Nvidia Silently Launches $60 9400 GT
PrintWhile high end gaming cards like ATI's 4870 and Nvidia's GTX 280 hog all the spotlight, not everyone can afford (or needs) a top of the line card. Picking up the slack at the other end of the spectrum, Nvidia this week silently launched its entry-level 9400 GT graphics card.
The 9400 GT comes with 16 processor cores clocked at 1400MHz, a 550MHz graphics clock, and 512MB of memory chugging along at 400MHz. And thanks in part to the 128-bit bus, Nvidia claims the 9400 GT will run twice as fast as the comparable 8-series graphics card.
Nvidia has set the MSRP to $59, which buys support for DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1, CUDA general-purpose parallel computing, and hardware HD video acceleration. A cursory glance around the web shows the 9400 GT as being a respectable overclocker, but even after pushing the clocks, it looks to be best suited for HTPC and light gaming duties.
Image Credit: Nvidia
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Tekzel
August 28, 2008 at 12:33pm
I am still running my old 7800GT video card that I have had since it was "the new thing", I paid near 500 bucks for that thing and wanted to get every last shred of value out of it. It seems to me that this MIGHT be a decent little upgrade for me on the cheap? My wife is still using my old 6600GT the 78 was an upgrade from. I am sure it would be one for her. Any thoughts? Other than go spend another 300+ bucks on a new card, just can't swing it.
Cache
August 28, 2008 at 4:03pm
If your wife is currently running a 6600, then she will certainly notice a definite jump in performance with this card. And at $60, it definitely allows for some budget gaming where money is a concern. For the cost, you really can't go wrong; especially since she's using such an old card.
As for your 7800, I think the 9400GT would give you some modest gains--don't look for anything earthshaking, but it will be a better card. Mind you, that's my personal opinion, without testing them side by side, so YMMV...
Keith E. Whisman
August 28, 2008 at 12:06am
I guess that it's ever so slightly better than Intel Extreme Crap Integrated Graphics. I just could'nt with a clear conscience build a machine for someone that could'nt game well. At least one middle of the road graphics card. Every noob says that he is not interested in games until they get confortable with their new machine. Then they scream at me because I built them a broken mess that crashes or does'nt let them play their games that they bought at walmart.
Even women will hear from their girlfriends that the sims is fun and then they scream when they can't run that game.
What I'm getting at is that Home PC's at their very basic should have a good performing video card. I'm sick of the whole entry level graphics cards. Entry level means what? Entering into what not being able to play any games?
Number Six
August 27, 2008 at 8:53pm
More interesting is the SLI-capable 9500GT. If you SLI two of the 9500GTs, you'll get around half the performance of a less expensive 9600GT. And we would buy the 9500GT because why??
Thankfully, the DVI/VGA configuration shown above is not a GPU limitation. EVGA makes a dual, dual-link DVI 9400GT for $60. This is the card for professionals seeking to power two 30" LCDs. However, the DVI ports are way too close together for Apple 30" displays, and you'd have to slice the Apple DVI connectors (ouch!) to use them with that card. So, for those lucky bastages with two Apple 30" displays, your best bet would be a dual, dual-link DVI card with a tv-out connector between the DVI connectors.
-Six
Denis63
August 27, 2008 at 12:07pm
Does anyone think that this will run the folding at home GPU application with an E series Celeron @ 1.6ghz?
-Denis
GWEEDOspeedo
August 28, 2008 at 4:11pm
It sure will... but it's completely not worth it. For $40 more you'd get a card that folds five units before this 9400 GT does one.
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