Is the Galaxy GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 a good graphic card?

[techblu]

I Galaxy GPU for a HTPC using windows 7 media center. Is this a good card?
Here is the link to Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162020
It has an S-video, DVI and HDMI ports.

 

[rockyjohn]

Good card relative to what?

The 9600 GT is listed in the THG Guide of best graphics cards for gaming as the best at the $85 to less than $95 level and then another card takes over - but just getting listed shows it is basically a good card. If you are considering it for non-gaming media center applications then it should work well.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491.html

Galaxy is not one of the premium vendors of cards. That said - most cards are engineered pretty much the same and the differences are primarily in what heatsink they have or what other things - cables, games, etc. - are bundled with the system. While not always a reliable indicator, the customer reviews for that card are pretty low.

Instead of spending $92 on that (after rebate and with shipping), why not save $2 and get faster card - the 9800 GT (also on the list in the THG Guide one step above the 9600 GT) from a highly ranked vendor - BFG - my preferred vendor - with a lifetime warranty instead of the 2 year one on the Galaxy:

BFG Tech BFGE98512GTGE GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail - $90 AR with free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143186&cm_re=9800_gt-_-14-143-186-_-Product

Comparison of the 9800 GT and 9600 GT from THG charts (basically you get about 20% faster gaming performance):

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-2009/compare,1195.html?prod%5B2450%5D=on&prod%5B2473%5D=on

If for some reason you want to stay with a 9600 GT card, I would get the XFX one that comes with a lifetime warranty and costs only $5 more - they manufacturer has a better reputation as to quality cards and service than Galaxy:

XFX PVT96GYGF3 GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail - $97 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150397

 

[rockyjohn]

By the way, neither of the two above cards are low profile. Does you HTPC accommodate standard sized cards?

And what size PSU do you have?

The Galaxy 9600 GT requires 400w with a 12v rating of 26 amps and a 6 pin power connector.
The BFG 9800 GT is a low power version using a smaller chip build size and only requires 350w with a 12v rating of 22 amps and no power connector.

 

[techblu]

Do 9600 GT support connection to an HDTV via DVI to HDMI adapter/cable?

 

[rockyjohn]

None of the cards I listed come with an HDMI adapter. I assume you can purchase and connect the simple DVI to HDMI connector, but I have never done that.

For a 9600 GT card that already has an HDMI connector, I recommend this one:

MSI N9600GT-MD1G GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail - $90.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127434

 

[rockyjohn]

I checked online for more details on the BFG 9800 GT, and found

HDMI™ Capable....... Yes (Requires adapter and audio cable, sold separately)

HDMI Output
Support for HDMI output enables sending both high-definition video and audio signals to an HDTV via a single cable.

The card also has an HDTV breakout connector to connect to an HDTV.

I purchased this card myself recently for one of my systems, but don't have any plans to connect it to a TV at the moment.

 

[jaguarskx]

The 9600GT is a good card. I basically have it in my HTPC, but I was using in my gaming for a couple of months when my X1900XT and I was waiting for the HD 5850 to be released.

Compare to other cards out right now for gaming purposes, it's performance is considered "mid-range mainstream". I would say that by the time fall rolls around it will probably drop to "value mainstream" when compared to newer, more powerful cards.

As a video card for a HTPC it's great. Mine is passively cooled with an Accelero S2.