# GeForce 210

> 2009 desktop graphics card by Nvidia, part of the GeForce 200 series (GPU Name: GT218-300-A2)

**Wikidata**: [Q136091041](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q136091041)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/geforce-210

## Summary
The GeForce 210 is a desktop graphics card released by Nvidia on October 12, 2009. As part of the GeForce 200 series, it is based on the Tesla microarchitecture and was designed for the entry-level market. The card utilizes a GT218 graphics processing unit (GPU) manufactured using a 40 nm process.

## Key Facts
- **Release Date:** October 12, 2009
- **Manufacturer:** Nvidia
- **Product Series:** GeForce 200 series
- **GPU Model:** GT218
- **Microarchitecture:** Tesla
- **Fabrication Process:** 40 nm lithography process
- **Memory:** 512 MiB DDR3 SDRAM on a 64-bit bus
- **Interface:** PCI Express 2.0 x16
- **Supported APIs:** Direct3D 10.1, OpenGL 3.3, OpenCL 1.1, Shader Model 4.1
- **Transistor Count:** 260,000,000

## FAQs
### Q: What is the GeForce 210?
A: The GeForce 210 is a desktop graphics card manufactured by Nvidia and released in 2009. It is an entry-level model from the GeForce 200 series, intended for basic computer use rather than high-performance gaming.

### Q: What are the key specifications of the GeForce 210?
A: The GeForce 210 features a GT218 GPU with a base clock frequency of 520 MHz, 16 shading units, and 512 MiB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit interface. It was manufactured on a 40 nm process and connects via a PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot.

### Q: What software APIs does the GeForce 210 support?
A: The GeForce 210 supports several APIs from its era, including Direct3D 10.1, OpenGL 3.3, OpenCL 1.1, and Shader Model 4.1. It does not support more modern APIs like Vulkan or Nvidia's proprietary CUDA technology.

## Why It Matters
The GeForce 210 is significant as an example of an entry-level, budget-conscious graphics card from the late 2000s. Its release marked the use of the 40 nm fabrication process, representing a technological advancement in manufacturing efficiency and power consumption for its class. While not a high-performance card, it provided essential dedicated graphics capabilities for desktop PCs that lacked integrated graphics or required an upgrade for tasks like HD video playback and basic graphical applications.

The card's support for APIs like Direct3D 10.1 and the then-new OpenCL 1.1 standard made it a viable, low-cost solution for developers and users needing access to GPU acceleration for general-purpose computing tasks. It represents a specific tier in the evolution of GPU technology, filling the market need for a simple, dedicated graphics solution before integrated GPUs became as powerful and ubiquitous as they are today.

## Notable For
- **40 nm Fabrication Process:** It was among the GPUs of its time built on the smaller 40 nm lithography process, contributing to its low power and thermal footprint.
- **Tesla Microarchitecture:** The card is based on Nvidia's Tesla microarchitecture, placing it within a specific generation of GPU design that preceded the later Fermi architecture.
- **Entry-Level Focus:** With 16 shading units and a 64-bit memory bus, its specifications clearly define it as a product for the budget segment, not intended for demanding 3D gaming.
- **Early OpenCL Support:** It supported OpenCL 1.1, an open standard for general-purpose parallel programming on heterogeneous systems, which was also established in 2009.

## Body
### Core Specifications
The GeForce 210 is a graphics card model built around the Nvidia GT218 GPU (also referenced as GT218S). It is based on the Tesla microarchitecture and is manufactured using a 40 nm lithography process. The GPU itself contains 260 million transistors.

- **GPU Name:** GT218
- **Microarchitecture:** Tesla
- **Fabrication Process:** 40 nm
- **Transistor Count:** 260,000,000

### Performance and Processing Units
The card's GPU has a base clock frequency of 520 MHz. It is equipped with 2 streaming multiprocessors, which contain a total of 16 shading units. The card also includes 16 texture mapping units (TMUs) and 4 render output units (ROPs).

- **Base Clock Frequency:** 520 MHz
- **Streaming Multiprocessors:** 2
- **Shading Units:** 16
- **Texture Mapping Units:** 16
- **Render Output Units:** 4
- **Pixel Fillrate:** 2.080 Gigatexels/s
- **Texture Fillrate:** 4.160 Gigatexels/s

### Memory
The GeForce 210 comes with 512 MiB of DDR3 SDRAM. This memory operates with a clock frequency of 400 MHz and communicates with the GPU across a 64-bit memory bus.

- **Capacity:** 512 MiB
- **Type:** DDR3 SDRAM
- **Bus Width:** 64-bit
- **Clock Speed:** 400 MHz

### Physical Properties and Connectivity
The physical card has a length of 168 millimeters. It connects to a computer's motherboard via a PCI Express 2.0 x16 interface. For video output, it typically provides one of each of the following connectors:
- DVI-I dual link receptacle
- DisplayPort connector
- VGA receptacle

### Software and API Support
The GeForce 210 supports a range of graphics and computing APIs available at the time of its release.
- **Direct3D:** 10.1
- **OpenGL:** 3.3
- **OpenCL:** 1.1
- **Shader Model:** 4.1

The card does not support Vulkan or Nvidia's CUDA parallel computing platform.

### Thermal and Power
The GeForce 210 has a specified maximum operating temperature of 105° Celsius. Its thermal design power (TDP) is listed as 180 watts.

## References

1. GPU Specs Database
2. Source