PCI Video card with DVI for OLD pc

[fallbayuk]

I've been asked by a friend for some advice. Basically he wants to connect his old dell dimension 2400 pc to his 32" flatscreen tv in his lounge. The only available expansion slots on the desktop are pci as follows, no AGP :-

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/techov.htm#1105465

Also the flatscreen has only HDMI connections available so im guessing he'll need a DVI video card and a DVI > HDMI lead to get this hooked up. Is anyone able to advise which card (if any, is this even possible with this pc?) would be up to the job?

 

[Wiggins]

An Nvidia FX5200 should just about cope with it as long as you have a HDMI (female) - DVI-D (male) Video Adapter.

Zotac do them for the £36 - £45 price range and include the adaptor also. Google will give you a good idea.

 

[BloodyL]

You can buy VGA to DVI adapters, so all you'd need to do is chain two adapters together:

VGA to DVI - DVI to HDMI.

 

[fallbayuk]

You can buy VGA to DVI adapters, so all you'd need to do is chain two adapters together:

VGA to DVI - DVI to HDMI.

Would the integrated Intel 3D Extreme Graphics be capable of outputting on a 32" screen? I think it uses between 32 and 64 MB of the system memory, will this suffice?

 

[PhoenixUK]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...t/DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail (H345H256NP)

 

[Monkeynut]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...t/DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail (H345H256NP)

That card is not PCI.

You can buy VGA to DVI adapters, so all you'd need to do is chain two adapters together:

VGA to DVI - DVI to HDMI.

That would never work. The adapter does not convert from analog to digital, it merely converts the pins since most DVI stuff takes analog signals too on those 4 pins that are seperate from the big block of pins. HDMI does not do analog.

Also, the Intel Extreme Graphics would likely not support the resolution.

 

[PhoenixUK]

That's why I hate dells.

I guess the cheapest way will be to sell it and buy some old used 100quid rig with AGP slot . And that might be cheaper than just buying a GPU.

 

[BloodyL]

That would never work. The adapter does not convert from analog to digital, it merely converts the pins since most DVI stuff takes analog signals too on those 4 pins that are seperate from the big block of pins. HDMI does not do analog.

Fair enough, thanks for the heads up, I thought they did the A/D conversion.

 

[MT-]

That card is not PCI.



That would never work. The adapter does not convert from analog to digital, it merely converts the pins since most DVI stuff takes analog signals too on those 4 pins that are seperate from the big block of pins. HDMI does not do analog.

Also, the Intel Extreme Graphics would likely not support the resolution.

What a load of FUD. For 2D and movie playback, anything above Intel 815G would more than handle it. My 945G (TV rig in sig) happily handles 1080p content, including ~20Mbps 1080i MPEG 4 AVC from BBC HD.
You wont get any MPEG 4 AVC offload support (like with a recent nvidia/ati card), but you don't get that on an nvidia 5200 either. It will accelerate MPEG2 content (DVDs etc) quite happily, and I doubt a PC that old would be game for bluray anyway, so no loss.

I'm surprised his TV has no analogue inputs - does it not even have component in? You can get VGA -> component adapters easily enough.

 

[Wiggins]

That's why I hate dells.

I guess the cheapest way will be to sell it and buy some old used 100quid rig with AGP slot . And that might be cheaper than just buying a GPU.

IIRC the Dimension 2400 comes with a Celeron 533Mhz Chip so you are really better to sell it and get something with at least a Pentium 4 Chip instead.

It will more than likely fall and laugh at you if trying to use that Dimension to upscale to a 32" LCD.

 

[fallbayuk]

Ok, can anyone link me to the dvi > hdmi cable i would need to get in conjuntion with the Nvidia FX5200? Do i need an actual cable or a dongle to convert a dvi output to accept a hdmi lead?

Do i need something like THIS?

 

[RobertN]

have heard a cable is better than a adaptor