Gainward GT240

Review Pages

1. Features, specifications
2. Testing platform
3. Testbed DirectX9/DirectX10
4. Benchmarks - FutureMark Hall Of Fame
5. Benchmarks - Crysis (DirectX10)
6. Benchmarks - Crysis Warhead (DirectX9, DirectX10), S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call Of Pripyat Benchmark
7. Benchmarks - Company Of Heroes v1.71 (DirectX 10)
8. Benchmarks - Far Cry 2 (DirectX 9/10), Left4Dead (DirectX 9), StreetFighter IV (DirectX 9)
9. Benchmarks - Half Life 2 Episode 2 (DirectX 9)
10. CUDA Compatibily, Overclocking
11. Conclusion

After the launch of the 40nm GT210/GT220 series, Gainward released the Gainward GT 240 series of graphics card, featuring with 1 GB of DDR3 memory. The new card promises to offer even higher performance than the GT210/GT220 solutions. As always, Gainward releases improved versions of Nvidia's reference designs and the GT 240 series we have in our hands is "Golden Sample" featuring increased memory and core clocks.

Below is a comparison among various Nvidia-based products and their retail prices as they are found in online stores:

	GeForce GT 220	Radeon HD 4670	GeForce GT 240	Gainward GT 240	GeForce 9600 GT	GeForce 9800 GT
Shader units	48	320	96	96	64	112
ROPs	8	8	8	8	16	16
GPU	GT216	RV730	GT215	GT215	G94	G92
Transistors	486M	512M	727M	727M	505M	754M
Memory Size	512 MB / 1024 MB	512 MB	512 MB / 1024 MB	1024 MB	512 MB	512 MB
Memory Bus Width	128 bit	128 bit	128 bit	128 bit	256 bit	256 bit
Core Clock	625 MHz	750 MHz	550 MHz	585 MHz	650 MHz	600 MHz
Memory Clock	790 MHz / 1012 MHz	1000 MHz	1700 MHz / 1000 MHz	1890 MHz	900 MHz	900 MHz
Price	$69 - $79	$67	$99	$150	$80	$90

- Retail package

The Gainward GT 240 is packaged in a small box compared to other graphics cards.Of course there is no need to use a larger box since the card's board is rather small.

Gainward's card retails for around €129 (including VAT), which is almost twice the price of a Gainward GT220 card.

The package is easily identified with a light green color and the the GT 240/1024 GDDR5 and Golden Sample logos on it:

As we see with the most of the samples we test, the graphics card is well-packaged into an anti-static bag. Other than the card, the box includes an installation kit and a CD-ROM with drivers and software. These is the typical bundle for a low-priced graphics card so don't expect to find any extra games or connectors here:

As you may notice, there are similarities between the board of the GT 240 and the one met with the GT 220 series. However, the GT 240 has a much bigger cooler covering the GPU area. In addition, the GT 240 will occupy two empty slots at the back of your PC, but fortunately not any external power supply due to its 40nm design.