Gigabyte GV-NX84G256H Graphics Card

Gigabyte GV-NX84G256H Graphics Card Review
Reviewed by: Denny Atkin
Review Date: July 2007

With a street price of around $60, the Gigabyte GV-NX84G256H is one of the least-expensive entries into the DirectX 10 (DX10) graphics club. But although this Gigabyte graphics card (based on nVidia's GeForce 8400 GS engine) is full-featured, its slow 3D performance means it's of interest only to those looking for a performance boost on a Windows Vista desktop, or for high-definition (HD) video playback.

The GV-NX84G256H is an attractive choice if you're building a compact, quiet PC. This 256MB card is relatively small (7 inches long by 4 inches tall) and lacks a fan, relying instead on a tall, finned heat sink for cooling. The result is a video card that's absolutely silent. Shorter GeForce 8400 GS cards are available from other manufacturers, but these include fans.

On the back of the card, you'll find a single DVI port, a VGA port, and a connector for a small breakout box that includes both component-video and S-Video outputs. Unlike ATI's Radeon 2400 series, no High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) adapter is included. The DVI connector features dual-link output, supporting resolutions up to 2,560x1,600 pixels. It also supports High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), allowing you to play HD DVD and Blu-ray content with the appropriate software and an HDCP-compliant monitor.

Despite sitting squarely at the low end of the performance spectrum, the GV-NX84G256H's PureVideo HD support did a great job with HD video content. Playback was smooth in our video tests, and the image quality with both HD and DVD content was superb. The card's performance is also decent with Windows Vista. Its Windows Experience Index score of 3.5 in Aero desktop performance is fast enough to enable the special effects in slide shows, as well as the other desktop enhancements that are often disabled when using integrated motherboard graphics chipsets.

The Gigabyte card falls flat in gaming performance, however. On the upside, it supports the full suite of DX10 graphics features, allowing you to see all the details in DX10-capable games. The downside: You'll have plenty of time to view those details, since the screen updates so slowly. Our 3D tests turned in unplayably slow results, particularly at higher resolutions. For instance, F.E.A.R. clocked in at a jerky 13 frames per second (fps) at 1,280x1,024 resolution, and a slide-show-like 4fps at 1,600x1,200. We had to lower the resolution to just 800x600 to get a playable 31fps in the game. You can get a 3D-performance boost by installing a second 8400 GS card on a system that supports Scalable Link Interface (SLI), but that's like trying to speed up a Geo Metro by adding a second three-cylinder engine.

Gamers should look elsewhere, but for Vista usage and HD video playback, the Gigabyte GV-NX84G256H delivers good performance at a rock-bottom price.

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Mfr. Est. Price: $59.99