Hi all -

I'm seeking your suggestions for a video card for non gaming.
Will be used with E8400, Gbyte DS3P, XP ...
Will be used for 'all normal use' + enthusiast home video editing.
Budget up to $170 AUD if required.

I just get so confused with all the different options ..
(for example "8800GT in Brand X, Brand Y and Brand Z!!"
If the 8800GT is the same then why so many brands?!!!)

Your input would be appreciated.
Cheers!

Different brands come with different warranties, and manufacturers can use a "non-reference" design which might or might not be better.

As for a graphics card, basically anything will do. Don't spend more than $50ish, which is basically the same in either currency.

If you want an idea if a card is worthwhile at a given price point, newegg.com might make a good site to compare prices at (they don't ship internationally).

A Radeon HD3650 shall serve you well, consume little power and on top of everything give you the UVD via AVIVO.

Or, if you're really concerned about price/noise, than a HD3450 might do, given that you really don't care about games. 3650 will give you bare acceptable performance in medium settings for most... considering it's about on par with 2600XT in this.

*EDIT: HD3450 shall give you the exact same thing in everything except for gaming performance, so go for it by all means.

Thanks for your input thus far -

Just to give you an idea, I'm coming from integrated G965 on an Asus P5B-V and that's served me well for my needs - hence the added uncertainty of what card to get.
I just want to ensure that I at least get 'the right' card - regardless of where it sits within my budget. I can't justify blowing 300 AUD+ on something that I'm not going to get the benefit from.

Also, Is any manufacturer any 'better'?

On the ATi/AMD side Sapphire/HIS are both pretty reputable... If you have to go NVIDIA, get an EVGA.

This is a direct quote taken from this site : http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/0 [...] ml#summary


"Don't worry too much about which brand you choose, because all of the cards out there stick pretty close to the reference designs by Nvidia and ATI. Just pay attention to price, warranty and the manufacturer's reputation for honoring that warranty if something goes wrong."


It is from the summary of the THG for the best video cards for the price. IF you go with Nvidia, the big ones right off the top of my head would be EVGA, BFG, XFX, I"m sure there are more as well. As for Ati, Even though I have used Ati more often than not I have only had expereince with ATi's own cards like the x1900 AIW, and Sapphire card's. I am sure alot of other ppl have their own experiences and will say off limited use like myself or others and say that, no that brand sucks I had it once , or even that brand rocks I o/c it to xxx , or w/e. But I think THG said it best with that quote IMHO.

Is there any problem running an ATI/AMD card on a MB with Intel chipset?

@brinkerz, nope.

There isnt much difference in cards unless it says somthing different, a deviation from the reference will most likely be advertised, such as overclocked, or HIS's "IceQ", the poruduct discription will help you there. If you are unsure about a feature these forums, or even faster, google often will help.

I've been saying this for ages and I can't agree more. Why buy a leadtek? MSI? or any other Nvidia based card? There really is NO point..for the same price or just a tad bit more you can get a lifetime warranty from BFG/XFX/EVGA. I'm a XFX fan myself, I honestly think their program is MUCH better than EVGA's. The double lifetime warranty is a really great way to go compared to the step up. If you nab a EVGA card, 3 months set in stone, great if you know a new card is coming out and you are planning to upgrade...But XFX gives you so much flexibility, whoever you sell it to gets the lifetime warranty, makes it GREAT for selling via Ebay. This is what I plan to do with high end cards. Next rig, I nab a high end right at the release, use it, then when the next architecture is about to be released, I pop it up on ebay for around 50-150 less than the current MSRP, advertise the lifetime warranty, should sell it in a heartbeat. Then, take that cash I got out of it, slap on a bill or two, and buy the next new high end...Pretty much an infinite loop of high end cards for only around 100-200 each 12-18 months. But the downside is you don't get to keep the old card, but considering what you get for the price, it easily hands down beats the Step up program in every way.

XFX for life...

Although, for ATI, their partners really need to jump on the bandwagon with these lifetime warranties. That's the one reason that I'm planning to stay away from ATI cards, and that's hard for me to do considering I enjoy their products more than Nvidia in terms of video quality. We all remember the days back when the Radeon 8500 and Ti 4600 were out in the open, the Radeon card DEMOLISHED nvidia's offers on quality like there was no tomorrow. Now-a-days, nvidia has caught up, but ATI still offers better visual quality for media and games IMO...Not by much, but they still have the lead.

Now, for the OP, go the a ATI 36xx series or 34xx series. You won't be disappointed. It's sad to think they don't have lifetime warranties life EVGA/XFX/BFG...But since you're going video editing, you'll want a really nice card for a quality image.

"these forums, or even faster, google often will help."

Sorry! Newbie doesn't know how to insert quote ... ANYWAY .... this is exactly why I came here! Just about any and every card enquiry I made resulted in comparisions with all the latest games. NOT what I wanted.
Appreciate what FrozenGpu has contributed and what you're supporting Kamrooz but obviously what you're wanting to do is a wee bit out of scope for me

, Indeed ^_^. Considering your budget, a 34xx or 36xx will do you fine ^_^. If you want a lifetime warranty, look at the 8500 or 8600 GT, but remember, EVGA, XFX, or BFG preferred =P. But since you're going for the a lower price ranged card, an ATI solution that offers the best visual quality would be the way to go =P.

Here's a selection of what I can get within arms reach so to speak ...
SAPPHIRE HD3450 256meg DDR2 1GB HyperMemory CrossFire Ready PCI-E
SAPPHIRE HD3650 256meg DDR3 Dual DVI TV-Out CrossFire Ready PCI-E
SAPPHIRE HD3650 512meg DDR2 Dual DVI TV-Out CrossFire Ready PCI-E
SAPPHIRE HD3650 512meg DDR3 Dual DVI TV-Out CrossFire Ready PCI-E
HIS HD2600XT ZALMAN HSF 512meg DDR3 Full HD 1080p HDTV HDCP Ready PCI-E

Am i on the right track??

XFX 8500-GT 500Mhz Core 256meg DDR2 PCI-E Model : PV-T86J-UAH3 ??
$125 AUD

XFX GeForce 8600GT 256M DDR3 Dual DVI TV Out 540Mhz(PV-T84J-UDF3) @ $129 AUD is probably better I guess ...