GeForce GT 430 1024MB review - Introduction

GeForce GT 430 1024MB gets tested

NVIDIA today is filling up the lower segment of their DX11 class products as they are releasing the GeForce GT 430. It's the segment that is not necessarily focused at gamers, but generic PC users who work on their Desktop PC, but also Digital Media and HTPC users, as this segment offers a lot of value for money when it comes to managing high-definition content.

Boards like the one shown today will hit the shelves with a price tag under 100 bucks and while we had hoped it would be pitted against the ever-lasting GeForce GTS 250 graphics card, which was a 55nm G92b graphics product, we can immediately state that it's not faster, but in fact a good chunk slower. The GT 430 will be replacing the GeForce GT 220 with an average 1.5x performance of that card. These GPUs are primarily sold through distribution to system integrators.

When we look at the direct competition we feel that the GeForce GT 430 should compete with the Radeon HD 5570 and 5670.

The GeForce GT 430 is obviously based on Fermi architecture with an entry-level GF108 GPU which clocks in at 700MHz. This little GPU has only 96 shader processors on-board which are clocked at 1.4GHz. Paired with these products will be 1GB of GDDR3 memory, which operates at 900MHz (1800 MHz effective data rate) over a 128-bit memory interface.

The card itself is PCI Express 2.0 x16 and comes with a nice diversity of monitor connectors. As stated, the product is going to cost well under the 100 USD/EUR mark, we expect roughly 70 EUR / 90 USD once prices settle.

What we find interesting is how long the budget products will last, as with upcoming APU architectures from AMD and Intel's Sandy Bridge, the bar in the low end segment may need to be raised.

Today we'll be looking at an offering from the guys at Point of View, let's have a peek at their GeForce GT 430, and then head on over to the next page please.