Which new video card to buy?

[91stealthrt2]

I'm building a new computer and not sure which video card to buy. I don't really play much games at all. But do want it to be able to handle 1080p/bluray as it's biggest use is going to be media ripping/streaming etc. And I plan to upgrade to a larger monitor next year. I'd like to get stay around 50-100 dollars, but don't know which cards to even look for.

[Telionis]

FWIW: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...6850,2782.html

The power to play modern games will allow a card to easily play any HD you may have. I believe most have HD specific acceleration today, but even without it the raw power should be plenty.

That said, you should wait until HTPC experts chime in to be sure this is good advice.

[GTOJOE]

www.gpureview.com good site for comparing video cards etc. use this to compare cards side by side http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php

[Jeremy C]

Or just to give you some ideas:

Spend a little more than what you originally were thinking, and grab either a GTX460 if you're an nVidia fan or the 5770 if you want AMD. They are both great bang for the buck cards and will last you many years. Video cards is the one place I refuse to skimp on my computers (If I have to cut corners, HDD is first to me).

[91stealthrt2]

Right now I am using an old card, Radeon x1650 that I paid like $20 for last year. I rarely play games on my pc, and as far as I can tell it has been sufficient. so do I even need a higher end card? I guess I also want the card to be efficient, as I leave the pc on 24/7 to record tv. So if it's using lots of power it will end up costing a lot more down the road.

[Jeremy C]

Newer cards also throttle under low and no-load conditions which might make them even more efficient than your older card in idle state (IE - no 3D). My GTX285 has 3 different levels that it sets itself at depending on what I am doing. Without 3D, it takes a miracle to get it to come out of idle state, and 720p video will only bump it up to it's second level for a minute before it goes back to idle. Video games, however... My card gets hot, loud, and hungry for power.

Check this review and see what you think: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/...o_card_review/

There's 3 cards in this review, and all of them are sub-$100, and would handle HTPC issues without a second thought. Yeah, they suck at gaming compared to more mainstream enthusiast cards (like the ones I posted earlier) but since you've said you don't care about gaming, any of these 3 would be fine. Next to last page on the review has wattage, noise, and heat level info which I figure you truly would be interested in.

[GTOJOE]

Intel HD onboard video with any of the compatible i3 or i5 processors will play 1080p/bluray with no problem at all. I play bluray on a Core2Duo E4500 with an Intel G33 chipset [1st intel chip to support bluray] and it works fine. If you have no intention of playing gmaes just go down that path. Save a few bucks.

[chillowvr4]

http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/...aphics-cards#2

Was reading this and just saw this deal... It's a great freaking deal in your price range.

[Polygon]

Intel HD onboard video with any of the compatible i3 or i5 processors will play 1080p/bluray with no problem at all. I play bluray on a Core2Duo E4500 with an Intel G33 chipset [1st intel chip to support bluray] and it works fine. If you have no intention of playing gmaes just go down that path. Save a few bucks.

This would be my suggestion.

If you would rather buy a separate video card then I suggest the Radeon 5450 as it will let you do the uncompressed audio codecs. It's what I put in my HTPC and it's a great card and makes no noise. I can't remember the nVidia equivalent. I'm think the 240 for some reason. However, I remember the 5450 being cheaper.

[sketch]

your best bang for the buck is an ATi 5850 right about now, especially with the holiday sales.
It's a beast card for under 200, and you won't need to upgrade it for 3-4 years if you aren't gaming.

i bought two about a year ago and crossfire them, they handle everything i throw at them.

if you're into nvidia, look at the GTX 460 series. more expensive than the ATi but comparable performance to the ATi 57xx series