Inexpensive Graphics Card for Flawless Video Playback

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MrOddlyFox

MrOddlyFox

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Nov 27, 2014
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I have a slight issue. I know cards, but I am more up-to-date than I am archived when it comes to GPUs. I have this bomb-ass copy of Avatar Extended Edition but it is such a dense file that my low-powered build has an issue processing it.

Currently onboard:
Motherboard: MSI A68HM-E33 V2
Processor: AMD A6-7400K
RAM: 4GB

Currently, the unit is used solely for media playback. That will not change.

ISO
Criteria: low-powered, inexpensive, and appropriate graphics card for flawless video playback of most video files. 1080p is the display resolution, I am not interested in 4k at this time.

Notes: I figure if it can play this Avatar file it will be able to handle just about anything else, until the standard changes again.
 
Solution
The Paladin
I can tell you this;

I have a DuoCore2 Q8300 with 4GB RAM and a GT 730 in it and it runs any video's you can throw at it, (I use a NAS with blue ray converted movies over 4GB ion sizes and never stutters even though its on wireless.

that A6 is more powerful than a Q8300 http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core2-Quad-Q8300-vs-AMD-A6-7400K
so I don't again believe it is the CPU.

but just My humble opinion, and suggest any GT or HD video card will solve the issue
take the answer as you wish...

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dontlistentome

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Sep 5, 2016
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What software are you using for playback? You want to pick a card, Nvidia or AMD, that works best for the kind of hardware acceleration you will use. It would not be wise to buy a card, only to discover that your preferred program runs better with the other company's card. I once used an HD 5450 512mb card with a Pentium 4 single core CPU to accelerate HD video and it worked fine. So you don't need a lot of videocard power. Of new cards, the GTX 1050 or RX 460 2gb should be more than enough. I think your motherboard is new enough to have a UEFI bios, am I wrong on that?
 
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MrOddlyFox

MrOddlyFox

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Nov 27, 2014
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To answer the question I keep seeing about the RAM; Paladin and Max. RAM is not the issue here. The processor is the weak link with the playback of this video file. I know RAM might sound like a fix, but the system is using like 1.24GB during playback, it isn't capping out. And not to mention the healthy-sized pagefile the system has allocated for itself. I only use this system for media, so I shall decline a RAM upgrade as the solution to my request.

I am using VLC, which handles every. Other. File. Perfectly. (.MKV, .MPG4, .AVI, .etc)
This file is a 2.2GB .MKV using x265 encoding. I don't think it is a codec issue, either.

The processor caps out frequently when this file is viewed, causing it to hang.
With the edition of a "low-end" GPU, the processor's load should be reduced slightly allowing for more flawless playback.
I do not believe an RX 460 would be considered low-powered or inexpensive.

dontlistentome: you are in the ballpark at least, I appreciate that. You are ABSOLUTELY correct, I do not need a lot of videocard power. Your mention of the Pentium was interesting, however we are talking about a unique video file, in my experience at least. It will play, but with a noticeable "hanging/lagging". I have viewed the file on my i7-7700k+GTX 1070 8GB OC rig, and no lagging at all.. as you would expect. That indicates that the file is not the issue.

It's kind of humorous, we are discussing video playback on a low-end system as if it were some sort of high-requirement task.
I did research some low-end cards, and I think I like the GT 420's 128-bit 2GB memory. That should handle anything 1080 out right now and anything 1080 to come. It's a lower-end card, but like top of the low-end totem.
 
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The Paladin

The Paladin

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Oct 5, 2016
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I can tell you this;

I have a DuoCore2 Q8300 with 4GB RAM and a GT 730 in it and it runs any video's you can throw at it, (I use a NAS with blue ray converted movies over 4GB ion sizes and never stutters even though its on wireless.

that A6 is more powerful than a Q8300 http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core2-Quad-Q8300-vs-AMD-A6-7400K
so I don't again believe it is the CPU.

but just My humble opinion, and suggest any GT or HD video card will solve the issue
take the answer as you wish...

 
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Solution
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Dark Falz

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Mar 8, 2015
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Hardware h265 decoding is only fully supported by GTX950 / 960 (970 980 only have a Hybrid decoding) and 10 series. Not sure about AMD. But a 950 would be your cheapest bet.

You need GPU decode for it because it's very CPU heavy otherwise.

I'm not sure if VLC is very good at utilising DXVA try MPC-HC instead.
 
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maxalge

maxalge

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May 31, 2012
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MPC-HC is the better option

rx 460 does indeed do h265 decoding


from what I have seen is a lot cheaper as well
 
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MrOddlyFox

MrOddlyFox

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Nov 27, 2014
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That's a better recommendation Paladin, I appreciate that input and thank you for it. You are correct, a GT or HD would solve this. Just gotta find the right one. I am looking into different ones. And remember, I don't have a GPU right now, that is why I am looking into one now, the CPU cannot handle the file alone.
However, the rest of the recommendations are missing the criteria by a fair amount. $100-$190 is not inexpensive. We are talking about video playback, not playing a game. GTX 9xx's were top tier not too long ago. Though, I appreciate the effort guys.
Video playback does not require such power. It's okay to have less power in this case. And we are trying keep the power consumption low, also mentioned in the original post.
And also, some of the solutions surpass the objective and are slightly invasive. There is no need to change my video playback program. We are talking GPU hardware only. Most systems support x265, as well as many other formats, no issue.

Low-tier cards like these:
http://www.techspot.com/articles-info/392/images/Image_01.jpg

Again, I appreciate your efforts thus far.
 
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MrOddlyFox

MrOddlyFox

Honorable
Nov 27, 2014
37
0
10,540
Just placed an order for a used 2nd Generation Nvidia Quadro FX 1800 card for $19.99 on eBay.
64 CUDA cores and 768MB of GDDR3 with 192-bit memory interface.
Best answer to the situation.
 
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