I need a graphic card upgrade for a very old compact desktop PC, Acer Aspire A3910 from 2010. This
MSI GeForce GT 710
is an entry-level graphic card that fits my requirements perfectly. Here are several reasons why I picked this card instead of something more powerful:
- It is relatively inexpensive.
- It is low profile and occupies only one PCI slot. This is important since my PC has a SFF (small form factor) case with limited space.
- It consumes very little power (20W max), so even the 220W power supply in my PC can handle it.
- It uses only heatsink for passive cooling. This eliminates the noise and reliability problems associated with cooling fans.
[Installation Confusion]
- Initially right after the graphic card was installed, I can only get a display of 1200x800 from the HDMI port. Nothing from VGA port.
- After I installed the MSI VGA Drivers from disc, my monitor can now display 1920x1080 from VGA port, but nothing from HDMI port.
The problem could be from my computer's motherboard, since I observed the same behavior with the
EVGA GeForce 210
I previously purchased (and returned). Just keep this behavior in mind, in case you cannot see any display right after installing the card.
[Graphic Performance]
I ran the 3DMARK 'Cloud Gate' benchmark on my PC, both before and after the graphic card upgrade:
- With integrated graphic, the overall score is a pathetic 209.
- After installing the GT 710, the score jumps up to 3735!
(see my uploaded screenshots for details)
On the other hand, the GT 710 cannot hold a candle against my better graphic card, the
EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
. When both cards were tested in a newer desktop PC (
Asus M32CD
), the 750 gives about 4x higher score . Note that the 750 does not fit in my old SFF PC since it is much larger. See my photo uploaded for size comparison between 710 and 750.
[Power Consumption]
I used the
EUM-A1 Power Usage Meter
to measure the input power of my computer:
- Before the graphic card upgrade, my computer consumes ~50-55W when idle, ~70-75W when running 3DMARK.
- After the upgrade to GT 710, my PC consumes the same 50-55W when idle. This means this graphic card has the same standby power as the integrated graphic chip set.
- When running 3DMARK or
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
, my PC now consumes up to 85-90W. That means the graphic card consumes 15-20W when it is running at full speed.
After I played XCOM for several hours, the heatsink becomes too hot to touch, but not hot enough to cause a shutdown. In contrast, the EVGA GeForce 210 suffers thermal shudown after just ~10-20 minutes of playing XCOM. This is because the 210 consumes more power (30W vs. 20W) but comes with a smaller heatsink.
[Conclusion]
The GT 710 works very well in my particular situation. Of cause this is an inexpensive entry-level card, so I cannot expect the same level of performance as my GeForce GTX 750 Ti. But for a very small investment, I'm suddenly able to play many games which were previously unplayable on my old SFF PC. For that I'm happy.
| Max Screen Resolution | 4096 x 2160 |
|---|---|
| Memory Speed | 1600 MHz |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Nvidia GeForce |
| Chipset Brand | Nvidia |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 2 GB |
