Recommend me a video card for an HTPC

[racketboy]

Ok, I'm slowly putting together my new home theater PC for my living room.
I'm planning on running Windows MCE 2005 (and maybe the MCE of Vista later if the hardware is good enough) and GameEx for an emulator front-end

I will be using it mainly for watching Xvid movies and tv shows plus emulation.

My living room as my flat-CRT HDTV which has HDMI, Component, and of course S-Video and Composite connections.

I have an old Dell machine: P4 2.4GH, half a gig of RAM, but I need a new video card (AGP)
It would be nice to support DirectX 9 for Vista
I would like to spend less than $100 -- preferably aroudnd $50
I don't need it for PC gaming
I need the best output I can get for my TV. (DVI-to-HDMI?, Component break-out-box?)

I'm not a video card expert by any mean, so I thought I'd ask for some advice

[durkada]

Ok, I'm slowly putting together my new home theater PC for my living room.
I'm planning on running Windows MCE 2005 (and maybe the MCE of Vista later if the hardware is good enough) and GameEx for an emulator front-end

I will be using it mainly for watching Xvid movies and tv shows plus emulation.

My living room as my flat-CRT HDTV which has HDMI, Component, and of course S-Video and Composite connections.

I have an old Dell machine: P4 2.4GH, half a gig of RAM, but I need a new video card (AGP)
It would be nice to support DirectX 9 for Vista
I would like to spend less than $100 -- preferably aroudnd $50
I don't need it for PC gaming
I need the best output I can get for my TV. (DVI-to-HDMI?, Component break-out-box?)

I'm not a video card expert by any mean, so I thought I'd ask for some advice

Well, almost any cheapo card these days will provide you with some nice functionality -- including mpeg accelleration for HDTV bliss. In linux, depending on what you want to do, you have three major options -- Nvidia, ATI, and VIA. VIAs are surprisingly powerful, and enjoy frequently updated open-sourced drivers. I mention this only because, what you can do in Linux, you should be able to do just as well in Windows.

Anyway, the only major thing I would look at is whether or not the device supports dual DVI channels. This is not the same as those cards with two DVI outputs. For those unfamiliar, the DVI has three potential channels -- one is RGB, and the second and third are digital channels. If you intend to pump out some HDTV via digital -- at 1080i or 1080p -- you need to make certain that the card supports both digital channels. Some cheapo cards only support one channel, others support both. A channel equals bandwidth -- pumping out alot of frames in high resolution consumes a great deal of it. Usually, when shopping, you can find cards with specifications detailing their support for resolution up to X on a Flat Screen (Digital) connection, while supporting a higher max resolution via VGA. The Flat Screen Digital is the one you care about -- if it is 1920x1080 or higher, the odds are definitely in your favor that it supports both channels.

And yes, you should be able to find DVI to HDMI adaptors rather cheaply. Almost every major city has small stores which sell almost nothing but cables -- and what costs $4 at that store, will cost $20+ at a major retailer.

[racketboy]

I actually bought a DVI-to-HDMI cable, so I'm good there.
I've never seen the "channels" you mentioned in specs for cards. Any shopping pointers?

[Mozgus]

If you won't be doing any high end gaming, (and you won't be with that setup anyway) then just buy the cheapest card you can which has DVI-D or DVI-I. And find one that offers component output as well, just for good measure. Make sure to find out what speed your AGP is, also. Don't buy an 8x card if your system is only 2x or 4x.

[metaleggman]

N'k...
Well, I looked on newegg and I think I found some things that should work well for you.

For the GFX card, either one of these should do you fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814145118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814133151
Nice prices and a suprisingly nice amount of power.

Now, do you already have a TV tuner?
Or are you going to just use your TV's?
If not, you may want to look into getting something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6815116310

Also, I would reccomend getting your total amount of ram to 1gb. You'd be suprised how much better the computer will work with that simple of an upgrade. Just make sure to look up what type of ram you need, or else it won't work.

Hope this helps

[racketboy]

I have 1GB in my main machine, but I was gonna see how the HTPC did with its stock amount.
One other thing I should have mentioned, I want a silent card, so no fans

[durkada]

I actually bought a DVI-to-HDMI cable, so I'm good there.
I've never seen the "channels" you mentioned in specs for cards. Any shopping pointers?

The shopping pointers I have refer to the resolution displayed on a flat panel. Most cards will not say whether or not they support DVI-D -- they simply state they have a DVI interface. By looking at the maximum flat panel resolution, you'll then learn what cards actually are DVI-D.

You mention finding one without a fan. In that, all I can say, is good luck. I imagine some older NVIDIA based boards may have fanless models -- but I'm not certain.

[Mozgus]

I actually bought a DVI-to-HDMI cable, so I'm good there.
I've never seen the "channels" you mentioned in specs for cards. Any shopping pointers?

The shopping pointers I have refer to the resolution displayed on a flat panel. Most cards will not say whether or not they support DVI-D -- they simply state they have a DVI interface. By looking at the maximum flat panel resolution, you'll then learn what cards actually are DVI-D.

You mention finding one without a fan. In that, all I can say, is good luck. I imagine some older NVIDIA based boards may have fanless models -- but I'm not certain.

I've seen quite a lot of the budget cards in the 6xxx and 7xxx series that are fanless and have DVI. It's not much of a stretch. Myself, I am hoping to buy this nice fanless GeForce 7950 next year, if it drops below $220. I'd really like to setup a machine that relies only on my two silent 120mm case fans, and the silent PSU with it's 120mm as well. Right now my CPU and 7600GT (with zalman cooler) make the most noise.

[racketboy]

Ok, just to make sure, I have a Dell Optiplex gx260

I believe it has a 4X AGP slot, but from what I've heard, a 8X card will work, but just run at 4X. Is that true?

Also, I'm still not sure how to verify which kind of DVI a card has.
Does the port on the back tell for sure?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvi#Connector

[durkada]

Ok, just to make sure, I have a Dell Optiplex gx260

I believe it has a 4X AGP slot, but from what I've heard, a 8X card will work, but just run at 4X. Is that true?

Also, I'm still not sure how to verify which kind of DVI a card has.
Does the port on the back tell for sure?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvi#Connector

No. All DVI cards have female couplers. What you are looking at are the pin-out of male cables. Whether or not a cable support dual digital channels is easy to tell -- it simply uses all the pins (with the exception of the four RGB pins). With a video card, you do not have that luxury. A DVI female coupler must be able to accept any DVI cable. So, if your video card only supports single channel, it will still accept a dual digital channel cable. When you plug such a cable into your card, it simply utilizes only a single channel -- letting the other half of the cable -- essentially -- go to waste.

Welcome to the pain. I received a GeForce from a friend, was hoping to get 1080i out of it, and simply cannot. I can't because, again, it doesn't support dual channels. The part of the video card which sends the signal is referred to as a TMDS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Minimized_Differential_Signaling. Again, I've not seen a single box which advertises single or dual DVI capabilities, or TMDS -- but perhaps on newegg, or calling the people who work there, will get you the information you need.