New Video Card for my first HTPC (1 Viewer)

[Martice]

You guys have helped me with my HD choice, case, MOBO and now it's time for the video card. I'm not into gaming (yet) but I am putting together my first HTPC and would like to have some suggestions on a card. I would really like a card that will allow me to watch DVD's on my TV screen. It really doesn't have to be the latest and the greatest and I really don't want to spend more than $150.00 although depending on the deal I may go up.

I'm really concerned about noise and would like a video card that doesn't sound like a jet engine.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

What kind of TV? Are you building HTPC to use the crappy TV output on a video card- or do you have a projector/HDTV so you can use the real monitor output on the card?

I don't think any card has what i would call a "good" TV out, every single one looked worse than my old Panasonic RV-80.

The Radeon cards are considered the best for DVD decoding to high res output (Projector/HDTV)-- the 8500 is buggy, so most "in the know" don't use it. The 7500 is good- and you can get the card as a OEM "LE" version which has a heatsink instead of a fan.

-V

 

[Masood Ali]

I'd recommend a Radeon 8500 for either purpose. If you look around, you can snag one for $150. A second option would be a Geforce3 Ti200 or Radeon 7500.

 

[Martice]

I have a Sony television now. I'm coming from an audio backround and am making the gradual cross over into HTPC. Eventually I would like to get a projector but for now it's more realistic financially for me to handle the computer capabilities first.

The Radeon 7500LE sounds good Vince. I will research it this evening. Do the 8500's come with a heat sink or a fan? Do I have a choice in the matter without having to dislodge the fan and replace it with a heatsink?

 

[Rob Lutter]

VisionTek's GeForce Ti200 model actually has a very nice cooling system... it has a heatsink with a fan on top of it... should keep things nice and cool

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Martice,
When you're talking about coming off the svideo, I think really any card will do. If you're thinking of getting a good card now to be ready for a projector in the future, then you might want to do some research on HTPC...
I would absolutely suggest checking out AVS (www.avsforum.com) if you are serious. It's pretty widely accepted in the "HTPC" world that the Geforce cards are not ideal for DVD playback (although there are some interesting leads on the newest GeForce units).
As much as I love the HTF- AVS currently kills us on HTPC content. If you check avs you'll find a few FAQ guides that have links to all kinds of info on accepted standards and best bang for the buck solutions.
Again the 8500 had a greyscale bug that's well documented on AVS (and I think it's cooled with a fan, which is NOT ideal for HTPC where silence is the goal).
Again- I'm always suprised to see some of the recommendations of HTF members in regards to HTPC... I'd seriously say you'll be way better off doing some searching and reading on AVS (grab some coffee, you might be up for a while)