DailyTech - 3/3/2009 Daily Hardware Reviews -- NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Edition

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Hardware 3/3/2009 Daily Hardware Reviews -- NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Edition
Brandon Hill (Blog) - March 3, 2009 8:59 AM

19 comment(s) - last by theapparition.. on Mar 4 at 1:51 PM

NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Edition @ Hot Hardware

DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Monday

NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250
@ TweakTown
@ Ninjalane
@ Elite Bastards
@ Driver Heaven
@ Guru3D
@ Hot Hardware
@ PC Perspective
@ The Tech Report
@ Oveclockers Club
@ Techgage

Notebooks
ASUS N50Vn 15.4" Notebook @ Techgage.com
MSI GT725 Laptop @ Driverheaven
HP Compaq 2230s - 12.1in Business Notebook @ Trusted Reviews

Processors
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Overclocking @ iXBT Labs

Motherboards
MSI X58 Platinum @ OCC
Jetway NF94-270-LF ICS Atom Motherboard @ PCShopTalk
Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard @ CPU3D

Memory
Crucial Ballistix Tracer Blue PC3-12800 6GB Memory Kit @ TweakTown
Crucial Ballistix Tracers 6GB Kit (BL3KIT25664TB1608) @ Bjorn3D
Kingston HyperX T1 Series DDR3-2000 3GB Triple Channel Memory Kit @ ThinkComputers.org

Video
Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216SP 55nm Graphics Card @ TweakTown

Storage
ATP 4GB EarthDrive @ PureOverclock
Sandberg 2.5 Fingerprint HDD Enclosure @ XtremeComputing
500GB Laptop Drives From Seagate & WD @ Silent PC Review
In-Win 'Na External HDD Enclosure @ Bjorn3D
Eagle Consus ET-CSPESU2-BK 2.5 @ Bjorn3D

Cases
Corsair Memory Designs Enthusiast ATX Case @ Legit Reviews
Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid Cooled Chassis @ Guru3D

Cooling
Thermaltake RamOrb Memory Heat Spreader @ Frostytech.com

Power Supplies
Enermax Revolution85+ 1,050W Power Supply @ PC Perspective
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W @ Phoronix
Hiper Type R MKII 680 Watt ATX Power Supply @ Tweaknews

Peripherals
TechwareLabs Reviews the Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 USB Headset @ TechwareLabs

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GTX 250

By yacoub on 3/3/2009 9:23:34 AM , Rating: 3

So i guess it's no surprise that since it's the same core as the 9800/8800, it doesn't really offer much performance improvement. Looks like the best bang-for-the-buck is the 55nm GTX-260 core216.

RE: GTX 250

By yacoub on 3/3/2009 9:24:02 AM , Rating: 3

upgrade from an 8800GT that is.

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RE: GTX 250

By Jansen

(blog) on 3/3/2009 9:42:29 AM , Rating: 5

The best bang for the buck is actually an ATI solution.

http://www.dailytech.com/Radeon+4870+Gets+50+Price...

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RE: GTX 250

By pmonti80 on 3/3/2009 9:52:42 AM , Rating: 2

Nvidia said to tomshardware.com that they will drop the price but don't know by how much (not with those words though).

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RE: GTX 250

By theapparition on 3/4/2009 1:51:30 PM , Rating: 2

You sure that wasn't Tom's offering to drop their price for a more favorable review???

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RE: GTX 250

By rburnham on 3/3/2009 9:58:14 AM , Rating: 2

I am pretty happy with the 4870. Aside from the occasional random fan spin-up, it's a great card.

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RE: GTX 250

By Mitch101 on 3/3/2009 10:44:31 AM , Rating: 5

New Egg had Radeon 4870's $104.99 After $30.00 rebate but ran out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...

Incredibly hard to pass or beat that deal.

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RE: GTX 250

By therealnickdanger on 3/3/2009 1:40:33 PM , Rating: 2

That version only has 512MB RAM. I mean, that's still plenty for most games, but for people craving higher resolutions with AA/AF, it might be a roadblock. Most of the games I like to play are a couple years old, so it's perfect for me though! Too bad they're out of stock! :(

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RE: GTX 250

By g35fan on 3/3/2009 11:50:38 PM , Rating: 2

$104? It was $113 after the $50 coupon code and $30 MIR + shipping which was approx $8. So just over $120 for the 512mb. Nice price either way but still :P

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RE: GTX 250

By tallcool1 on 3/3/2009 12:07:14 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
The best bang for the buck is actually an ATI solution.

Agreed!
Its amazing how much performance you can get these days for such a low price! A 4850 or 4870 performs great for a majority of the marketplace running at typical desktop resolutions.

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RE: GTX 250

By MadMan007 on 3/3/2009 4:28:01 PM , Rating: 2

4830 is really the best bang for buck for 'typical desktop resolutions.' It's very close to the 4850 but costs a decent amount less.

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Upgrade from 8800GT

By makots on 3/3/2009 12:39:13 PM , Rating: 2

Just a question for anyone in here: I am looking to upgrade from my old 8800GT to a midrange card ($150 or less) that can run 1920x1080 at a good frame rate. I would also like a card that runs relatively cool and quiet. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

RE: Upgrade from 8800GT

By just4U on 3/3/2009 1:11:39 PM , Rating: 2

Typically it's the Radeon 4870 and the Nvidia 260 you'd be looking at as far as resolutions go. From what I can tell from reviews, as I don't have "hands on" with the 260 it's supposed to run a little cooler. BUT it's also a little more expensive to. People buying the 4870 (lately) tend to go with the 1G variant as it has the power to take advantage of the added ram. It's also a little pricier (but something to keep in mind)

Stay away from the 9800GTX, and the 4850 as those would be more along the lines of a sideways upgrade and wouldn't offer you enough improvements to justify replacing your card.

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RE: Upgrade from 8800GT

By VooDooAddict on 3/3/2009 1:33:28 PM , Rating: 2

I second that.

With the 4870 1GB or GTX260 you'll see a marked improvement.

If they are just a bit too much, go for a 4870 512MB. Still too much coin? Hold onto the existing 8800GT.

If you need a brand new card ... then it's a different story.

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RE: Upgrade from 8800GT

By Reclaimer77 on 3/3/2009 2:58:26 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
I would also like a card that runs relatively cool and quiet.

Guess you guys didn't catch this part.

Sadly if cool, quite, and efficient use of your PSU are things you are concerned with, the 4870 is not for you. It's a complete power hog and runs hotter than the GTX 260.

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RE: Upgrade from 8800GT

By just4U on 3/3/2009 9:19:31 PM , Rating: 2

Err, what do you consider cool? My 4870 runs at 49-54C all the time and that's with it's stock fan by Sapphire. As to being a power hog.. it's a difference of 20watts and that's provided the 260-216 is not factory overclocked.

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RE: Upgrade from 8800GT

By MadMan007 on 3/3/2009 4:29:37 PM , Rating: 2

Wait for a deal on a 4870 1GB (although it doesn't fit the cool part you asked about) or a GTX 260-216. The latter draws less power at idle and performs practically the same overall.

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