New video card or processor

[Milkman]

I'm trying to figure out the next best step for me to take in my HTPC. I run ffdshow under Sage and currently have a AMD 2400 precessor with a FX5200 video card. I am trying to resize to my DLP TV 1700x920?? Or something close and it is taxing the system. I will eventually like to own a 6800 fanless video card with an AMD 64 processor. Which is the best first step to take...the video card or the AMD 64 processor?

Thanks,

Chris

[g808]

If your system runs fine without ffdshow in the mix, then I'd say the bottleneck is your processor. Easiest way to find this out is to check the CPU usage when running ffdshow. If it's maxed, then a new processor would definitely help more than a video card.

I believe an Intel P4 is the best for use with ffshow although a good A64 should be fine.

Also, what version of ffshow are you using? I think this version is still the best one to use since they are optimized to take better advantage of the SSE implementation on the processor, which means less CPU power is needed.

[Milkman]

Thanks for the quick reply...is this the version you were speaking of?

ffdshow-20040709_SSE2.exe

I'll have to check and make sure.

Yes the CPU is pegged at about 95-100% when using ffdshow with SAGE. It runs DVD fine at that resolution, but not SAGE.

Thanks

[mlbdude]

The reason the Sage files take more CPU is because they are video based. They have more frames are are being deinterlaced. DVD's are film based with fewer frames and are generally not interlaced.

With my AMD XP 2500+ I get about the same results as you with the sse ffdshow. I generally resize to 2x source. What resize method are you using? ANy other filters running? Are you using NVDVD? Have you tried this in something like ZoomPlayer?

[stanger89]

1) Try using one of the non-SSE2 builds, those are built for P4/A64 and for some reason I thing they run worse than normal builds on AXPs.

2) Drop your resize to 1280x720, the native resolution of your display, for the most part you're probably wasting CPU power going higher than that (you should probably set your resolution to 1280x720 too).

It sounds like you're right on the cusp of running it fine. Dropping the resolution should help. Personally I'd go with the video card, you may find you don't need/care for ffdshow after that.

[Milkman]

I'll do some of the suggestions and see what happens. I have tried Zoomplayer and that works fine on the DVDs. I run the Nvidia 1.0 decoder. I also run denoise3d and a slight sharpen...I think asharpen. All of these are before the resize in ffdshow.

[g808]

It is a tough call between upgrading the 2. I have a 1600+ XP and a 9600 (non-pro) and I'm very satisfied with the PQ I get running in overlay without ffdshow. Throwing down the extra $$$ for a new processor/mobo and video card is not justified for me. At least not yet.

[Milkman]

Oh and while I'm thinking about it Stanger89 I think you have a 6800 fanless don't you? Did you really start seeing a better picture after you upgraded to that card from your previous card without using ffdshow?

[ukmgranger]

I have a 6800 GT (not fanless) and I can tell you that the change was great.

[stanger89]

Yeah, I definitely like my 6800 much better than my old 9500.

[kny3twalker]

yeah upgrade the video card first

the 5200 just will not cut it with high resolution displays
and VMR9 does such a better job of deinterlacing

[Milkman]

Video card is ordered. I went with the fanless 6800. Should be here next week.

Thanks for the help