The GT 640 cards seem to be fore users on a really low budget but is it worth spending on one?
The Card
As usual, the ASUS look & feel.
A good variety of output connectors.
The PCB is small, here you can see the plastic of the heatsink.
More details at Official Product Page 😀
Test Setup
The computer setup used for this review.
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3770S |
| RAM | Kingston Value RAM 4GB 1333 |
| Motherboard | MSI Z77A-GD45 |
| Cooler | Stock Cooler |
| Monitor | 40″ LCD TV |
| Power Supply | Xigmatek NRP-PC602 600w |
| Operating System | Windows 8 Pro 64bit |
The Performance
Metro 2033
Graphic Detail : AAA, 16 AF. No Physx. No DOF. Very High Quality.
| Card | Average 1080p | Average 720p |
| Asus GT 640 | 14.5 | 27.5 |
| Asus GTX 650 Ti | 32.5 | 59.5 |
| Leadtek GTX 460 | 28.90 | 51.25 |
Lost Planet 2
Graphic Detail : Maximum
| Card | Average 1080p | Average 720p |
| Asus GT 640 | 16.4 | N/A |
| Asus GTX 650 Ti | 39.1 | N/A |
| Leadtek GTX 460 | 36.9 | 50.9 |
Alien Vs Predator
Graphic Detail : Maximum
| Card | Average 1080p | Average 720p |
| Asus GT 640 | 19.5 | 38.4 |
| Asus GTX 650 Ti | 46.6 | 89.5 |
| Leadtek GTX 460 | 42.2 | 77.9 |
Heaven 3.0
AxAA, 16x AF, Tesselation Normal.
| Card | Average 1080p | Average 720p |
| Asus GT 640 | 14.8 | 26.3 |
| Asus GTX 650 Ti | 33.7 | 58.7 |
| Leadtek GTX 460 | 30.4 | 47.3 |
Operating Temperature
Furmark was used for graphic card stressing. Based on 1080p preset.
| Card | Idle (°C) | Stress (°C) |
| Asus GT 640 | 41 | 54 |
Readings were taken when ambient temperature was around 25°C. Despite being a lower end card, the cooling system isn’t of Asus’s Direct CU II so therefore it’s understable that the temperatures aren’t that low but more than within acceptable range.
Conclusion
If you’re a gamer, then I highly recommend you save up more to get at least the GTX 650, or better yet, the GTX 650 Ti. You get double the performance by paying just around 50% more. If you’re not into playing games, just stick to onboard GPU or get some cheap graphic card that’s around RM 100. My HD 5450 handles video playback just fine.
Note that the tests were done in full details, basically the same stress I’ve been throwing at other cards. The outcome at 1080p is not good. The framerate at 720p looks decent for most of the benchmarks here but at an average of under 30 fps, it’s a sign that you’ll face graphical lag pretty often.
If you must spend RM 400 on a card as such, your option to have playable frame rate is to tune down the graphic details. Or if you really are on a tight budget, go get a used card. A 2-generation old GTX 460 still performs a lot better.
