A Closer Look
If you have doubt about where mainstream video cards end up, nVidia’s slogan for the geForce 210 cards says it all: “Every PC needs good graphics”. Their 210 page goes on to tell how the geForce 210 will improve on limited Intel integrated graphics. This card is marketed specifically towards the Dell/HP/Compaq user who is unsatisfied with their graphics performance. The same slogan is found on the back of the GeForce’s box.

The GeForce 210 1GB is a hybrid of the reference geForce 210 card and the geForce GT 220. Though the GPU is the same 210, the card sports 128-bit memory interface and a full gig of memory.

The geForce is a small video card, the typical size of a mainstream video card. It should fit inside of any case that has a full PCI expansion slot. I have no idea if an adapter is available to swap the PCI bracket for a half-sized one, there wasn’t one included.

The fan is a little odd, with cooling fins on the fan frame itself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before, but the way the fan is connected to the heatsink, some heat will actually be transferred to the fan. The heatsink is a typical aluminum block with fins on top.

The GeForce 210 has Sub-15, HDMI, and DVI connectors. There is no S/PDIF connector found on the card, the specs claim that audio input for HDMI is internal. That is very cool, opening the card I was thinking if I had a two-pin S/PDIF cable crammed somewhere.

There are no accessories included with the GeForce 210. I don’t know what you would need, maybe a DVI/HDMI adapter to run twin HDTVs, but I see no need to increase the price of the card for something only a very few buyers would use.

To further show who this card is marketed to, bundled with the card is a discount of 20% on Sims 3.