By the standards of 2011, the mid-level accelerator was the adapter of the GeForce GTS 250 model . Its characteristics were typical for this class of devices and made it possible to solve most problems at that time. The only caveat is that in the most demanding programs it was necessary to forcefully lower the quality of the output image. It is about this discrete graphic solution that will be discussed further.
Equipment. Positioning
As noted earlier, the mid-level graphics cards by the standards of 2011 belonged to the GeForce GTS 250. Its characteristics in this case were an additional argument in its similar affiliation. Below it were the GT 220, GT 230 and GT 240. Above it was the GTS 260, GTS 275 and GTS 280. The package bundle for this device included the following:
- Graphics Accelerator.
- Disk with software and documentation.
- User's manual.
- Certificate of conformity.
- Warranty card.
According to the owners, there is nothing superfluous in the configuration, but it is enough to start the accelerator.
CPU parameters. Memory subsystem
Even by today's standards, the GeForce GTS 250 boasts good technical specifications. The characteristics of its chip indicated the presence of 754 million transistor elements, and they were manufactured according to the 55nm process technology. The clock frequency of the accelerator core was 738 MHz, and the code designation for the graphic chip according to the manufacturer's nomenclature was G92b.
It consisted of 128 shader processing units (their frequency was 1836 MHz), 16 rasterization modules and 64 TMU units. GDDR3 is the main and only type of memory for GeForce GTS 250. The technical characteristics of the graphics adapter indicated that a 256-bit bus was used for the connection. The recommended clock frequency of the memory chips is 2200 MHz. The throughput was set by developers at the level of 70.4 GB / s. The amount of RAM could be 512 MB, 1 GB or even 2 GB.
Cost. Thermal package and communication kit
105W - the GeForce GTS 250 video card could boast of just such a value of the thermal package. The characteristics of the PCI E rev connection port. 16X (it was in such an expansion slot that this solution could be installed) allowed to produce only 75W. Therefore, to power this solution, it was necessary to bring in additional connectors from the PC power supply. Also, such a board could only work stably only in combination with an active cooling system.
To output information, this accelerator was equipped with three ports. One of them transmitted information in analog format - it is VGA. The other two are digital. One of them is DVI, and the second is HDMI. The key disadvantage of this adapter is its high power consumption. Its advantages include acceptable performance, universal parameters and affordable cost, which currently stands at 3,000-3,500 rubles in a new version from stocks. Used boards are even cheaper - 1 000-1 500 rubles.
Summary
The mid-level balanced adapter at the time of release was the GeForce GTS 250. Its characteristics were really competitive and allowed solving most problems. Now the solution in question is outdated, and it was replaced by a new generation of discrete accelerators.