No idea what I'm doing which vid card?

[marlborosmoker]

My HTPC
Specs as follows in a midi tower
Mobo: Asus MN28 + SPDIF out connected to Yamaha dolby dts reciever
Processor: AMD X2 3600+ Brisbane Stock heatsink upgrading heatsink to CoolerMAster HyperTX before o/c ing
Ram: Lemel (generic?) 2x1gig 667
Seagate 250gig SATA HDD
LG DVd-rw +/- SATA
ECS 7300gt
Wintek Leadfast DTV1000
Antec tricool 120mm fan
CoolerMaster 430w PSU
(I was on a tight budget of $450Aus (about 350USD), this was a good as I could get)

Ok the 7300gt is ok (although has an annoying little fan when no other 7300gt has a fan)I mean I don't do a lot of gaming, it is primarily a HTPC but occasionally play the odd game, mainly Need For Speed Carbon and Neverwinter nights 2. also keen on supreme commander

These are what I'm considering

512 8500gt - $113Aus
256 8600gt - $144Aus
256 x1650Pro - $144Aus
256 x1950gt - $179Aus

Now before telling me to buy the most expensive thing, please also consider in mind that my mobo only has 1 PCI-E Slot and that is at x8 not x16. So I'm concerned with it becoming an exercise in futility. But I'd like Direct x10 compatibility if possible. Also I'd like to not add too much more cooling as I'd like it to run quiet.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

The 8600 is worth the extra cash over the 8500. In all benchmarks, the card just drops dead. That card is also Dx10 compatible. Now this doesn't mean you can play the latest DX10 games with great FPS, (nobody really knows that just yet) but you can take advantage of the improved visuals gained by DX10.


And why are you overclocking a HTPC? That processor should play 1080 video without issues. If anything, you might want to consider going fanless and reducing the overall watt consumption of the machine to reduce monthly costs of running it.


Note: The 8x PCIe lane is no big deal.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Seems like you're more into the HTPC scene than a gamer, so I'd recommend either the 8500GT or the 8600GT in a fanless configuration. I have no idea what kind of airflow you get through your case and this may be a limiting factor.

-Wolf sends

 

[prodystopian]

I would recommend you look into the ATI HD2600XT. It is underpowered as a gaming card but should be able to handle a game like Carbon without any problems at high settings. More importantly, it has really good features for you HTPC, especially if you want to go High def and have HDMI.

 

[marlborosmoker]

for o/c well, never done it before and always wanted to do it. I do a lot of video encoding as well, so I was hoping for a little bit better performance. I was just concerned that the 8x pcie slot would be a significant bottleneck in performance.

Well the 120mm fan at the lowest setting is inaudible, I can only hear the stock heatsink going off at a distance of about 50cm. It's a side intake right on top of the cpu and Pci slots, so I only need to run it at low speeds to cool everything.

Hmm, so the bigger memory won't be any help.

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Do not get the 8500 without doing research. It is crippled bad. The 8600 will still allow you to play games at your leisure, and they do offer fanless versions.

 

[marlborosmoker]

I went after an Asus 7900gs but SOL. Went with a Sapphire x1950pro. (I don;t go to shops without buying somethng especially when its a 3 hour return trip.) WTF it runs cooler than my old 7300gt, 42C watching HD movies. I bought and played Fear for a couple of hours and it barely hit 50C at 1920x1080. I am extremely surprised. Nothing like gaming on a big screen TV. Nearly wet myself a couple of times LOL.

Yeah I had a look at the 8600gts but at close to $400Aud it was too much, It costs more than the entire PC I built minus the case.