NVIDIA sends 40nm GPUs to retail

Robert Hallock (Thrax) NVIDIA finally plays the 40nm game with a range of uninspiring budget GPUs.

October 13, 2009 10:41 AM ET in News, , , , , , ,

After an OEM-only soft launch in July, NVIDIA has finally entered the 40nm game with a pair of 40nm GPUs in the retail channel.

Called the GeForce GT 220 and 210, respectively, the new cards are a die-shrunk version of the G200b core that powers adapters like the GTX 275.

geforce_gt_210_and_220

As the table illustrates, the new goods are nothing to write home about. On paper, both of them are slower than the rustic GeForce 9600 GT, but they are the company’s first DirectX 10.1 and SM4.1 products.

The 220 also features an onboard audio controller for 7.1 sound via HDMI, so some may find the card useful for HTPC applications.

The GeForce GTX 210

The GeForce GT 210

The GeForce GT 210 ($44.99) and the 220 ($69.99) are available from your favorite etailer immediately.

3 Comments:

  1. Cliff_Forster
    13 Oct '09, 3:51 pm

    If you have an existing OEM clunker laying around you want to get HD acceleration for, it might make some sense as an upgrade to get a little extra out of an aging box.

    As far as building new? With IGP's like the 785G, its fairly pointless to consider these cards in a low end build. I don't see OEM's doing anything with it, I don't see consumers building new with it, I just see a decent upgrade for that OEM clunker if you want to enable HD video acceleration for a home theater PC or something. It's the space that it fits in.

  2. Ohmecks
    13 Oct '09, 8:03 pm

    Aren't they called the GT 210 and GT 220, not GTX?

    They don't seem like very competitive cards. The GT 220 is in the same price range as the HD 4670 which it is outperformed by. Its power draw is also not significantly lower than the HD 4670's, so I don't see what their aim is.

  3. Thrax
    13 Oct '09, 8:14 pm

    You're absolutely right. The article has been corrected.

Troll-free since 2003 ®