What graphics card?! New 22inch monitor

chris_ie

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Sep 4, 2007
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Hey, my first post! :hello:

Anyways, not really clued into the latest graphics cards etc. as I'm more of a console person.

I'm buying a 22 inch widescreen monitor (Samsung 226cw) and want to get a new graphics card aswell. I dont really use the PC for gaming, mainly for watching movies, web development and some graphics work aswell. I dont want to fork out a load of cash for a card that I'll only use half of its potential! This is where you guys (hopefully) come in! What would you recommend, need one with a dvi connection. Basically want a good crisp clean graphics display good for movies etc.. Usually used at hight resolution. Any suggestions please let me know.

Cheers guys.
 

prodystopian

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Agreed, the 8600 meets your requirements and is great for movies and the like. You may also want to consider a HD2600xt from ATI as the latest benchmarks have shown that the 2600 and 8600 are about even in most cases, so whichever is cheaper or appeals to you more will probably suit you fine. Note that these aren't great gaming cards but get the job done and since you aren't doing much gaming, they should be fine.
 

pchoi04

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Gigabyte has Both the 8600 and the 2600xt with passive cooling which is nice especially if you want your PC to lean towards the HTPC side of things and keep the noise low.

If not any of them will work just fine.
 

paq7512

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Good idea, passive cooling would be a great option for you.
 

chris_ie

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Cheers for all this guys. Its a great help. I'm actually thinking on going for a 24" monitor now, figure I'm gonna pay a bit for 22" so may just go 24"! :p My motherboard doesnt have PCI-E slots. Would it be wise to upgrade the motherboard too or do you think it would be fine?
 

chris_ie

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Hey, I'll post the specs later. I only really used the PC for movies, web development and some graphics. Going to order the Samsung 226cw, 24" are bit too expensive. Pretty tempted to just do up my PC while I'm at it, get a new motherboard, some extra memory maybe. Although dont want to spend a fortune! Bit pissed off that my board doesnt have PCI-E, it has AGP yeah. Grrrr. Theres bout 1 (maybe 2) gig or ram in it. 1.8Ghz processor. Actually cant believe I cant remember the spec! Ha :p
 

chris_ie

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Ok.....update. After taking the word of the guy that I bought my PC from (that there was only agp on the motherboard, no PCI-E) I decided to check for myself. What do I find? 2 PCI-E x16, 2 PCI-E x1 and 2 PCI slots! So I can go ahead and order my card now! Woohoo!