Test notes
Low-end graphics cards are often an upgrade from integrated graphics chipsets, so we've chosen a test platform that allows us to throw NVIDIA's GeForce 6100 IGP into the mix. The GeForce 6100 doesn't offer much in the way of pixel-pushing power, but it should serve as a good reference point so we can consider how much a low-end graphics card can improve performance over built-in graphics.

Our testing methods
All tests were run three times, and their results were averaged, using the following test system.

Processor Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz
System busHyperTransport 16-bit/1GHz
Motherboard Shuttle XPC SN21G5
Bios revisionSN21S10Q
North bridgeNVIDIA GeForce 6100
South bridgeNVIDIA nForce 410
Chipset driversForceWare 8.22
Memory size2GB (2 DIMMs)
Memory typeOCZ Value Series DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
CAS latency (CL)2.5
RAS to CAS delay (tRCD)4
RAS precharge (tRP)4
Cycle time (tRAS)8
Audio codecIntegrated nForce4/ALC655 with Realtek 3.84 drivers
GraphicsIntegrated GeForce 6100 with ForceWare 84.21 drivers
GeForce 7300 GS 256MB PCI-E with ForceWare 84.21 drivers
Radeon X1300 Pro 256MB PCI-E with Catalyst 6.4 drivers
Chrome S27 128MB PCI-E with 15.18.05l drivers
Hard drive Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 NCQ 160GB
OS Windows XP Professional
OS updatesService Pack 2

Thanks to OCZ for providing us with memory for our testing. Their products and support are both far and away superior to generic, no-name memory.

We used the following versions of our test applications:

The test systems' Windows desktop was set at 1280x1024 in 32-bit color at an 85Hz screen refresh rate. Vertical refresh sync (vsync) was disabled for all tests.

All the tests and methods we employed are publicly available and reproducible. If you have questions about our methods, hit our forums to talk with us about them.