XFX 8400 GS 256mb :: Introduction, packaging, package and specification

Introduction

When a new line of cards comes out everybody focuses on the top-end hardware, playing games at high resolutions and generally seeing how much they push the envelope. What we tend to forget is that after these "beasts" come out there's a whole score of cards that are produced for the low end...cards that more people are interested in from a cost perspective.

Today we have one such card in the labs. XFX are showing off their lower end 8400 GS. Take a look-see how it gets on...

Packaging

The packaging on the XFX 8400 GS is typical XFX, with the Cyber-Dog snarling on the front colour. One of the things that struck me was the size of the package with this card. It's only around 14cm x 20cm long and does seem to be quite small in comparison to almost every package I have come across, but then it is the low-end offering from XFX.

 

The inside of the packaging is about as minimal as you can get with the card and the small amount of package you get placed inside the box.

Not much protection from careless e-tailors or couriers here I fear.

Package

This has to be the least impressive package I have seen with a graphics card and leaves me slightly dissapointed in XFX's choice here. Again though, the card is a low end very cheap part.

We have:

* Installation Manual
* S-Video output guide
* Driver CD
* S-Video cable

All in all pretty poor in my opinion. I was disappointed that the card didn't come with any decent method of connecting it to an HDTV, even a composite cable wasn't included. Having said that it is extremely cheap so it is hard to moan about this in light of the excellent low price

Specification

From XFX's web-site:

Chipset
GeForce™ 8400 GS
Memory Clock
800 MHz
Clock rate
450 MHz
Shader Clock
1200 MHz
Memory
256MB SUPPORTING 512MB
Fill Rate
3.6 billion/sec
Memory Bandwidth
6.4 GB/sec
Memory Type
DDR2
Memory Bus
64 bit
RAMDACs
400 MHz
Output
VGA, DVI, HDTV
Highlighted Features
Vista , RoHS , HDCP Ready , HDTV ready , Low Profile Compatible [bracket not included]

The card also supports nVidia PureVideo , which is a great bonus for those wanting good quality HD content, especially on a budget card like this one.