htpc graphics

mrtckane

mrtckane

mrtckane

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3 Jul 2010
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got a few bits, wanna make a htpc, but the graphics card is an issue.

i want something that'll do HD quite comfortably but be able to fit in a htpc case.

should i be looking for something low profile? any suggestions?
 
If I was looking to buy a new card I wouldn't look any further than the 5450 - here's a review of what it can do. As an HTPC card its plenty of bang for your buck - 5450 will output 1080p with TrueHD and DTS HD bitstreaming. Don't expect much gaming action though. Its all about low power, reduced heat.

OcUK have plenty of options - for example XTC 5450.

If you are on a tighter budget - the 4350 will perform admirably just no high definition sound.

You've got a choice of passive or active cooling. Just beware that some of the heat sinks on a passively cooled card might be oversized for a low profile - which happened to me with a Sapphire card :(
 
Asus ATI Radeon HD 4350 passive

Used one of these for a while. Seems fine. On TWO aswell.
 
I would also consider the GT210/220 from NV. The 220 especially is a bit more than it really should be, but Im guessing you want to use lower power/cooler CPU like many and use the GPU to decode your video.
Whilst the NV cards wont bitstream HD audio, during my testing of NV and ATI gpus (9600gso /w 256.xx drivers vs 5750 /w 10.8) I have noticed the nv cards performing DXVA decoding seem more tolerant for files that have been encoded 'off-spec' or poorly, the ATI cards seem to be more strict in thier compliance and thus will sometimes show blocking/artifacting. In a world where not every file is equal, for sheer ease of use/hassle free operation I consider that important.

This is coming from someone originally planning to get a 5450, and am now having to consider spending more to get that 'just works' factor right.
(I havent been able to confirm whether the ATI artifacting is caused by the driver set yet but hope to find out in the near future by getting the pc reverted to 10.6)
Edit machine refuses to revert so unable to check
 
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The GT210 should be good for just decoding, however it can suffer with 1080p post processing (1080p denoise as an example, its a weaker card than the 5450 etc) however which is why I am debating the extra cash for a gt220 for the flexibility. Depends on what matters to you, if you just want to run the video a gt210 should be fine.
There are passive models available as well which would be a better idea as fan noise apparently varies wildly.
 
as far as im aware, pretty much every budget card is more-or-less equal when it comes to hd video, although my knowledge in this area is pretty slim. What i do know is that ati will do audio over hdmi natively, but nvidia cards wont. (i think it needs an extra cable plugged into the card or something...)
 
thingemajib said:
as far as im aware, pretty much every budget card is more-or-less equal when it comes to hd video, although my knowledge in this area is pretty slim. What i do know is that ati will do audio over hdmi natively, but nvidia cards wont. (i think it needs an extra cable plugged into the card or something...)
Click to expand...

that was the 8 and 9 series cards all nvidia cards do native hdmi audio now.

if you are adding post processing effects all the bottom ends cards will struggle as soon as you enable a couple, i've tried 8400gs, 9400gt, hd 3450, hd 4350, hd 4550 and hd 5450 and i still have went back to my trusty hd 2600xt as the extra grunt comes in handy when i want to add filtering and such.

but if it is just basic playback you wan't then any of them will do the job fine.
 
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Aye although for the reasons I've already expressed the nv cards may be a better option if your encodes are a mixed bunch.
Obviously if you want several post processes then you are looking at the gt220/240 or the 5550/70/5650 or above, something with a bit more power under the hood, to offer more flexibility.
The gt210 is the weakest of the bunch though and as the tomshardware review pointed out it will struggle even just decoding 1080p and performing denoising on top whereas the 5450/gt220 and above handle this fine.
 
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