Galaxy 52GGS4HX9DTX GeForce GT 520 (Fermi) Silent Edition 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

Pros: I was upgrading my old Dell dimension 4600. I needed a low profile decent card. This was both low cost and runs all my valve games on max settings and even GTA IV (on lower settings) very very happy with this purchase.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: If you're looking for an awesome GPU for an older computer this is it!

Pros: Works well for what it is and for the miniscule cost. This is not a gamer card although it will work fine on older games. If you are going to try to run BF3 on it, forget it. But what do you expect for a sub $50 card? What it does so well is for HTPC. It's silent and runs relatively cool. The on board HD sound chip allows for seamless HDMI use. HD video is perfect and the audio sounds great.

Cons: Takes up two slots with it's thick heatsink. The thinner models that consume 1 slot have a noisy fan.

Pros: Cheap upgrade for an old Dual core AMD 3800+ system with intergrated graphics. Max temp under load is 57 C, at no load 40 C. No fan a plus so no added noise. 3DMark06 score went from 170 (No Joke) to 3524. It was just the perfect choice for my applications, I have another PC for gaming so I only needed a basic graphics card and this was a great choice. Only $20.00 after rebate so excellent value.

Cons: Have to wait on rebate

Pros: This card works well depending on what you expect and your system. Easy install. Downloaded drivers from the site instead of using the disk as suggested in the manual. Decent frame rate. There is more to this card than I can give it due to having a FSB stuck at 500mhz. So the card is being throttled back some. Clean looking.

Cons: This card overheated in the first 2 hrs I had it. The passive cooling is only ok for regular desktop apps. I had to install a fan in the side of my case blowing straight on the card to keep it cool enough. I have front and rear and now side 120mm fans and under full load it will run about 70c. Idle as I type this is 36c. I will be changing the cooler to put a fan on it. I ran several stress tests and the results were all the same. At about 65c I would get a flash of green on the screen. So overall I think it needs a fan or a better designed cooler on it that can make more use of case fans while underload.

Other Thoughts: Not a bad card for low end stuff. Not bad for high end stuff if you have great cooling. I would probably not buy another one of these. I would look more towards something with a fan such as the same model with a fan.

Pros: No pros.

Cons: Not a very good card. Plugged it in my computer, and it fried three hours later. Would not recommend to purchase. Heats up very quickly.

Manufacturer Response:

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear you had such problems with your GT 520. We thoroughly tested the GT 520 Silent to make sure its passive heatsink cooling is sufficient to effectively cool the card. Overheating is certainly not typical for this or any other Galaxy product. I'd like to make sure you were able to get your replacement taken care of in a timely manner and that everything is working well for you. Please let me know by contacting me directly at andrew@galaxytechus.com, and I'll be of service in any way I can.

-Andrew Fischer
Galaxy Product Manager

Pros: Silent
Won't overheat in reasonable ambient temperatures

Cons: The HDMI interface doesn't work at all.
The VGA and DVI interfaces cannot perform to advertised specifications.
Galaxy technical support is abominable.

Other Thoughts: Purchased as part of an HTPC build, this card provides zero signal via HDMI and incompatible output via VGA/DVI on my 1080p TV. Tests with other video cards were all successful.

Galaxy tech support personnel have the technical prowess of my Luddite father.

You would do well to pay more for a reputable brand.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi Chad,

I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems with your GT 520 and were dissatisfied with our support team's performance. I'd like to offer my help in making sure your problem is resolved quickly and completely. I invite you to email me directly at andrew@galaxytechus.com so I can help troubleshoot and, if necessary, make sure you get a replacement card.

Thanks,

-Andrew Fischer
Galaxy Product Manager

Pros: Silent
Good price with rebate/value.
Runs fairly cool.
Better then Intel/on-board graphics.
Reliable - pretty good build quality.

Cons: Performance is reduced by 64-bit memory interface.

Other Thoughts: It's a fair-priced silent graphics card that is severely limited by the 64-bit memory interface. At this point vendors should stop shipping video cards with 64-bit and go with 128-bit or higher.
3DMark06 score 3206 - bleh!

Pros: Easy to install. See comments below.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: This a corretion to my previous review. I installed a similiar card and had the same problem, no video. After downloading Intel's latest motherboard BIOS dated 7-1-2011 the new card worked! Now I have no doubt the returned card was okay. Sorry for the previous bad review. Be sure and update to the latest BIOS prior to installing.

Pros: None, card was defective, would not work.

Cons: Card would not work. Re-installed, still would not work. Had to replace old card to get computer to boot.