New Pornstar Interviews - [more]
Della Cate: 2026 Porn Crush Media Day Interview

"When a man hits a certain age, they get powdery and it’s fucking intoxicating."
Participate...

log in
register
Browse...

Etiquette
Active Topics
Popular Topics
Member List
Forum Search

Search this topic:
All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 26 > Best graphics card for HD/Blu-ray playback?
AuthorPost
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Jul 17 2008 : 2:44PM
I'm looking to upgrade my Sapphire X1950 Pro for the best HDMI-capable graphics card for playback of Blu-ray disks and HD files.
Although there's a lot of information on the internet regarding the gaming capabilities of various graphics cards, I've been surprised to find that there's next to nothing on their other uses.

I'm not a gamer (at all), so I don't need a card that's good for that, unless it's the best card for videos too. I have a 24-inch LCD display with an HDMI input, and I want to power it to the max for movie-watching and video editing. I don't want to spend more than I have to, but I don't mind spending whatever I need to if it will make movies look and play better on my display and give me the editing capabilities I want.

I don't have any brand loyalty as between ATI and Nvidia, my only concern being whether either company's propriety encoding technology (Avivo HD or Nvidia Pure Video HD) is better -- unless I can derive meaningful playback and/or editing advantages from a dual-card setup, in which case I'd need two ATI cards to set up in Crossfire on my Intel motherboard.

My current system (in addition to the X1950 Pro): Intel D975XBX2 motherboard, QX6700 CPU, 8 GB Mushkin DDR-2 800 RAM, Corsair 620W (3 12V rails) PSU, Western Digital Raptor X 150GB hard drive (plus a couple of 500GB Western Digital SATA hard drives for storage), HT Omega "Striker" PCI sound card, Lacie 500GB external backup drive, Dell UltraSharp 24-inch widescreen LCD Monitor, and Vista 64-bit OS.

I'd be very grateful for any help. Thanks!

[Link]
Sheky666
Member

100 Posts
2/01
Posted - Jul 18 2008 : 1:20AM

As far as nvidia goes, your best bet is a G98 based card which will provide full hardware decode of Blu-ray video (H.264/AVC) with the latest PowerDVD.
On the low end you could go with a 8500GT or a 8400GS. There are older versions of the 8400GS that don't use the G98 GPU so you need to check.
I just picked up a 8500GT with a heatsink only (no fan) for $35 after rebate at an online retailer for my hometheater PC.
In the midrange is the 8800GT (~$150) which will provide the same hardware decode and will play most current games very nicely.


Go To Top of page
[Link]
lukemason
Member

697 Posts
8/04
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 12:59PM
i have the 8800GT and it plays BR and HD-DVD Flawlessly :)
Go To Top of page
[Link]
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 2:02PM
I just ordered one of those, did you get the over clocked model?
Go To Top of page
[Link]
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 4:53PM
Thanks for the info!
What brand and model did you buy? How long have you been using the card?
Go To Top of page
[Link]
 
Bob All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5516 Posts
3/03
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 4:54PM
What brand and model did you order, CQ, and how did you choose it?
Go To Top of page
[Link]
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 5:58PM
@Bob: I chose it mostly based on reviews. It seems to be a reliable card that doesn't run too hot.
I ordered:
XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB 625MHZ 1.8GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card
It's only overclocked by 25 mhz.
Here is a link for you. You can probably find it cheaper in the US.
[ invalid url ]
There are faster over clocked models of the same card 650mhz (possibly more) instead of 625. 600mhz seems stock standard.
I picked it because it got very good reviews and since I am starting school I don't need something like my old SLI system for games. Casual gaming from now on. It should play Crysis fine.
I am pretty sure you have Vista so the directx 10 stuff should look pretty nice for you.
I warn you strongly about buying any cards made my a company called BFG, that was the one that caught fire on me and i will not be buying from them again.
Edited by - conquistador on 7/21/2008 6:12:30 PM
Go To Top of page
[Link]
ninja1
Senior Member

2940 Posts
1/08
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 1:21AM
Yeah I noticed that too. And another thing.... I wonder why no graphics card maker has developed a graphics card which can decode all the commonly-used computer video formats (wmv, avi, mpeg, flv, etc)? I mean if a $35 standalone dvd player can have built-in decoding capabilities PLUS a case and all the necessary disk-handling mechanisms, and a remote control, why can't a $100 graphics card at least have the decoding capability, without the need to tax the computer's CPU or RAM?? What am I missing here??
Go To Top of page
[Link]
Zoid
Senior Member

Boobies and Anal
2004 Posts
5/04
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 8:34AM
I think you already have a pretty nice card for video playback.
On the other hand, if video is your primary concern, maybe you should check out something like [ invalid url ].
Go To Top of page
[Link]
lukemason
Member

697 Posts
8/04
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 3:15PM
8800GT EVGA Superclocked Edition .
it came with the new PC i am on now a Gateway FX541X .
Edited by - lukemason on 7/23/2008 3:16:53 PM
Go To Top of page
[Link]
All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 26Best graphics card for HD/Blu-ray playback?

Previous topic: Free word processor?
Next topic: Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?



Jump To: