Second Guessing GTS250

Hey all,
currently in the process of building a computer. I just got in on a deal on the Galaxy GTS250 for $40 after MIR. Seems like a steal, but now i am sort of second guessing it after reading more about this card. Runs hot, this version has the old cooler on it, not the best performance.. Even though I don't have a huge budget for this computer, I could spend up to $100 on a video card. I saw the 4770 for $75 earlier today and thought about it, but someone told me this would be better. I will be using this mainly for gaming, nothing else demanding - modern warfare 2, borderlands, starcraft 2 eventually... Here's my setup so far. Thanks in advance!

AMD X4 Phenom II 965 Black
Gigabyte GA-MA78GMT
2 x 2gb DDR3 RAM
dell 23" 1980 x 1080 monitor

Guessing this is the 512MB version, from your description? None of those games are particularly demanding, and you may even be able to flip the card for a small profit assuming the rebate comes through as expected. That said, the only card that's superior to yours for $100 is the GTS250 1GB, and I don't think it would be worth the trouble. On AMD's side, the 5770 is comparable in performance to the 250/1GB but costs over $100, and from NV, the GTX260 is only faster in some games- and still over $100.

I'd say for $100, stick with what you have and rest easy knowing you got a great price on it. Oh, and save up for a substantial upgrade- either a 280/285, a 5850, or wait for whatever is next.

If the system is mainly for gaming at 1920x1080 then i would highly recommend spending a little more and getting:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150448

Disagree. 5770 is approximately the same as GTS250 1GB, so 5750 would only be about as good as GTS250/512, if that. Why spend an extra $100 for nothing?

That card is just fine I ran two of them in my main rig for like a year. Its the exact same card that was $65 after MIR a long time ago. I was very happy with both my cards. Just recently upgraded each individually ran all my games on high with some AA @1900x1200. Sli Scaled decently as well.

For 40$ you got a great deal. I would be very happy with it at that price.

thanks for the replies everyone!

i know its hard to say, but how "future proof" do you think this card is?

Why not trying to get a cheap 4890 used? That should be close to your budget.
It performs closer to a gtx280 so you can hold on to it longer.

Originally Posted by piscian18

That card is just fine I ran two of them in my main rig for like a year. Its the exact same card that was $65 after MIR a long time ago. I was very happy with both my cards. Just recently upgraded each individually ran all my games on high with some AA @1900x1200. Sli Scaled decently as well.

if youre not playing with 16xAA all settings on max 1900x1200 or above for every game you play you've got plenty of life left in that card. At the rate things are going you won't need an upgrade until DirectX 11 is standard 1-2 years. I just upgraded from the GTS250 to a GTX275 and all I got out of it was 16xAA and a higher minimum FPS. Granted I'm mostly just playing Borderlands right now.

1920x1200

At 1920x1200, the GeForce GTX 285, Radeon HD 5850, and GeForce GTX 275 took great performance gains over 2560x1600. Even the GeForce GTS 250 was able to play Borderlands with maximum in-game settings at 1920x1200. Unfortunately, the Radeon HD 5770 and HD 5750 were not as lucky. We were forced to lower image quality to make up some performance, but it was not as severe as it was at 2560x1600. Still, the price and performance advantage of the GeForce GTS 250 make it an impressive contender at 1920x1200.-HARDOCP Borderlands performance review

Originally Posted by hy0r1

thanks for the replies everyone!

i know its hard to say, but how "future proof" do you think this card is?

It's not, but for $40 it a good hold over until ATI cards have better stock and prices stop being so crazy. Oh and a pair of those in SLI can easily top a GTX 260 and approach a 285 in some games.

I have a Galaxy GTS 250 512mb card in my "work" computer at my photography studio. It does run a little warm but also does just fine playing Dragon Age and Fallout 3 at 1920x1200.

Hang onto yours and you'll be fine until prices come way down on the newer cards.

just got a cancellation email from amazon on my backordered GTS250 for $40 =[ and i've got my new rig set up. I'd like to get one within the next few weeks. Can't spend very much, maybe less than $100.. Any suggestions?

The GTS 250 isn't very futureproof at all. It's a refresh of the very old 8800 GTX except in 55nm form, drawing less power and producing less heat.

Yet mine still gets up to 74'C playing Crysis. Yikes!

But you're not going to beat the GTS 250 for $40. Even for $100 the GTS 250 is a solid choice. An HD 4850 or HD 4770 would also be solid options (the 4770 slightly underperforms the other two, but it is much cooler, quieter, and less power-hungry). You might also want to look into a second-hand HD 4870, which is a slight notch above.

Originally Posted by friend'scatdied

Yet mine still gets up to 74'C playing Crysis. Yikes!

Sorry for the slight off-topic, but you think 74ºC under load, is hot ?

Originally Posted by mavalpha

Guessing this is the 512MB version, from your description? None of those games are particularly demanding, and you may even be able to flip the card for a small profit assuming the rebate comes through as expected. That said, the only card that's superior to yours for $100 is the GTS250 1GB, and I don't think it would be worth the trouble. On AMD's side, the 5770 is comparable in performance to the 250/1GB but costs over $100, and from NV, the GTX260 is only faster in some games- and still over $100.

I'd say for $100, stick with what you have and rest easy knowing you got a great price on it. Oh, and save up for a substantial upgrade- either a 280/285, a 5850, or wait for whatever is next.

I've had this experience:

I upgraded from XFX GTS 250 to 5770 and hell the 5770 kicks the 250's ass SO BAD..It's waaaaay better than the 250, I play CSS, HAWX

Comparing FPS in CSS, I got like 100 FPS increase...In HAWX, I got like 30 FPS increase, both in average so yeah the 5770 is way better than the 250..

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/..._5750_review/3
5750 is a little bit behind a GTS250/512MB, consistently. Wish the chart had 5770 vs GTS250/1GB, but I'd guess similar as well. You may have had a GTS250/512, which would explain the increase.

For the money the GTS 250 is a solid card. It won't break any records, but for $40 I would deal with a little heat. I'm kind of in the same boat - I had a 8800 GTS 512 and upgraded (exchanged?) it with a PNY black friday sale. After e-baying my old card I think it cost me shipping in total, that's it. I got the 1GB "newer" revision but shouldn't matter too much.

For the games I play, I can hit 1900 x 1200 so I'm good. Sure, I'd like a better card, but I just can't justify it based off my current game-playing experience with the 250.

Originally Posted by hy0r1

thanks for the replies everyone!

i know its hard to say, but how "future proof" do you think this card is?

Dang, come on, you spent $40! You are seriously wondering about the future proof of this card? I'll tell you how long...as long as the xbox 360 will last...a very very long time. Consoles are peaking to new heights right now. Your GTS250 is more powerful than any console on the market. That should tell you you will be enjoying good performance for at least another 2 years on that card. Once the new generation consoles come out, which will probably be in the next 1-4 years or so, then it may be upgrade time.

Originally Posted by TeeJay

I've had this experience:

I upgraded from XFX GTS 250 to 5770 and hell the 5770 kicks the 250's ass SO BAD..It's waaaaay better than the 250, I play CSS, HAWX

Comparing FPS in CSS, I got like 100 FPS increase...In HAWX, I got like 30 FPS increase, both in average so yeah the 5770 is way better than the 250..

CS:S? You were probably already getting 100FPS+ what does it matter?