Getting a GT 240 -- Need help choosing

[Snaffle J Bean]

Recently my computer broke, and I'm getting a new one. It's just a normal computer, but with better specs than my old one. Since the new one has a 300W power supply, I decided I'd go for a GT 240 rather than upgrade the power supply and get a more expensive card (I'm sort of on a low budget). I have a few questions:

How much of a difference on performance does the video ram type have? (DDR3/GDDR5)
If the highest resolution I'll be playing at is 1280x1024, would 512MB of video ram be enough?


I'm trying to choose between the Palit 512MB GDDR5 GT 240, the Sparkle 512MB GDDR5 GT 240, and the Sparkle 1GB DDR3 GT 240.

 

[rolli59]

Get the cheaper GDDR5 512mb card. The additional memory on the 1GB card is slower being GDDR3. Those cards at 512mb run into GPU limitation before memory limitation when playing games.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Read the GTS 250 1 GB summary here for a take on 512 vs 1024 MB

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-3.html

 

[skolpo]

What was your previous graphics card and setup? The GT 240 isn't exactly a great gaming card, so I'm not sure you're going to see a vast increase in performance from your previous system. Don't worry about DDR3 vs. GDDR5 as you will not see much of a performance gain.

At 1280x1024, 512MB is more than enough, but since the Sparkle GT 240 1GB is cheaper than both of the other cards, it wouldn't hurt to get that instead.

My recommendation is to work on a new PSU first. Settling for a GT 240 might make you regret it, especially for $100 on newegg. What games are you planning to play?

EDIT: Didn't see that the 1GB is DDR3. For lower resolutions, go for the GDDR5 512mb instead. the 1GB wouldn't matter since you're not running higher resolutions anyway.

 

[Snaffle J Bean]

What was your previous graphics card and setup? The GT 240 isn't exactly a great gaming card, so I'm not sure you're going to see a vast increase in performance from your previous system. Don't worry about DDR3 vs. GDDR5 as you will not see much of a performance gain.

At 1280x1024, 512MB is more than enough, but since the Sparkle GT 240 1GB is cheaper than both of the other cards, it wouldn't hurt to get that instead.

My recommendation is to work on a new PSU first. Settling for a GT 240 might make you regret it, especially for $100 on newegg. What games are you planning to play?

My old card was an 8400GS. I don't really care much for graphics, but it would still be nice to play games at settings a bit higher than before.

Here are some of my most recent game purchases: Mirror's Edge, Trine, Crysis/Crysis Warhead, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Call of Duty 4. I don't plan on playing these games on the highest settings, so I'll be fine if I have to run some of them at the lowest settings.

My new computer has 2GB DDR2 Ram, and a 2.6GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor.

 

[skolpo]

Here is how the GT240 fairs in some games at around medium settings. The performance isn't too bad and the card draws very little power.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-240,2475-9.html

If you're not looking for demanding graphics, the GT240 isn't too bad of a choice, but for around $100, you can also get the GTS250. The GTS 250 is much better than the GT240. Do you know the detailed specs of your power supply?

 

[rolli59]

My old card was an 8400GS. I don't really care much for graphics, but it would still be nice to play games at settings a bit higher than before.

Here are some of my most recent game purchases: Mirror's Edge, Trine, Crysis/Crysis Warhead, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Call of Duty 4. I don't plan on playing these games on the highest settings, so I'll be fine if I have to run some of them at the lowest settings.

My new computer has 2GB DDR2 Ram, and a 2.6GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor.

It looks to me that your decision to go with the GT240 will get you to your goal.

 

[Snaffle J Bean]

Here is how the GT240 fairs in some games at around medium settings. The performance isn't too bad and the card draws very little power.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-240,2475-9.html

If you're not looking for demanding graphics, the GT240 isn't too bad of a choice, but for around $100, you can also get the GTS250. The GTS 250 is much better than the GT240. Do you know the detailed specs of your power supply?

I probably won't be able to afford a power supply upgrade and a GTS 250. I only have around $120 to spend, and I'm okay with the GT 240 anyway.

Here's the power supply notes of the computer (copied off the website): Power supply: 300W ATX power supply, PFC / non-PFC with 115v / 230v line switch

 

[skolpo]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102859

The HD5750 should run well on your power supply. It performs a lot better than the GT240 and about the same as the GTS250. It's also a much newer card and supports DirectX 11. If you don't plan on upgrading that power supply, the HD5750 is perhaps your best option. The GT240 is very sub-par when it comes to performance, the GTS250 might pushing your power supply a bit, but the HD5750 is pretty much a perfect fit.

 

[rolli59]

Although HD5750 card manufacturers suggest a minimum 450watt PSU?

 

[Snaffle J Bean]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102859

The HD5750 should run well on your power supply. It performs a lot better than the GT240 and about the same as the GTS250. It's also a much newer card and supports DirectX 11. If you don't plan on upgrading that power supply, the HD5750 is perhaps your best option. The GT240 is very sub-par when it comes to performance, the GTS250 might pushing your power supply a bit, but the HD5750 is pretty much a perfect fit.

That looks like a nice card, but I don't think I'll be able to buy it. Plus, I think I'd rather just go with the GT 240.

 

[skolpo]

Although HD5750 card manufacturers suggest a minimum 450watt PSU?

All cards suggest a substantial minimum than it actually requires. This is to make sure that the amperage on the 12v rail is covered. With a headroom of more than 100watts on a 300w PSU, the HD5750 seems like a good choice to me.

 

[rolli59]

The most powerful card I would recommend would be the new ECO/Green version of the 9800GT that does not require external power to the card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500113