Sparkle GeForce 8400GS 256 MB DDR3 PCI with Native HDMI Graphics Card SFPC84GS256U2LP

I decided to go with the Sparkle 8400GS PCI because a relative of mine bought a wide-screen LCD monitor, but didn't realize that their computer did not support them. (The SIS 661 chipset is infamous for having issues with 1440x900...while the desktop was still visible, the 4:3 output was upscaled and stretched to fit the monitor's 16:10 and caused people to look short and fat in pictures, etc.)

Since the computer was only used for email, looking at pictures, and general surfing, I figured that by adding more RAM and upgrading the graphics card, the machine's service life could be extended by several years. With a long-term solution in mind, I went with a fanless card since it's entirely maintenance-free. Also, I went with the 256MB over the 512MB/1GB models since there was no added benefit in my application. Overall, the card's been perfect and installed without any drama ~ basically I uninstalled the existing display drivers, popped in the new card, and installed the...Read more

Keep in mind that this card's heat sink (probably because it avoid using a fan) requires two PCI slot widths. Check that your system has space before you buy it.

I purchased this for a dual monitor setup and am quite happy with the results. The installation was smooth and fairly simple. I was up and running in minutes. I don't need fast graphics for gaming. I just use it for music recording, and it completely satisfies my hopes. The only thing to keep in mind is that the card's heat sink is slightly wide. In my case, the card was too wide to fit next to my PCI audio card. So I swapped PCI slots and all was fine. Would recommend.