# Geforce 210 for games?



## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

so i recently bought a Nvdia geforce 210, because before i was just using one that was on the motherboard and i wanted to upgrade. the games im looking to play are blizzard games like Starcraft II and Diablo 3 when it comes out, and i am wondering if the geforce 210 will work ok on them, or did i make a mistake in buying this?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

The geforce 210 is barely (if at all) better than your integrated graphics. You will not be happy with its gaming performance. Here is a review of it from 2009:

Nvidia GeForce 210 and GeForce GT 220 Review: Revenge of the Low-End? - X-bit labs


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## Horusrogue (Aug 31, 2009)

How much did you pay for it and can you still return this?


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

i payed $25 new. im not sure about the return policy, i bought it at tigerdirect and i already put it in my pc.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Here's the return policy from TD:
Frequently Asked Questions at TigerDirect.com

As the others have said, the 210 series was not intended for gaming. Upgrading to a higher end card will most likely require a new power supply. 

Can you list the brand/model of the PC you're using? If it's home built, list the individual parts.


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

homebuilt:
-sata dvd burner
-8gb ddr2 ram
-AMD Athlon 64 x2 5000+ proccessor
-430w power supply
-XFX nForce 750a SLI motherboard
-terabyte harddrive

and i dont think i can return it because of the fact that i opened the packaging and installed it in my pc:upset:


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Almost any dedicated GPU is an improvement over Onboard Graphics but, as mentioned, the 210 is not going to be suitable for gaming.
You also need to upgrade your PSU before considering installing a gaming quality GPU.
We suggest a minimum 550W good quality PSU for any PC using a PCI-E GPU.
SeaSonic-XFX-Corsair (not the CX or GS Series) are top quality PSU's.


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

what do i look for in a gaming card other than the video memory?


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

There are a few factors. The GPU it's built on, the core clock, memory type/speed, memory interface, etc. Reading reviews is a good way to understand the performance of the video cards. Keep in mind the hardware that is being used and understand that video card performance is also related to the CPU. Putting a high-end GPU with a low end CPU isn't going to give you the full performance potential.

Here's a chart that shows a basic performance hierarchy of the current cards:

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2011

If you want recommendations by price point:

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2011 : Best Graphics Cards For The Money, September Update


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Posting your PC specs would help us to advise you.
Pre-Built Brand & Model Number
Custom Built-Brand & Model of Mobo-CPU-RAM-Graphics-PSU.


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

Tyree said:


> Posting your PC specs would help us to advise you.
> Pre-Built Brand & Model Number
> Custom Built-Brand & Model of Mobo-CPU-RAM-Graphics-PSU.


posted my pc specs above, but here they are again:
sata dvd burner
-8gb ddr2 ram
-AMD Athlon 64 x2 5000+ proccessor 2.6GHZ
-430w power supply
-XFX nForce 750a SLI motherboard
-terabyte harddrive

what card will provide me with some good gaming capabilities(starcraft 2, diablo 3, etc) while still being under $200 (preferably as cheap as possible)? while not getting bottlenecked by my cpu, etc?


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

will this run starcraft 2 ok? Buy the Sparkle GeForce GT 430 2GB DDR3 Video Card at TigerDirect.ca


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

That's also a fairly low end card. Unfortunately if you really want a performance card it's going to require spending more and getting a new power supply.

If you run at a low resolution with effects turned way down it may not be bad.

Benchmark Results: StarCraft 2 : GeForce GT 430: The HTPC Crowd Gets Fermi On A Diet


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

One option would be to buy used. You can find some really good deals online on hardware forums. Something like a GTX 460 can be found for under $100, that would leave you money for a PSU upgrade. Overclock the CPU a little and you're all set.


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

is overclocking bad for the computer in anyway?


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## Horusrogue (Aug 31, 2009)

pleace said:


> is overclocking bad for the computer in anyway?


You're asking in generics. In generics: No. Mad overclocking? Sure. But upping your performance by a few frames due to across board CPU-MEMORY-GFX notch up will run stably for as long as you (likely) keep the same part configuration.


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

umm could one of you link me to a tut that will will show me how to overclock properly?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

The GeForce 210 is a low-end card, not really suitable for overclocking or gaming. You could take it apart and replace its cooling system with a higher quality one so it could handle the higher clock speeds and increased temperatures, but even then you wouldn't get a significant increase in framerates.

If you want to play modern games at decent settings, your best bet is to send the card back and get a higher quality one. If you decide to do this, what's your budget for a new gaming card and PSU?


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

budget is about $200 for the card, and whatever is necessary for the PSU cuz i know they are not that expensive


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

XFX Core Edition Pro 550W PSU (44A/+12V, 85% efficiency, 5 year warranty) - $70

or $90 for the 650W version of the same PSU which will allow you to go for the faster, more power-hungry cards.

XFX Radeon HD6770 1gb (plus free Dirt3 game) - $125

EVGA GeForce GTX 550Ti 1gb - $138

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 1gb (plus free Batman Arkham game) - $200


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

pleace said:


> is overclocking bad for the computer in anyway?


OC'ing add stress/heat and voids warranties.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

pleace said:


> umm could one of you link me to a tut that will will show me how to overclock properly?


http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...erclocking-read-here-for-starters-232382.html


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## pleace (Oct 14, 2011)

i already have a 430w psu which will cover the gtx 550? since it says minimum 400w?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Even if the 430W PSU is good quality it's underpowered for the 550 ti.
We recommend a 550W minimum good quality PSU for any PCI-E GPU and you should be at 650W for the 550 ti.


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