New to HD, Best VideoCard for watching HD?

[bjy20716]

I am going to be putting together a new computer to watch and record HD. What is the best video card to get (Under $150) for watching back HD?
Should I get one with the nvidia purevideo hardware support?

I saw one thread mentioned atleast a 7600gt?

Has anyone tried this car that has HDMI? Or it would be not good since it spported hdcp?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125058


I have a 42" sharp 1080p LCD.
The computer I am thinking about putting together would be an amd 4600+ x2 and 2 gigs of ram. With a HDhomerun for recording and a wintv pvr250 so I can use my happague remote.

Will the 4600+ be plenty fast for watching and recording HDTV at the same time?


thanks

[clmolnar]

I recommend getting a Core2Duo E6600, but I am biased since this is what I use in my media center. I don't have any experience with AMD CPUs. However, my video card is an XFX 7600GT.

My recording devices are a PVR-500 and HDHomeRun. I have to run in FSE to get stutter free playback on 1080i material using Purevideo decoders. I believe this is a function of my video card, and it would be the first thing I would upgrade. I run comskip on all of my recordings, which can be pretty processor intensive on the HD recordings. However I have never had any problems watching HD material, recording HD material, and running comskip on an HD recording all at the same time.

One thing to note is that the Purevideo "smart" deinterlace option does not work well with this video card. I'm not sure if it's the GPU (7600GT) or the manufacturer (XFX). My old video card (BFG 6800GT) worked fine with the "smart" option.

Good luck with building your new Media PC!

[Wheemer]

I have the 4200 AMD and I wish I had the time back to get the E6600 instead.

[stanger89]

Looks like a good card, appears to support HDCP even.

[bjy20716]

Is the E6600 really worth the extra $200 over the 4600+?

I could get the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache
And that is still $100 cheaper than the E6600.

@clmolnar (or anyone)
Would a 7900GS be better than a 7600GT you think?
For example this 7900gs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150202

[clmolnar]

If you can hold off for about a month, the E6600 is supposed to drop to $215 on April 23rd.

I'm not sure about the 7900GS. You would need to check some reviews and make sure that the particular card supports the features you want. (HDCP, etc.) I believe the GS is the budget line, so some key features for a media center might not be available.

[GTwannabe]

Originally Posted by bjy20716

Is the E6600 really worth the extra $200 over the 4600+?

I could get the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache
And that is still $100 cheaper than the E6600.

@clmolnar (or anyone)
Would a 7900GS be better than a 7600GT you think?
For example this 7900gs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150202

PureVideo performance depends on clockspeed. 7900GS = 450mhz, 7600GT = 560mhz.

Another problem is that the 7900GS cards don't support HDCP. Most 7600GT cards don't either. The few that do offer HDCP are at such a price premium that you could get a 7950GT (550mhz) for about the same price.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by GTwannabe

Another problem is that the 7900GS cards don't support HDCP. Most 7600GT cards don't either. The few that do offer HDCP are at such a price premium that you could get a 7950GT (550mhz) for about the same price.

I was going to say, you're getting awful close to 7950GT price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150220

And the 7950GT supports all the PureVideo features.

[HawgGuy]

Nice thing about that card is the SPDIF input to the graphics card to combine video & audio with one HDMI cable. I use a MSI 7600GT variant of that card with good results (except for the known tearing issue).

[bjy20716]

I looked at the specs of some 7950gts
Is
Features NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
Different than
Features NVIDIA PureVideo Technology?

thanks

[GTwannabe]

Originally Posted by bjy20716

I looked at the specs of some 7950gts
Is
Features NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
Different than
Features NVIDIA PureVideo Technology?

thanks

PureVideo HD is enabled by the latest (93.71) drivers and PureVideo decoder (4.02-223) on all PureVideo capable cards.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/purevideo_support.html

This table shows what features are supported by what card.

[MattJackson86]

Not to thread jack, but it is along the same line. Once getting a card that supports HD, how do you get it to your monitor with the correct resolution. I have an HD tv with HDMI input and with a DVI-HDMI adapter I cant get HD resolutions. Always overscanned so I have to shrink my resolution down to some odd number.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by MattJackson86

Not to thread jack, but it is along the same line. Once getting a card that supports HD, how do you get it to your monitor with the correct resolution. I have an HD tv with HDMI input and with a DVI-HDMI adapter I cant get HD resolutions. Always overscanned so I have to shrink my resolution down to some odd number.

That's the way most TVs work, they normally display with part of the screen cut off. Video card manufacturers finally realized that people like to connect PCs to HDTVs and have thus added the ability to compensate for that overscan in the drivers.

Unfortunately the only way to fix it (that is 0 overscan and full resolution) is to reposition the optical engine of the TV.

Oh, and also to make sure any "Overscan" option is turned off in the TV.

[flavius]

Originally Posted by clmolnar

If you can hold off for about a month, the E6600 is supposed to drop to $215 on April 23rd.

I'm not sure about the 7900GS. You would need to check some reviews and make sure that the particular card supports the features you want. (HDCP, etc.) I believe the GS is the budget line, so some key features for a media center might not be available.

Or get the E4300.

[bjy20716]

Originally Posted by GTwannabe

PureVideo HD is enabled by the latest (93.71) drivers and PureVideo decoder (4.02-223) on all PureVideo capable cards.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/purevideo_support.html

This table shows what features are supported by what card.

So any card 7600GT or better but I have to buy the PureVideo HD decoder extra for $49 and it isn't included with the card or drivers?

[stanger89]

There are 3 parts to PureVideo (same for ATI's AVIVO), hardware, drivers, and decoders. You need all three to fully take advantage of all the features. No one piece contains all features and no one piece can do everything.

The only two things that are absolutely necessary for PureVideo are the hardware and drivers, there are several decoders that are capable/compatible with "PureVideo", Intervideo, Cyberlink, Nero, and nVidia.

It just so happens that the nVidia decoders were the first to fully support PureVideo (no surprise) and are probably still the best. And the decoders are only $19 (the more expensive ones don't get you anything outside WMP or MCE). I don't know why video card manufacturers don't include the nVidia decoders, maybe because there's no "player" with them.

[grooves12]

I never really hear much about ATI's AVIVO.

How does it compare to Purevideo?? I am in the market for a new video card and was wondering if Avivo is a good alternative. Given Nvidia's problem running purevideo in Sage in VMR9 mode, I thought a switch to ATI might be a good one if their Deinterlacing is on par with Nvidia's

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by grooves12

I never really hear much about ATI's AVIVO.

How does it compare to Purevideo?? I am in the market for a new video card and was wondering if Avivo is a good alternative.

Probably roughly on par. Both have their strengths.

Given Nvidia's problem running purevideo in Sage in VMR9 mode,

What problem? VMR9 works great on my 6800, wouldn't have it any other way.

[Polypro]

Just ordered the parts to build a friends HTPC. Gigabyte has a Second Gen 7600GT Passive (Silent Pipe II) in 2 configs: Dual DVI and a DVI/HDMI w/HDCP.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7600GT&x=0&y=0


P

[CanadianEh]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Probably roughly on par. Both have their strengths.



What problem? VMR9 works great on my 6800, wouldn't have it any other way.

But can anyone accomplish this without having to use FSE?