1Gb of GDDR2 on a 128-Bit that's not going to be any colossal help. This is not a deal. If it was dual DVI-D or had HDMI output it might be for someone but please $60 for a Sparkle... who's more ghetto them or Jaton.

Here's a nice 9500GT GDDR3 for $15 less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127373

This really isn't a deal. #1 is correct, 1GB of slow RAM is useless, especially since it's on a 128 bit bus.

This is a low end card for $60.

Just a couple days ago the Radeon 3850 was on sale for $40, and that is a mid to high end card, decent for gaming.

Also, there was a Radeon 4830 on sale for $65, and that card is over double the performance of this card.

If you really did want a 9500GT(I'm not sure why you would, but anyway...) you can get them on newegg for around $30-$35. Also, don't pay more for more RAM on cards with this slow of a memory bus. 256mb is more than you'll be able to use on this card.

Then again, if you just want a card with HD video acceleration to run, say, a HTPC, there's a Radeon 3450 on sale for $20 on newegg right now. It has passive cooling, HDMI and DVI outputs, and a built-in sound card. It's the ideal HTPC card, at $20. link: http://bensbargains.net

Sparkle is not nearly as much of an issue as it being a 9500GT for $60, $20 too much these days.

thanks for the input, #1&#2.

#3 -- Yea, this Sparkle at $35-40 that has merit. It really is the fact that 9500GT's are not adequately optioned and priced in the position they are trying to maintain in the market. Nvidia marketing has really a hodgepodge in what is being offered by the AIB's. If they had meaningful features for each step up in the product line up they would've a better chance at delineating the use and features each presents to customers. Also they need more properly configured half-height cards for HTPC and not at $70.

Bizarre. OK, this is a 9500GT, which is the 65nm shrink of the 8600GT -- which is a decent home theater video card, in that it is/was the lowest end card that played well with NVidia's video acceleration drivers. And the fact this has passive cooling is a plus for home theater. BUT evidently it's not done that well; some complaints about overheating and airflow requirements, which I'd not heard of with the 8600GT (I own an MSI passively cooled 8600GT). Maybe the extra memory just increases the heat load? And what's with a single DVI output? Sparkle marketing should be shot; they've made this so that it strongly appeals to nobody...

Oh no, the hotly contested topic of offload video decoding processes from a computer's CPU... AVIVO HD vs PureVideo!
Run away!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/avivo-hd-purevideo,1711.html

As it been really a slow day I figure I'd post this here.

MSI HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI-E for $59 -AR $30 +$7 Shipping, (while it's 512Mb brethren is $9 less but no free game)
and
Free Rainbow6 Vegas2 game w/ purchase-limited offer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127399

Now I know I said that 1Gb on 128-bit doesn't carry a ton of significance and that fact remains, although there's no denying this respectable price for a nicely equipped card (just don't think about it having the extra memory). Also, pay heed as uses GDDR3, placing it a firm 5 rungs higher in performance (hierarchy) over the 9500GT GDDR2. Truly there are or have been better deals matched for gaming for this price, but for those that don't want to worry or get a PSU upgrade this has a lot of value providing nice cost effective entry gaming card. If it had free shipping… that go along way to sweetening the deal, while Rainbow6 is a good title that some may see as a value.

I just reviewed the purevideo support list, and evidently my memory was faulty: Nvidia claims the 8400 and 8500 are well supported-- I could have sworn that didn't used to be the case, at least when I bought my 8600. Oh well.

A few less reasons for this Sparkling beast to exist...

"Just a couple days ago the Radeon 3850 was on sale for $40, and that is a mid to high end card, decent for gaming." It was the HD3650 junior and will never be considered a high end card, Ok guys clumpshit17 is wrong again and is to limited to notice his short comings and poor compensation skills. So you get lots of misinformation and the opinion of a child. He is the Jim Crammer of Bens all blustery and filled with lies.
Please ban this mouth piece for his lonely baconnaise cart followers, all four of them including his mom and grama.

#11 - I thought what you said was a little strange so I went looking. If this is the list I can see why you'd say that.
http://www.nvidia.com/docs/CP/11036/PureVideo_Product_Comparison.pdf

While here it looks like a 9500GT would have PureVideo support…
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9500gt_us.html

While see note #2 at the bottom… currently only for Vista with 8500 and 8600!
http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce8.html

So, No for a 8400GS and No for anyone runnig Xp?

As of today, you could check out this... it's a world of hurt on this sparkle.

http://bensbargains.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=106912&highlight=4670