Nvidia gts 250 card. Video cards. Competitor with different branding
The G92 graphics chip is a real old-timer in the graphics accelerator market. We saw the first video cards based on it at the end of 2007, and there are still solutions based on this GPU on sale. If we talk about a full-fledged processor with 128 stream processors, then its history began with the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB. A little later, the familiar video card debuted on more high frequencies under the name GeForce 9800 GTX, and after the advent of the Radeon HD 4850, NVIDIA brought the GeForce 9800 GTX + to the market. It was the peak in the development of this graphic solution. Thanks to the transfer of GPU production to a thinner 55-nm process technology (G92b), it was possible to achieve the highest frequencies - 738/1836/2000 MHz, which was quite enough for a slight advantage over the new competitor. But besides the frequencies, the positioning of this product also changed, which, changing the names and characteristics, eventually reached the budget segment of hundred-dollar video cards called the GeForce GTS 250. Here, the bet was already made on the cost-effectiveness of the new solution. From that moment on, no development was foreseen, except for the appearance of an even more economical Green Edition series with lower frequencies.
At the moment, after the release of the GeForce GTS 450, the veteran is living his last days, and the market is in a complete mess, when many models do not meet the recommended specifications even for the "green" versions. GeForce GTS 250. Full-fledged solutions based on the G92b have already completely disappeared from the price lists of domestic companies.
We decided to clear things up a little by comparing several GeForce GTS 250 Green Editions to see firsthand what the G92 has come to in terms of total economy on the release of video cards. Will modern video cards be able to compare with their predecessor?
Let's start with the ASUS video adapter. We do not see any prefixes with the word Green in the name, although the operating frequencies are underestimated, and the manufacturer's website says that the power consumption for this model has been reduced by 40% (≈90 W).
Equipment:
- S/PDIF audio cable;
- disk with drivers;
- instructions.
The video card is made on a blue textolite. The black two-slot Dark Knight cooler is responsible for cooling. The same cooling system was used in the top ASUS models based on the GeForce GTS 250.
The rear panel has HDMI, DVI and D-Sub connectors.
The board is quite small. All memory chips are located on the front side under the cooler, which provides them with good airflow. There is one power connector on the side, as it should be for adapters of this series.
The design of the cooler includes four heat pipes and a number of thin plates. The heatsink does not differ in large dimensions, but the heat dissipation of the chip at a low frequency is small.
Let's take a look at the video card without a cooler.
The core power subsystem includes three phases based on the ASUS EPU ASP0905 controller.
GPU G92-426-B1:
Soldered Hynix H5RS1H23MFR memory chips with 0.8 ns access time.
GPU runs at 675 MHz, shader units at 1620 MHz, GDDR3 memory at 1998 MHz.
With a 12-minute load of Crysis Warhead (Ambush, 1920x1200, Very High), the core temperature did not exceed 62 °C (at 23 degrees in the room). The noise of the cooler was not noticeable.
In Furmark's "stability test", the core has already warmed up to 68 ° C.
The overclocking potential of ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3/WW turned out to be better than that of all other rivals. We managed to achieve frequencies of 799/1890/2406 MHz at the maximum cooler speed.
Next in line is a model from a little-known company AXLE.
All 200-series graphics cards use the same packaging. You can identify the contents by a sticker in the corner of the box. The scope of delivery is minimal to the limit - in addition to the disk with drivers, there is only one cable for connecting sound via S / PDIF inside.
The video card stands out against the background of the rest due to the large dimensions of the cooler, which occupies not two, but three expansion slots. At the same time, as you can see from the bottom photo, its length and width are quite standard.
The set of external interfaces is familiar: HDMI, DVI and D-Sub.
The cooler manufactured by Arctic Cooling has a simple design with a massive aluminum heatsink and a large fan. The speed is not regulated in any way, but it works quite quietly.
The design of the board is not much different from ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3/WW, although simpler (cheaper) components are used.
The power system is built on a three-phase scheme under the control of the uP6206AK controller.
The board has a G92-428-B1 chip.
Very slow memory Qimonda HYB18H1G321AF-14 is used, which is designed for only 1400 MHz.
How do such microcircuits operate at higher frequencies? No way! Because the memory of the AXLE video card just functions at 1404 MHz, which is much lower than the recommended value for green versions. Well, at least the core runs at a frequency of 702/1512 MHz.
The cooler, although bulky, is quite effective. In game mode, under load Crysis Warhead, the temperature did not exceed 64 ° C.
In the Furmark stress test, the core already warmed up to 71 ° C.
The core was overclocked to 771/1836 MHz. GDDR3 memory overcame 1814 MHz, which is not bad for such Qimonda chips, but for cards of this series as a whole, very little.
Let's move on to video cards from Palit, which we have in two versions. To begin with, consider the older model from the economical green-series. Note that this is already old model and is no longer available at retail, with E-Green video adapters now offered instead.
Equipment:
- molex/PCI-E power adapter;
- S/PDIF audio cable;
- disk with drivers;
- instructions.
The set of external interfaces is standard: HDMI, DVI and D-Sub.
An aluminum radiator of simple design and small dimensions is installed on the GPU. It is blown by a Jamicon NF24076B1HK-R fan with a blade diameter of 75 mm. Full-fledged GeForce GTS 250 from Palit were equipped with a heatsink with heat pipes.
The heatsink partially covers the memory chips. Soft pads are placed between them and the base of the radiator. They are not like any of the thermal pads used - immediately there are doubts about their effectiveness.
The design of the board completely repeats the usual GeForce GTS 250 from Palit, which, in turn, copies the GeForce 9800GTX. It seems that the manufacturer did not bother designing much new video card, but simply released an old product under the name Green, slightly lowering the frequencies and voltages.
The same four-phase core power system on a Richtek RT8841 PWM controller. There are even two power connectors left. So the "greenness" of this model is still in question.
Common graphics chip G92-428-B1:
Soldered eight microcircuits samsung memory K4J52324QH-HJ1A with a total volume of 512 megabytes. According to the specifications of these chips, they are designed for operating frequencies of 2 GHz.
At this frequency (1998 MHz) GDDR3 memory works. The core operates at 702/1512 MHz. As you can see, Palit GeForce GTS 250 Green fully complies with the standard specifications of Green Edition video cards in terms of frequency characteristics.
In game mode, with a 12-minute load with the Ambush test in the Crysis Warhead Benchmarking Tool at maximum quality settings at a resolution of 1920x1200, the core warmed up to 73 ° C (at 23 degrees indoors).
In the Furmark test, the temperature reached 83°C.
Acceleration is not impressive. The GPU was able to work stably at 756/1836 MHz, but the memory overcame 2448 MHz. The fan speed was raised to the maximum, in quiet mode at low speeds the memory overheated and artifacts appeared after a while.
The last model in our comparison. The E-Green name signifies even lower power consumption and operating frequencies.
Delivery set includes:
- molex/PCI-E power adapter;
- S/PDIF audio cable;
- disk with drivers;
- instructions.
On the rear panel we see the familiar HDMI, DVI and D-Sub.
The heatsink dimensions are the same as those of the older economical video card, but the fan is smaller. Apistek GA7202U blade diameter is not more than 70 mm.
Under the heatsink you can see all the same strange gaskets on the memory chips that we observed with a regular GeForce GTS 250 Green adapter.
The cooler could not be removed due to a stubborn sticker on the screw on the back of the board.
But even so, it is clear that the GPU power conversion includes two phases under the control of an unknown controller marked CH=CH. The memory power subsystem traditionally includes one phase controlled by RT2959B.
Operating frequencies 675/1458 MHz for the core and 1800 MHz for the memory. In idle, they drop to 301/602/602 MHz.
The video adapter turned out to be a little hotter than its older brother. In Crysis Warhead, the core easily warmed up to 76 ° C (at 24 degrees indoors).
At Furmark, the temperature reached 84°C, and the fan was running almost at the limit of its capabilities.
GPU overclocking hit the same 756/1836 MHz as a simple GTS 250 Green. Memory overcame only 1914 MHz.
We will compare the considered video adapters with the standard GeForce GTS 250, which will be ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3/WW at the corresponding frequencies, and with the GeForce GTS 450 (Inno3D iChill GeForce GTS 450 Freezer).
| Video adapter | reference GeForce GTS450 |
reference GeForce GTS250 |
ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/ 1GD3/WW |
AXLE AX-GTS250/ 1GD3P6CDI |
Palit GeForce GTS250 Green 512MB |
Palit GeForce GTS250 e-green 1GB |
| Nucleus | GF106 | G92b | G92b | G92b | G92b | G92b |
| Number of transistors, million pieces | 1170 | 754 | 754 | 754 | 754 | 754 |
| Process technology, nm | 40 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 |
| Core area, sq. mm | 228 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 330 |
| Number of stream processors | 192 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 |
| Number of texture blocks | 32 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| Number of render units | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Core frequency, MHz | 783 | 738 | 675 | 702 | 702 | 675 |
| Frequency of stream processors, MHz | 1566 | 1836 | 1620 | 1512 | 1512 | 1458 |
| Memory bus, bit | 128 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR3 | GDDR3 | GDDR3 | GDDR3 | GDDR3 |
| Memory size, MB | 1024 | 1024 | 1024 | 1024 | 512 | 1024 |
| Memory frequency, MHz | 3608 | 2203 | 1998 | 1404 | 1998 | 1800 |
| 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Supported version of DirectX | PCI-E 2.0 | PCI-E 2.0 | PCI-E 2.0 | PCI-E 2.0 | PCI-E 2.0 | PCI-E 2.0 |
test stand
The test bench configuration is as follows:
- Processor: Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2, [email protected].95 GHz, 465 MHz FSB);
- cooler: Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme;
- motherboard: ASUS Rampage Formula (Intel X48 Express);
- memory: OCZ OCZ2FXE12004GK (2x2GB, [email protected] MHz at timings 5-5-5-15);
- sound card: Creative Audigy 4 (SB0610);
- HDD: WD3200AAKS (320 GB, SATA II);
- power supply: Seasonic SS-850HT (850 W);
- operating system: Windows 7 Ultimate x64;
- GTS 450 drivers: NVIDIA GeForce 260.63;
- GTS 250 drivers: NVIDIA GeForce 258.95.
In this game, the performance of video cards is enough for a simple mode with pseudo-anti-aliasing disabled in the game settings. We don't see anything unusual: the outsider is AXLE, the leader is ASUS. Only in this case, the performance of the ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3 is just on par with the GeForce GTS 450. The regular GeForce GTS 250 is even faster than the newcomer.
conclusions
Video cards based GPU G92(b) lasted a record long time on the market. And even this year, they successfully defended the honor of NVIDIA, opposing the Radeon HD 5750. However, the above applies only to full-fledged GeForce GTS 250. Products related to the Green Edition line are no longer so interesting. As the GeForce GTS 250 slipped into the budget solutions segment, manufacturers simplified the card more and more and saved on everything they could. As a result, models such as AXLE AX-GTS250 / 1GD3P6CDI or Palit E-Green were born, the performance of which is much lower than the regular version of the GeForce GTS 250. Modern models are developing only towards lower power consumption, some of them may well work on motherboards with PCI-E 2.0 even without connecting additional power (which we tested on AXLE).
Due to the very slow memory, the AXLE solution is up to 30% inferior in performance to the reference. This product should be compared with some GeForce 9800GT Green rather than with a line of video cards of its series. The Palit GeForce GTS 250 E-Green 1GB is slightly faster, but noisier and hotter. The AXLE cooler, though bulky, is efficient and quiet. When overclocked, both of these video cards show similar results, but they still fall short of the level of a full-fledged GeForce GTS 250.
Palit GeForce GTS 250 Green 512MB successfully outperforms its brother in nominal value and during overclocking, once again demonstrating that the amount of memory for video cards of this level is not critical, and the operating frequencies play the main role.
Among all the tested video cards, we could only recommend ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3/WW. This model has the highest performance among the partners of the Green Edition series. And this is the only model that was able to bypass the standard model in terms of frequencies. Moreover, the frequency potential of ASUS is approximately the same as that of the regular GeForce GTS 250. So a small overpayment for this video adapter justifies itself. However, it will still depend on the cost of new models and competing solutions from AMD.
Testing equipment was provided by the following companies:
- Eletek - OCZ OCZ2FXE12004GK memory;
- DCLink - AXLE AX-GTS250/1GD3P6CDI and Palit GeForce GTS 250 E-Green 1GB video cards;
- PCShop - ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1GD3/WW video card;
- SerOl Distribution - Inno3D iChill GeForce GTS 450 Freezer graphics card;
- Syntex - Seasonic SS-850HT (S12D-850) power supply;
- - hard drive WD3200AAKS.
It's similar in Crysis, but as resolution and graphics quality go up, the extra 512MB starts to play a major role in performance, which can be as much as 15% faster than older solutions. It remains only to compare with the GeForce GTS 250 with different amounts of video memory, which we will do in the near future.
conclusions
It would seem that the epic with the renaming of video cards based on the G92 GPU should have ended last year. But no, the chip turned out so successful that it can be used for at least another year or two. And we will soon be able to please accelerators such as GeForce GT 350, GT 420 or even GT 510. And why not?
AMD, a direct competitor in the graphics market, is still bringing down the price, and in this case it is possible to release new generations of video cards based on old designs, reducing their cost and positioning products in lower and lower market segments. The defunct 3dfx behaved in a similar way due to a miscalculation in the company's management until it was acquired by NVIDIA. Will this be the fate of the Californians? It's hard to say.
The company has a huge potential of engineers and programmers and will be able to fight back without any problems either by lowering prices for high-performance solutions (read, hi-end-class cards), or by developing and releasing a new product on an urgent basis. But the competitor is still sleeping, moreover, in a lethargic dream, otherwise how can one explain the appearance of the G92 chip in the third generation of the GeForce series video card?
As for the so-called novelty, reference GeForce GTS 250 video cards have become smaller in size and now more closely match GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB cards; officially acquired 1 GB of video memory and can even be equipped with double the amount. Due to the use of the 55nm G92b chip, the power supply subsystem has been somewhat simplified compared to the GeForce 9800 GTX(+). Also, manufacturers can safely produce cards on a redesigned PCB with an original cooling system. But the main advantage of the GeForce GTS 250 is the recommended price for video cards - about $ 130 for a 512-MB version, which will seriously compete with both NVIDIA's own G92-based solutions and AMD products.
Regarding the Zotac GeForce GTS250 AMP! note the increased operating frequencies, one gigabyte of video memory, which will allow you to play more comfortably at high resolutions, and, of course, the delivery kit, which includes all the necessary accessories and additional bonuses in the form of the XIII Century game and the 3DMark Vantage test package.
The Palit GF9800GTX+ 512M DDR3 card is a solid mid-range card with a Spartan package, which, nevertheless, is adapted to connect to a modern cinema or monitor with an HDMI interface, and you can connect as many as two devices. For owners of inexpensive TFT-monitors with an analog connector, D-Sub is already provided on the accelerator, which will eliminate the need for extra adapters. But the lack of a conventional TV-out is somewhat disappointing, given the prevalence of standard TVs in our area.
>> <<
Many people know that Nvidia is a company that is partly engaged in gimmickry and marketing gimmicks to get the attention of buyers. Moreover, she has been doing this for a long time, trying to take over the market and get ahead of AMD. The “red” manufacturer, in turn, is more practical, although it is often inferior in performance to its competitor.
Sometimes, in pursuit of superiority, Nvidia begins to lose to its rival. He is trying to "shut up" the market with indistinct models, working to get an updated model from an old video card. Another similar situation happened in 2009.
background
A year earlier, the company introduced the GT200 GPU and several models on it at once. This option has become pretty good and was able to outshine competing models. This was not surprising, because the nearest competitor, the Radeon HD 3800, received mediocre performance in principle, and after the release of new products it became even weaker.
Then AMD, then still ATI, presents an excellent RV770 GPU base and two video cards based on it. And although the Radeon HD 4870 did not immediately show unprecedented results, it nevertheless became strategically important for the dual-processor model to become a leader in the future.
After the company is engaged in the development of medium and initial graphics cards. The Radeon HD 4830 is becoming an inexpensive but very productive model, and the middle segment has its own shock power.
Nvidia was in no hurry to release the GTS 250 to such success. It creates an accelerator in the high segment, followed by other models that can finally compete. Problems arise when it becomes clear that the 55nm GT200 is too big and something better needs to be done.
Remember everything
G92 by 2009 was already known. This option initially turned out to be more successful and has already experienced a couple of updates. GeForce GTS 250 is a graphics card that turned out to be just another marketing ploy. Despite the new name, there are relics of the past before the buyer.
First, the GeForce 8800 GTS was created, then it is overclocked, it turns out the GTX 9800, then the technical process of this model is updated and the GTX 9800+ is released. As a result, we have a rebranding of this chain - GTS 250.
Specifications
The board design for this card was known to the manufacturer back in 2007. It was then that the G92 appeared in other models. But, developing a novelty, the company for some reason decides to recycle textolite. And it does so drastically. If at first the motives for this alteration were unclear, then later it becomes clear: in order to avoid criticism and not present an absolute clone to the buyer, the manufacturer decides to do at least something, while spending a lot of money.
Nvidia GTS 250 looks good. It is developed on the outdated but powerful G92 GPU, which was transferred to the 55-nm process technology. The crystal uses 754 million transistors and, unlike the GT200, becomes half the area. Also, 128 unified stream processors fit inside, there were 64 texture units, and 16 rasterization elements.
The memory here is GDDR3. Various modifications have chosen their volume for the accelerator. The buyer could purchase a 512 MB or 1 GB card. The memory bus width is still 256 bits.
The core frequency of the reference model was 738 MHz, shader units operate at a speed of 1836 MHz. The memory frequency was 1100 MHz. As a result, at the time of release, the card cost $ 150, which was a good price compared to competing models of both its own production and the "red" company.
Modifications
As usual, the reference version of the Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 received modified versions. They stood out in appearance, partly in the cooling system. Also, some options received increased frequencies and, in principle, became more productive. Despite the large number of modifications, the most striking are the models from Palit and GIGABYTE.
Palit
This modification was supplied in a bright branded box. Then the company presented its models in such a unified version. The front had information about the model and some technologies. Everything is quite minimalistic. There were, of course, users who failed to appreciate the color combinations that Palit presented, but at that time the packaging had not yet been created tactilely and visually pleasing.
The set is very modest. Inside, in addition to "waste paper" and a disk with drivers, there was a pair of adapters for HDMI and 2 × PATA. Despite the lack of generosity, it is still worth remembering that the model does not belong to the high price segment. Therefore, it was not worth waiting for additional accessories for such a price.
The appearance of the Palit GTS 250 turned out to be bright and attractive. The red textolite is covered with a plastic casing, in which you can see a large fan. Below it is a small radiator. In general, the cooling system is not bad, although it is not quite suitable for additional overclocking.
16 memory chips collect 512 MB in total, but the total local volume reaches 1 GB. As in the reference version, the bus width is 256 bits. The memory frequency is higher than that of the reference model - 1200 MHz, which in total, respectively, gives 2.4 GHz. But these figures were only on the label. In fact, it turned out that the modified version received only 2 GHz of frequency, which is less than that of the reference model.
The core frequencies are still somewhat higher than those of the reference video card. On the one hand, this compensated for the reduced memory speed, and on the other hand, it became a very insignificant increase. As a result, the core frequency rose from 738 to 745 MHz.
Reviews about Palit
Modification GTS 250 received a good response from the buyer. Everyone was able to get everything they wanted from the reference model. Of course, we are talking about overclocking. Despite the disappointing reviews about the memory frequency, the additional overclocking helped improve the core speed. As a result, it began to operate at a frequency of 800 MHz, and the shader domain - 1984 MHz. Users also noted that the situation with memory was successful. Despite lagging behind the reference model, we managed to catch up with these values and even slightly exceed 1150 MHz.
GIGABYTE
This modification also turned out to be pretty good. She got an attractive appearance. First of all, thanks to its cooling system. The model was delivered in an interesting package that displayed all the characteristics. Inside was a couple of adapters for the GTS 250, drivers and a user manual.
The blue textolite is partially covered by a radiator with a built-in fan. The cooling system is efficient and looks nice. The board has all the necessary elements, and the interface panel has received all the necessary connectors.
Interestingly, this GTS 250 graphics card does not differ in any way from the reference model in terms of specifications. As a result, the frequency is still 738 MHz, and the memory runs at 1100 MHz. At the same time, its volume is 1 GB.
This state of affairs makes it clear that overclocking is indispensable here, otherwise it is easier to purchase a reference version. And in principle, additional overclocking shows an excellent result. The core frequency rises to 792 MHz and the memory to 1635 MHz.
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M- DirectX10.1 graphics adapter for laptops based on 40nm core GT215. It is equipped with 96 shader cores, just like 9800M GT, but the memory bus is only 128-bit. To compensate for this shortcoming, the video card supports GDDR5. The core of the GTS250M is marked GT215 and is based on a high-end architecture for desktop systems (line GTX 200). In addition, NVIDIA has improved the micro-architecture for even greater power savings and improved performance. Therefore, the performance per shader unit has slightly improved compared to the previous generation.
Like the GeForce 9800M GT, the GTS 250M offers 96 stream processors that do the work of the old pixel and vertex shaders. NVIDIA's unified shaders are 1D (unlike AMD's 5D shaders, which leads to more of them).
GeForce GTS250M also supports CUDA, DirectX Compute, OpenCL, and PhysiX to be able to use shaders to perform other tasks other than image rendering (such as video encoding, performing physics calculations in games, or solving mathematical problems). For such special tasks, the GPU can be noticeably faster than today's processors.
The mobile graphics card has a built-in video decoder called PureVideo HD with VP4. Video Processor 4 (VP4) supports full processing of H.264, VC-1, and now also MPEG-4 ASP (eg DivX or XviD). MPEG-1 will still not be supported, but decoding this format is easy enough for the CPU as well.
In combination with an NVIDIA chipset with integrated graphics (for example 9400M), the GTS 250M supports Hybrid-SLI (HybridPower and GeForceBoost). HybridPower is a technology that allows you to choose between a separate and integrated graphics core, depending on whether you need performance or power savings from a laptop. Today, this feature is only available from Vista (also likely from Windows 7). To date, the user has to switch between adapters manually, then it is planned to implement this at the driver level.
The performance of the GeForce GTS 250M should be clearly higher GTS 240M, since it has twice as many shader cores. Demanding DirectX 10 games like Crysis should run smoothly on medium to high settings. Older games, or less demanding ones, should work fine in high detail at high resolutions. Depending on the type of video memory used (GDDR5, GDDR3), performance may vary.
The power consumption of a mobile graphics card is considered relatively low at 27W (especially compared to the GTS 260M, which is only slightly different in frequency, but requires 10W more). In addition, according to NVIDIA, the new improved core consumes only half the power in idle mode (compared to previous generations).
| Manufacturer: | NVIDIA | |||||||
| Series: | GeForce GTS 200M | |||||||
| The code: | N10E-GE | |||||||
| Threads: | 96 - unified | |||||||
| Clock frequency: | 500* MHz | |||||||
| Shader frequency: | 1250* MHz | |||||||
| Memory frequency: | 1600* MHz | |||||||
| Memory bus width: | 128 Bit | |||||||
| Memory type: | GDDR3, GDDR2, GDDR1 | |||||||
| Maximum memory: | 1024 MB | |||||||
| Common memory: | No | |||||||
| DirectX: | DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.1 | |||||||
| Technology: | 40 nm | |||||||
| Additionally: | DirectX Compute Support (Windows 7), CUDA, OpenCL, HybridPower, PhysX, SLI, Powermizer 8.0, MXM 3.0 Type-B | |||||||
| Notebook size: | big | |||||||
| Release date: | 15.06.2009 | |||||||
| Chipset | GeForce GTS 250 |
|---|---|
GPU architecture GPU microarchitecture codename | G92 |
Memory bus, bit | |
Memory, MB |
Loading...