This GTS 250 works great, a noticeable upgrade from my 9600GT while being the same length in my smaller case, and the fan is completely inaudible when the computer is idling or gaming... but that's the problem. I monitored the card's temp and fan speed as I played a game, and the fan didn't spin up past 40% as the card's temp began approaching 85°C. (I have a 120mm fan blowing right on it from the side panel. The heatsink was also free of dust) I pulled off the heatsink, applied a thin layer of Arctic Silver, then put it back together and reinstalled the card. After setting up a custom fan profile in Rivatuner to bring the fan up to 75% once the temp exceeds 70°C, my temp problems were solved and the card sits between 67-74°C while gaming; 37-41°C idling. This GTS 250 uses the same exhaust blowing cooler as any other GTS 250, so I'm sure they all have the same problem (running hot). The card's max safe temp is 105°C, so it is still not technically overheating even at 85°C, but that is a high temp even for a video card. The GTS 250 also uses the same chipset as the 8800GTX, which means that it pulls upwards of 150w of power at full tilt, although it is very good with idle power consumption at around 20 watts. In the end I would recommend this card. It does run hot, but it's still within safe temps. It's a little concerning with how slowly the fan spins even at high temps, but Nvidia cards are notorious for doing this. I'm extremely anal about the temps of components in my system while gaming and I'm sure it would have worked just fine the way it was, but for those of you with the know-how a little modifications can go a long way with the exhaust blower GTS 250's.Read full review
I sought out this card because the card I was using was very outdated and would not work with newer games that are coming out. I like this card because it has no problems providing the resolution that is common with newer monitors and can handle the level of entertainment that I am seeking - note that I am not purchasing and playing the latest, hottest, graphics intensive games. This video card is a solid performer for normal and many high end applications.
big improvement over my previous 9800 GT. BC2 looks amazing. Can run on high setting on max res. and run smoother than my old card on 1024 on med. Only downside is the card is HUGE and I had to move my HD and remove my TV tuner card but i dont use it anyway. Also the fan is a bit noisy but all in all well worth throwing in any quad core comp. you wont be disappointed.
I bought this card as a replacement for my older video card (ASUS nVidia 7300GS). The picture is so much more defined and crisp; it took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. lol. I love this card, and with the included fan, my computer is running quiet again. (The fan on my old card had died and it had a temporary fix that made it very noisy.) It was easy to install and will be able to work with my new HDTV, if I wanted it to. It also has enough power to be able to play some of the newer video games, and possibly a future OS upgrade. I still have one more part to upgrade to make it complete, but that is something else. I am very satisfied with my purchase.
This card is bulky and heavy....takes up a lot of space on a mobo. If you plan to run an SLI setup with this card.....you will need a mobo with a good PCI express x16 slot design for 2 of these beast. Some cards run high temps...depends on who the manf. is. Good solid card and worth the dollars if you can find one used.
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