I might as well start a new thread for this since I plan on doing a bit of testing and benchmarking.
I purchased a
SPARKLE SXS2501024D3L-NM GeForce GTS 250 1GB a few days ago for only $89.09 shipped (after coupon code) and it just arrived in only two days.
The box was very small, so I knew the card would be as well... but look at the difference between this 1Gb GTS 250 and my 896Mb GTX 260:
I was using a Galaxy 9600GT as a Physx card for a short while but its large dual-slot heatsink really didn't fit too well in my case. As you can see, its pretty cramped. The lower PCI-E slot isn't even visible in this picture. Its between my X-Fi card and the last PCI slot:
But... this card fits perfectly, without even touching
any wires.
First impressions after installing:
The small size makes it a perfect fit for cramped cases, and the low profile width of the card makes it block less air flow for other components. While idling in Windows I notice no difference in the volume of my fans with this card installed. Evga Precision reports the idle temp to be at 44C with the case closed up and sitting here for about an hour.
I'm going to install the latest 197.45 drivers and a few games and benchmarks to test this thing out now.
