Thread: Xfx gt 210

The GeForce GT 210 is the leanest member of Nvidia's GT 200 family. Manufactured using a 40 nm process, the GPU has 16 stream processors and is the first from Nvidia with DirectX 10.1 support. Being an entry-level GPU it doesn't boast big numbers¬it's clocked at 625 MHz and the memory bus width is 64-bit. GT 21O-based graphics cards are available with either DDR2 or DDR3 memory, depending on the manufacturer's choices. The XFX GeForce GT 210 that we reviewed features 512 MB of DDR2 memory which runs at 400 MHz. The rear panel has dual-link DVI, D-sub and HDMI outputs.

Our test rig was a mid-range PC with Intel Core i5 750, 4 GB DDR3 RAM and 500 GB WD Caviar GP. With a meager GPU score of 550 in 3DMark Vantage, this card is clearly not meant for intense gaming. However, it can handle games at 1440x900 with all visual effects and anti-aliasing disabled. With the effects set to medium it delivered a measly 17 fps in Race Driver Grid and Crysis Warhead. This card is more suited for high-definition video playback and CUDA¬accelerated programs. If you're using on-board graphics, this graphics card will be a good upgrade.

VERDICT: A value card for home theater PCs and CUDA-accelerated programs.

FOR: Runs very cool, low power consumption, HDMI output.

AGAINST: None.