 

[Stoic raptor]

I will clean it monthly. The computer is in a corner so it could gather dust easily. Well it was. Now it isn't, but I will clean it anyway. That overheating was a monster. It only overheated in-game though

You'll usually only notice overheating when its under a load. Otherwise it has to be a rather large dust build up for you to notice.

It's because dust makes heat dissipate slower, so the cooling ratio is off.

Man, it was pretty fucking dusty when I checked.