The Sparkle GTS 250 LP is a fairly unique product that seems to be targeted to fit a particular niche in the market. It is by far the most powerful graphics card performance-wise that I have seen to date in a low profile design. Most cards in this format are entry level chipsets, barely better than onboard video and some even borrow from system memory as well. While the G92 core is far from being top of the line anymore, it is still a respectable mid-range graphics option, and certainly better than most anything else with this height restriction.
As to where that low profile design may come into play, there are several applications. For one, many HTPC cases are shortened, to accommodate being placed in an entertainment center or with other home theater components. Slim line desktops or micro towers may also use a low profile configuration. And even some LAN gaming boxes don't allow for full size video cards. All of these scenarios present an opportunity for the Sparkle GTS 250 LP card to excel above other low profile designs, while maintaining the low power usage and cool operating temperatures that are important for these types of enclosures.
The cooler used on the Sparkle GTS 250 LP does an adequate job of keeping GPU temps down, although not quite as good as a reference GTS 250, but to be expected with the smaller size. The fan does get a bit noisy however, and unlike larger fans it has that high-pitched whine that seems to be particularly obtrusive to the ears. This is only a concern under load conditions, the fan is rather quiet when merely idling along. Power usage for the card is decent in 2D mode as well, drawing only 25W more than an onboard graphics chipset, although when placed under full load the GTS 250 LP is capable of using up to 150W total, just like its bigger brother.
Performance of the card is down a bit from a reference GTS 250, primarily due to its reduced frequencies. The Sparkle GTS 250 LP uses GPU/RAM/Shader clocks of 600/900/1566, rather than the reference 738/1100/1836 of a standard GTS. However after checking some other brand 250s that are currently on the market, it seems that many no longer offer the full speed that they used to, for example core frequencies are commonly only 675 to 700MHz. So although the Sparkle GTS 250 LP may show up to 20% less performance than a true reference card, it is much closer in line with other products on the market today.
You might think that shrinking the card down in size and power raises the cost, however price-wise I found the SXS2501024D3LNM online anywhere in the $110 to $150 range, placing it squarely in line with other full size GTS 250 cards available. So you only give up a small amount of performance, and a little less cooling ability for the convenience of being able to fit the card in just about any size enclosure, no matter how small. Couple that with Sparkle's 25 years of manufacturing experience, all solid state construction and low power design, and what you get is a lot of value in a very small package.
OCIA.net awards the Sparkle Green Power GTS 250 Low Profile our Gold Seal of Approval.
