Description of geforce gts 250. Video cards. Game tests: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
NVIDIA's seventh generation mainstream solution supporting most modern technologies. Suitable for home computers, and also as an additional card for PhysX acceleration in a powerful gaming computer.
It has sufficient performance for gaming and some professional tasks at an affordable price, but no longer corresponds to the current state of graphics technology in games.
Advantages
SLI support Possibility of grouping with one or two of the same cards (when using an SLI-compatible motherboard) to significantly improve game performance. PhysX acceleration support The video card supports PhysX and allows you to get additional special effects in games, although at the cost of a large performance penalty, or increase performance when used as a dedicated PhysX accelerator in addition to the main video card for graphics.Flaws
Outdated GPU architecture Lack of performance headroom for future games. The effectiveness of general purpose computing is limited. For additional PhysX effects and 3D Vision stereo imaging, performance may not be sufficient. Incomplete acceleration for VC-1 video Playback of some Blu-ray discs and Internet videos will be affected by power central processor computer. HDMI connector is optional In most video cards of this model for digital connection TV/video equipment requires using a separate adapter and connecting the video card to the sound adapter with a wire.| Chipset | GeForce GTS 250 |
|---|---|
GPU architecture Code name for GPU microarchitecture | G92 |
Memory bus, bit | |
Memory, MB |
A month ago, NVIDIA announced a “new” GeForce GTS 250 video card. Long before this event, it was known that this “new product” was nothing more than a renamed GeForce 9800 GTX+ video card. The only difference from its predecessor GeForce GTS 250 is its shortened printed circuit board, the G92b video chip has not undergone any changes.
At this point we can finish this article, but let's turn to the history of the G92 video chip. It was announced in the fall of 2007 in the form of the GeForce 8800 GT video card. The GPU of this video card was made using a 65 nm process technology and included 112 shader processors, 56 texture units, 16 rasterization units and support for a 256-bit memory bus. This video card has become a legend, leaving no chance in games for its direct competitor from the red camp - the Radeon HD 3870, based on the RV670 video chip.
In December 2007, NVIDIA released the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 Mb video card, based on the same G92 video chip. Unlike the similarly named GeForce 8800 GTS 640(320) MB video card, based on the G80 GPU, they had:
- smaller memory bus width (256-bit versus 320-bit) and rasterization units (16 versus 24);
- more shader processors (128 versus 96), texture units (64 versus 48) and higher core clock (650MHz versus 513MHz), shader domain (1625MHz versus 1188MHz), GDDR (1940MHz versus 1584MHz).
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Due to the larger number of functional units and higher frequencies, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 Mb easily outperformed the GeForce 8800 GTS 640 Mb. Moreover, it was able to catch up to this point with the undefeated GeForce 8800 GTX 768 Mb. Thanks to this and its lower price, this video card became a real hit among gamers of the time.In April 2008, NVIDIA released the GeForce 9800 GTX 512 Mb video card. It differed from the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 Mb in a longer printed circuit board, an increase in the number of power connectors from one six-pin to two, and increased core/shader domain/video memory frequencies. Thanks to the increase in frequencies, the GeForce 9800 GTX 512 Mb managed to catch up in performance with the previous flagship GeForce 8800 Ultra 768 Mb.
At the same time, the entire 88xx line of video cards was rebranded:
- GeForce 9800GT replaced GeForce 8800 GT;
- GeForce 9800GTX replaced GeForce GeForce 8800 Ultra 768 Mb;
- The GeForce 8800GTS 512 MB was discontinued so as not to create internal competition for the stronger GeForce 9800 GTX 512 MB video card.
In May 2008, the GeForce GTX 260 and GeForce GTX 280 video cards were announced. These video cards occupied the Hi-end sector of the market. The 98xx line has moved to the middle-end sector.
At that moment, NVIDIA dominated all sectors of the video card market, and nothing seemed to threaten its position. AMD was then in an unenviable position: processors were inferior to Intel products on all fronts, and the situation with video cards was no better. On the way were video cards of the HD4xxx line, based on the RV770 video chip. But no one believed in them; the reputation of the Radeon brand suffered too much due to the failed HD2xxx and unsuccessful HD3xxx lines.
Many people know that Nvidia is a company that is partly about stealth and marketing gimmicks to attract the attention of buyers. Moreover, it 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 the pursuit of superiority, Nvidia begins to lose to its rival. He is trying to “shut up” the market with vague models, working to get an updated model from an old video card. Another similar situation occurred in 2009.
Background
A year earlier, the company introduced the GT200 graphics processor and several models based on it. This option has become quite good and has been able to outshine competing models. This was not surprising, because its closest 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, presented 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.
Afterwards, the company develops mid-range and entry-level video cards. The Radeon HD 4830 is becoming an inexpensive but very productive model, and the mid-range segment has its own striking power.
Nvidia was in no hurry to release the GTS 250 for 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 55 nm GT200 is too large and something more profitable needs to be invented.
Remember all
G92 was already known by 2009. This option initially turned out to be more successful and has already gone through a couple of updates. GeForce GTS 250 is a video card that turned out to be just another marketing ploy. Despite the new name, the buyer was faced with relics of the past.
First, the GeForce 8800 GTS was created, then it was overclocked, resulting in the GTX 9800, then the technical process for this model was updated and the GTX 9800+ was released. As a result, we have a rebranding of this chain - GTS 250.
Specifications
The design of the board for this card was known to the manufacturer back in 2007. That's when the G92 appeared in other models. But while developing a new product, the company for some reason decides to recycle the textolite. And he does it radically. If at first the motives for this alteration were unclear, then later it becomes clear: in order to avoid criticism and not present the buyer with an absolute clone, the manufacturer decides to do at least something, spending considerable money.
Nvidia GTS 250 looks good. It is developed on an outdated but powerful GPU G92, which was transferred to a 55 nm process technology. The crystal uses 754 million transistors and, unlike the GT200, is half the size. Also inside there were 128 unified stream processors, 64 texture units, and 16 rasterization elements.
The memory here is GDDR3 type. Various modifications have chosen their own volume for the accelerator. The buyer could purchase a 512 MB or 1 GB card. The memory bus width remains 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 due to their appearance, partly due to their 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 exactly this unified version. On the front there was information about the model and some technologies. Everything is quite minimalistic. There were, of course, users who were unable to evaluate color combinations, which Palit introduced, but at that time the packaging had not yet been created to be tactile and visually pleasing.
The equipment is very modest. Inside, in addition to “waste paper” and a disk with drivers, there was a pair of adapters for HDMI and 2xPATA. Despite the lack of generosity, it is still worth remembering that the model does not belong to the high price segment. So wait for this price additional accessories not worth it.
The appearance of the Palit GTS 250 is bright and attractive. The red PCB is covered with a plastic casing, in which a large fan can be seen. Below it is a small radiator. In general, the cooling system is not bad, although it is not entirely suitable for additional overclocking.
16 memory chips total 512 MB, 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 gives 2.4 GHz. But these numbers turned out to be only markings. In fact, it turned out that the modified version received only 2 GHz frequencies, which is less than the reference model.
The core frequencies still became somewhat higher than those of the reference video card. On the one hand, this compensated for the reduced memory speed, but on the other, it was a very insignificant increase. As a result, the core frequency increased from 738 to 745 MHz.
Reviews about Palit
The GTS 250 modification received a good response from the buyer. Everyone was able to get everything they wanted from the reference model. We are, of course, talking about overclocking. Despite disappointing reviews about memory speed, additional overclocking helped improve 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 the lag behind the reference model, we managed to catch up with these values and even slightly exceed them - 1150 MHz.
GIGABYTE
This modification also turned out to be quite good. She got attractive appearance. First of all, thanks to its cooling system. The model was delivered in an interesting package that displayed all the characteristics. Inside were a pair 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 all the necessary connectors.
Interestingly, this GTS 250 video card is no different from the reference model in terms of specifications. As a result, the frequency is still 738 MHz, and the memory runs at 1100 MHz. Moreover, its volume is 1 GB.
This state of affairs makes it clear that you can’t do without overclocking, otherwise it’s easier to purchase a reference version. And in principle, additional overclocking shows excellent results. The core frequency increases to 792 MHz, and the memory increases to 1635 MHz.
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M- DirectX10.1 graphics adapter for laptops based on the 40 nm GT215 core. It is equipped with 96 shader cores, just like 9800M GT, but the memory bus is only 128-bit. To compensate for this drawback, the video card supports GDDR5. The core of the GTS250M is marked GT215 and is based on high-end architecture for desktop systems(ruler GTX 200). In addition, NVIDIA has improved the micro-architecture for even greater power savings and increased performance. Therefore, the performance per shader unit has improved slightly compared to the previous generation.
Like the GeForce 9800M GT, the GTS 250M offers 96 stream processors that handle the work of legacy pixel and vertex shaders. NVIDIA's unified shaders are 1D (as opposed to AMD's 5D shaders, which results in more shaders).
GeForce GTS250M also supports CUDA, DirectX Compute, OpenCL and PhysiX to be able to use shaders to perform tasks other than image rendering (for example, video encoding, performing physics calculations in games, or solving mathematical problems). For such specialized tasks, a 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 H.264, VC-1, and now also MPEG-4 ASP processing (eg DivX or XviD). MPEG-1 will still not be supported, but decoding this format is quite easy for the CPU.
Combined with an NVIDIA chipset with integrated graphics (eg 9400M), 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 energy savings from your laptop. Today this feature is only available from Vista (also most likely from Windows 7). To this day, the user has to switch between adapters manually; in the future, 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. Earlier games, or less demanding ones, should work perfectly with high detail on high resolutions. Depending on the type of video memory used (GDDR5, GDDR3), performance may vary.
The power consumption of the mobile video card is considered relatively low and amounts to 27 W (especially in comparison with the GTS 260M, which is only slightly different in frequency, but requires 10 W more). In addition, according to NVIDIA, the new improved core consumes only half the power at idle (compared to previous generations).
| Manufacturer: | NVIDIA |
| Series: | GeForce GTS 200M |
| Code: | N10E-GE |
| Streams: | 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 |
| Laptop size: | big |
| Release date: | 15.06.2009 |
