Many experts in the field of IT technologies never cease to amaze users who prefer integrated solutions instead of purchasing an independent entry-level device with minimal costs. This article will focus on the GeForce 9500 GT video adapter, which is often overlooked by buyers in the computer market. Features, review and reviews will provide more detailed information to users about this noteworthy graphics card.
RAM does not happen much
It will be interesting for the user to know that all the additional functionality on the motherboard, including the video adapter and sound card, is powered by the basic resources of the computer, in particular the processor and RAM. The video card takes about 30% of RAM from a personal computer (we are talking about 32-bit platforms), so it is logical to assume that the nVidia GeForce 9500 GT stand-alone device will allow the system to be more productive.
It is quite possible disputes among game lovers, which as an argument may lead to evidence that integrated graphics are capable of working at higher frequencies. However, all the myths are broken when testing devices using real applications and games, which are not enough for the full frequency of the graphics core.
Specifications
The video card GeForce 9500 GT is built using the 65-nm technical process and has its own graphics core labeled G96. This approach of the manufacturer clearly pleased all potential buyers, judging by their reviews. After all, it is always nice to purchase a full-fledged video adapter, rather than a simplified modification of the older generation with locked modules.
Many owners consider the graphics core of the video card as a weak link, because the frequency of 550 MHz is not enough for many gaming applications. Most users have no questions about the RAM of the graphics accelerator - in the budget class GDDR3, a bus with a 128-bit architecture is the norm. The owners were pleased with the amount of memory - 1024 MB is enough for any resource-intensive programs and many entry-level games to work. It is worth noting that the effective frequency of the memory modules is 1800 MHz. These parameters are quite enough for the work of graphic editors and encoding video files.
Advantages of a budget video adapter
The main criterion for most buyers who drew attention to the nVidia GeForce 9500 GT graphics accelerator is price. A video card can be purchased on the market no more than 2000 rubles, and if you take into account the secondary market, the price limit will not exceed 500 rubles. Drawing an analogy with integrated solutions, it can be noted that the graphics core implemented on the motherboard will cost half the price. But the products on the new platform, where the graphics are built into the central processor, will cost the buyer 2 times more expensive than the representative of nVidia.
The inexpensive GeForce 9500 GT video adapter supports SLI mode and is able to work in pairs. True, the mode is limited to only two video cards, but this is quite enough to compete in many resource-intensive games with many representatives of the budget segment on the market. At the hardware level, the device supports PhysX acceleration, but many experts are very confused by the implementation of this functionality. After all, efficiency is observed only when working in SLI mode.
Disadvantages of the GeForce 9500 GT Graphics Accelerator
In addition to the advantages, it is common for all video cards to have negative qualities. Naturally, the main one is the low performance of the graphics platform. As noted earlier, the whole problem with the nVidia GeForce 9500 GT is in the weak graphics core. To run more or less productive games, you need to solve the problem with increasing the frequency of the graphics accelerator.
The second problem is relevant for all owners of modern LCD panels - there is no HDMI interface. Negative can be eliminated by the converter, but you have to buy it yourself. Many owners have questions about heating the graphic core - in normal mode, the crystal is quite hot, which means that many users who want to install a silent cooling system may have problems.
Factory-made graphics card
As it should be for all budget representatives, the nVidia GeForce 9500 GT video adapter, the price of which does not exceed 2500 rubles, has compact dimensions and is designed to be installed in one slot of the system unit. Upon visual inspection of the printed circuit board, the owner will find not only a cheap cooling system with low blowing efficiency, but also a lot of batteries that are scattered throughout the chip.
This approach of the manufacturer to the production of printed circuit boards tells many potential buyers that the product of nVidia is incomplete and we should expect the appearance of video adapters based on the GeForce 9500 GT chip, released under other brands. One thing is not clear - what are the global manufacturers of gaming video adapters able to surprise their fans if the factory-made graphics accelerator is not able to show decent performance in its price category.
Favorite Overlocker Toy
Since the potential in games determines the frequency of the graphics core, it is not difficult to guess that all manufacturers will certainly resort to overclocking. As tests by independent laboratories show, only a few brands can boast decent gaming performance among budget representatives of video cards in the domestic market. The first place rightfully belongs to the Zotac GeForce 9500 GT graphics accelerator. The company's technologists managed to raise the graphics core to 700 MHz (an increase of 25%).
As expected, the opposite effect of increased productivity (we are talking about heat dissipation) was eliminated by the proprietary cooling system. The company's technologists did not save on aluminum radiators and created a very efficient cooler, which not only has small dimensions, but is also able to effectively cool the GeForce 9500 GT printed circuit board with the components located on it.
Finally
The budget representative in the low-cost segment undoubtedly has a future. At least in the next few years, until integrated solutions manufacturers provide their own amount of RAM. Inexpensive, silent and small-sized video adapter will appeal to all users who need a computer for work and leisure. The graphics accelerator GeForce 9500 GT 512 is quite suitable for working in multimedia and will pull most of the games created for working with DirectX 10 libraries. But for lovers of productive toys, it is better to switch their attention to the more expensive segment.