When I was initially asked to review the EVGA GeForce GT 240, I was looking forward to investigating the features and performance of an add-in graphics card targeted at the budget gamer. The GeForce GT 240 features an NVIDIA Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which offers a variety of uses such as desktop acceleration, 3D gaming, PhysX, and GPU computing. Another use is including it in a Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC) where it is capable of accelerating Blu-ray, DivX, Flash and other high-definition multimedia content.
EVGA GeForce GT 240 SuperClocked
The GeForce GT 240 is designed around NVIDIA's GT215 GPU and manufactured using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) 40nm process. The 40nm process is evident, as the product contains a small heatsink and requires no external power connector(s). EVGA recommends a 300-watt power supply with a +12 Volt current rating of 18 Amps.
SPECIFICATIONS
In this review, the GeForce GT 240 was compared to the GeForce 9800 GT. Both graphics cards are currently available around the $99 price point and the GeForce GT 240 looks to be a good choice for those wanting to get into the entry-level GeForce 200 Series. The table below is a list of specifications that compares the GeForce GT 240 to the previous generation GeForce 9800 GT.
Specifications Comparison
This particular GeForce GT 240 has a 128-bit memory interface and is outfitted with GDDR5 memory. This type of memory provides up to three times the performance of today's high-speed GDDR3 and allows the GeForce GT 240 to approach the data bandwidth offered by the 256-bit wide GeForce 9800 GT.
READINGS
The following information is provided by GPU-Z, which is a free utility from TechPowerUp that reports on a variety of characteristics of a GPU.
GPU-Z Report
GPU-Z also reports sensor readings, GPU and circuit board temperature, fan speed and internal core voltage.
FEATURES
Below are a few of the standard features of the GeForce GT 240:
Full PhysX and 3D Vision experience
Games run over 50% faster with a GeForce GT 240 as a dedicated PhysX GPU alongside a higher-end GPU
HD content playback and creation acceleration with new video processing features and 96 CUDA cores
Excellent GPU for Windows 7, including key features such as DirectCompute and drag and drop video conversion
The GeForce GT 240, along with NVIDIA's CUDA, make many new PC usage cases possible, including:
Enhancing video captured on cell phones or shot in poor lighting conditions with MotionDSP's vReveal
Converting HD video for use with handheld devices using BadaBoom, Cyberlink Media Show Expresso, Nero Move It, and TMPGEnc
Editing HD movies and applying filters with Cyberlink PowerDirector 7 and Loiloscope Venus
Editing photos and applying filters with Adobe Photoshop CS4 (CS4 is OpenGL-enabled)
Organizing photos using GPU accelerated facial recognition and tagging with Cyberlink MediaShow 5
Enjoying high-quality DVD upscaling with ArcSoft SimHD
