MSI 250 GTS 512MB DDR3 Graphics Card - $29.97 AR @TigerDirect

[skillyho]

MSI N250GTS-2D512 GeForce GTS 250 Video Card - 512MB, DDR3, PCI-Express 2.0, Dual DVI-I, DirectX, Dual-Slot, SLI Ready.

Price: $59.97

Minus Rebate - $30.00

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...506&CatId=3670

Older but still a solid card for a backup rig, physx, folding, etc.

 

[happy medium]

thats a great deal, gts250,4850, 5750,6750,gts450 are in the same performance class.
30$ is a super deal.

 

[mindless1]

Still in stock, rebate good till 12/31.

This card is mis-listed with regular clocks. It's the green version with 675 core / 1000 memory clock and lower vGPU @ 1.12V. About 25% lower power consumption, runs quiet at idle and reasonably at full load with decent case airflow. Don't expect much overclocking without voltmods and a different heatsink unless you like running cards hot (some do, I don't).

<rant>I can't imagine why anyone folds anymore. Wears out cards, wastes power, and the idea that someday it will help is overshadowed by the fact that we've already done it for years but in a few more years we'll have vastly more efficient computers to do so (if history serves to indicate). Folding is a feel good sentiment that is mostly wasteful. Let the drug companies and greedy hospitals spend their own money, power, time, since they are the ones that'll end up with gazillions in profits off any useful discoveries. </rant>

 

[SuPrEIVIE]

can you add this to a pci 4x slot and use in conjunction with a ati card and let it do just physx and CUDA on an z68 board with onboard graphics as well? If so i would totally get this

 

[cytoSiN]

can you add this to a pci 4x slot and use in conjunction with a ati card and let it do just physx and CUDA on an z68 board with onboard graphics as well? If so i would totally get this

Good question...

 

[mindless1]

can you add this to a pci 4x slot and use in conjunction with a ati card and let it do just physx and CUDA on an z68 board with onboard graphics as well? If so i would totally get this

Theoretically yes, assuming the onboard isn't disabled w/o ability to re-enable, and if you have a saw... it's not a 4x card so you're going to have to either cut the other 4 PCIe lane contacts off the card, or cut a notch in the back of your motherboard's 4X slot (if there is enough clearance behind the slot that the card contacts don't collide with anything)... same as you'd have to do to any 8X contact card to put it in a 4x slot. 3 GPUs though, complicates things. I mean adding so many variables leaves more room for some random bug to get in the way of success.

 

[SuPrEIVIE]

sorry i meant pci 16x slot that gets throttled to 4x speeds, im not going to be a hardware surgeon after getting this lol

 

[Fallengod]

This is a decent price for this card. The only thing that kept me away is, older process, so higher power consumption and produces more heat. I also NEED an hdmi port for tv-out so....that was a deal breaker. I went with a cheap ati 5670 instead for about the same price AR.

 

[Ricochet]

I went for it because I had a $20 eBillme coupon that I didn't know what to do with.

 

[mindless1]

Being an undervolted green version the heat level really isn't too bad, but of course the heaterformance ratio is still higher than some. To put it in perspective, in 2D mode mine idles at 40C with the fan running at 35%, ramping up in RPM when it reaches 60C, settling at 61% at 68C running FurMark's stress test with reasonable case airflow and ~ 22C room ambient temp. I can't hear it at idle with my case closed, and for what it is it has a reasonable noise level at full load too. I usually swap out noisy heatsinks and didn't feel the need this time.

Don't know if I'd put one where there was limited airflow though, one of the things removed and as shown on the picture is the mosfets' heatsink. They run cool to the touch in 2D but as warm as expected in a 3D stress test.