An ultra-budget class video accelerator with very modest specifications and a very, very democratic cost is the GeForce 210. The characteristics of this graphic accelerator indicate that you can only build a multimedia station on its basis, but you wo n’t get anything more from it . In terms of speed, this product is inferior even to the current integrated video subsystems, and you should not expect much agility from it in modern gaming applications. The only niche in which it is successfully used is entry-level multimedia PCs. It is about him that will be discussed later.
What segment of the graphics accelerator market is this product for?
As noted earlier, the very low level of performance in the GeForce 210. The characteristics of this product confirm this once again. Even with his announcement, the most demanding toys of 2009 on such an accelerator did not start in normal quality. Therefore, the niche of this adapter is an entry-level PC that specializes in playing video and audio recordings. Also to this list you can add web surfing, office programs and the most simple toys. This ends the list of software supported by such hardware .
But if in 2009 motherboards without an integrated video accelerator were sold and solutions similar to the GT 210 were very, very popular, now it’s hard to find a motherboard without integrated graphics and there is no special need for such accelerators. Therefore, to date, the only reasonable use of such adapters is the modular repair of personal computers with faulty existing video subsystems in the shortest possible time and with minimal investment of material resources.
Graphic Product Specifications
A very modest product from the point of view of technical specifications is the NVidia GeForce 210 graphics card . Its characteristics are modest by today's standards, and it completely loses even to the simplest accelerators integrated into the CPU. CUDA shader modules as part of this semiconductor chip are only 16. Their maximum frequency is 589 MHz, and for the processor as a whole this value is limited to 1.4 GHz. The semiconductor crystal itself has the designation GT218 and is manufactured using 40 nm technology.
RAM. Her options. RAM controller
Only the use of one type of RAM is aimed at this accelerator. In the list of its specifications appears only support for DDR2. At the same time, the smallest amount of RAM for this accelerator is set to 512 MB, and the largest - to 1 GB. Some other type of RAM in combination with such an accelerator can not be found for the reason that the use of higher-speed microcircuits will not have any significant increase in performance. And it will significantly affect the cost of the final product, and this is a budget-level video accelerator, and it is not economically feasible to use expensive components in it. The capacity of the RAM bus in this case is a modest 64 bits, and its operating frequency is limited to 500 MHz.
Thermal specifications
The thermal package is 30.5 W for the GeForce 210. The characteristics of the semiconductor chip itself indicate the maximum allowable temperature of 105 0 C. These two parameters indicate that for the normal operation of such a video card a passive heat sink based on a small aluminum heatsink is enough . This can significantly reduce the noise level during the functioning of the PC system unit. But some manufacturers do not pay attention to such recommendations and complete their products with active heat sink systems. As a result, the noise level of the computer during operation increases without unnecessary need. Another important parameter that belongs to this group is the power supply system of a personal computer, that is, a power supply. Its minimum value is set by the manufacturer at around 300 watts.
Analogs Comparison with them
Be that as it may, the GeForce 210 is aimed at one niche of the graphics adapter market along with integrated video cards. Their technical characteristics are very similar, but the speed level is almost comparable. Only here the product considered in the article does not compete with graphics accelerators of this class for the reason that it is already included in the semiconductor chip of the central processor and there is no need to additionally purchase them. Therefore, the only situation where the use of the GT 210 at the moment is justified is a modular PC repair in case of failure of an existing video adapter and replacing it with a new one. Moreover, there are no special requirements for the graphics subsystem, and the repair budget is very limited.
Price. Opinion of specialists and owners
For 1500 rubles, the GeForce 210 video card can be purchased at the moment. The characteristics of this solution are fully consistent with this cost. Previously, such products were justifiably used as part of multimedia computing systems. But after the manufacturers of central processors integrated graphics accelerators into their silicon crystal, this part of the video accelerator market essentially ceased to exist. There is no particular need for such video cards.
Summary
The GeForce 210 was just a good product for its niche and for its time. The characteristics of this adapter really made it possible to solve all the tasks assigned to it (reviews confirm this). But now this niche is occupied by completely different solutions, with which it simply can no longer compete. So it turns out that the video card considered in this material, along with all representatives of this niche, is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Its technical specifications are no longer relevant.