I'm just wondering at the moment about HTPC's. If you wanted to run MCE on one and be able to play divx and HDTV streams etc (maybe blue ray disks) do you need a dedicated GFX card? It would only be used for HTPC things not games etc. I assume TV cards dont do the same job, so you would need intigrated GFX as well, but would they be able to cope with compressing and decopmpressing formats?
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Need GFX card?
- Thread starter Amp34
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Look at the nVidia 6150/430 chipset motherboards like the one in my signature. If you use the purevideo codec they are excellent for that kind of thing - plus comes with dual outputs onboard. If looking at a discrete card, consider the passively cooled 7600GS for around £90.
It would be useful if the card was passivly cooled as well. The 7600 looks quite good, how hot does it run? Are there any other cards that would fit the specification? Intigrated GFX wouldnt work for upscaling and playing hi-def. What about all in wonder cards?
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I believe the integrated cards in the 6150/430 range would work for that.
A passively cooled 7600GS outperforms a 6600GT, which is decent at resolutions like 1024x768. The 7600GT is more of a gaming card and has a noisy little fan on it - consider swapping that for a Zalman if you want quiet operation.
There are some great deals on an x1800XL (£199.99 if you shop around) - which performs slightly better than a 7600GT and has a TV card built in.
A passively cooled 7600GS outperforms a 6600GT, which is decent at resolutions like 1024x768. The 7600GT is more of a gaming card and has a noisy little fan on it - consider swapping that for a Zalman if you want quiet operation.
There are some great deals on an x1800XL (£199.99 if you shop around) - which performs slightly better than a 7600GT and has a TV card built in.