14 DAY TRIAL // Gigabyte has just announced the introduction of two new video cards based on the entry-level GeForce GT 520 graphics solution and both of these feature overclocked GPUs as well as an active cooling system and low-profile PCB.
Most of the GT 520 video cards that were released until now worked at Nvidia's reference clocks, so it’s definitely nice to see a solution (two in this case) that differ somewhat from their competitors.
The difference in clock speed, however, isn't too large, as the GF119 GPU found inside Gigabyte's solutions runs at just 20MHz over the Nvidia stock frequency (830MHz vs 810MHz), while the memory has been left at its default 900MHz (1800MHz data rate) frequency.
Outside of the operating clock speeds, the two Gigabyte GT 520 graphics cards, dubbed the GV-N520OC-1GI and the GV-N520TC-1GI, feature the same design and specifications, but the OC version comes with 1GB of video buffer in comparison with the 512MB used for its smaller brother.
Both models come equipped with a dual-link DVI port, an HDMI output and a D-Sub connector.
Nvidia designed the GeForce GT 520 to replace the aging GeForce GT 220 and it packs the same GF119 core that the company used for its GeForce GT 410M and 520M mobile offerings.
This is basically a cut in half version of the GF108 GPU and it packs 48 stream processors, 8 texturing units, 4ROP units as well as a 64-bit wide memory interface.
Nvidia rates the TDP of the GT 520 at 29W when the card is fully loaded and its idle power consumption is expected to sit around the 10W mark.
Gigabyte hasn't released any details regarding the availability or pricing of its Nvidia GeForce GT 520 solutions.