The Appearance
Albatron’s 8400GS is small card build on blue colored PCB. The 8400GS uses rounded cable for the VGA connection while transparent plastic was used for the heatsink cover and fan. No solid capacitors though.
The card comes with DVI, VGA and S-Video output.
The Bundle
– S-Video out cable
– Installation guide & driver CD.
Card Details
Here’s a summarized detail of the card.
| GPU | 8400GS |
| GPU Code Name | G86 |
| Memory Type | DDR2 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 64-bit |
| Memory Capacity | 256MB |
| Core Speed | 460 |
| Memory Speed | 400 |
More details at the official product page
Test Setup
Processor : Intel E2140 Overclocked @ 3.2ghz
RAM : 2GB DDR2 667
Monitor : 20″ Dell Ultra-sharp Wide-screen LCD
Operating System : Windows XP (SP2)
Driver : ForceWare Release 163 (Version: 163.71)
The Performance
The Albatron 8400GS runs at 460Mhz core and 400Mhz memory speed. It’s a budget card so I’m not expecting fabulous graphical output and framerates for this one.
3Dmark06
Default setting.
| Core / Memory | Score |
| 460/400 | 1670 |
F.E.A.R.
Graphics were set to maximum details.
| Resolution | Lowest | Average | Highest |
| 800 x 600 | 11 | 23 | 49 |
| 1024 x 768 | 8 | 14 | 29 |
| 1152 x 864 | 5 | 9 | 18 |
Need For Speed : Carbon
Graphics were set to maximum details.
| Resolution | Lowest | Average | Highest |
| 800 x 600 | 13 | 17 | 19 |
| 1024 x 768 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Lost Planet : Extreme Condition
Default graphic settings.
| Resolution | Snow (Average) | Cave (Average) |
| 1024 x 640 | 19.2 | 31.8 |
| 1280 x 960 | 10.9 | 18.9 |
| 1680 x 946 | 8.5 | 14.6 |
Command & Conquer 3 : Tiberium Wars
High (not maximum) graphic settings.
| Resolution | Lowest | Average | Highest |
| 1024×768 | 12 | 19 | 31 |
As you can see, the limited overclocking options does very little to help the card perform better.
The card runs at 52°C on idle and 63°C on load, readings were taken when ambient temperature was around 25°C.
Conclusion
The card works great as a budget card. It can play 3D games so it’s not a bad choice if you don’t mind gaming at lower resolution and graphic details. It’s still slower than the previous generation 7300GT though.
My only concern about this card would be the heatsink. Now 63°C on load is quite high, considering I’m running a system that has good airflow and in an air-conditioned atmosphere. Generally this card is sufficient for your average use like low-requirement computer gaming, watching shows and browsing the Internet. It sure is faster than the 7100GS that I reviewed a while back and it’s definitely faster than having an onboard video system.
If you’re looking for something that’s better than onboard video but don’t wish to hurt your cash-bank too much, this card could be considered.
The Albatron 8400GS currently retails at around RM 195.
I was looking for a card which can play 3D, thanks for sharing info. Great in this price.
Wowee…brian, you sure have been busy the past 1 month xD
Nice review, but im sure if u slap on a good gfx cooler and ramp voltages up, it can be oced alot more :hehe:
nice review!
why da heck would I want to OC an 8400GS? 🙂 It’s wasting time man, it’s like making a slow car run a little faster.