I just bought a Samsung 1080p LCD television, and an LG HD/Bluray drive and want to upgrade my computer's VGA card. I've looked over the forum, wikipedia, google etc on the various topics but would like to aggregate everything into one thread, as some of the info I've read could be considered conflicting.

Currently I have an evga 7900GT signature series which is about 2-3 years old. Its' performance meets my needs but it doesn't have HDMI nor HDCP support. Additionally I'd like to be able to use the TV as a monitor for gaming, web browsing, DivX, etc.

The main game I like to play is BF2, so I need the new VGA card to be at least as capable as my 7900gt, which I don't think is too much to ask considering how outdated it is. I have a couple questions...the PC will ideally use the TV as its' only display. The TV has both HDMI and VGA inputs (no DVI) so would I use the HDMI connection for everything, or does it only work for HDCP content such as Bluray? Also, is it as simple as plugging in the cables, setting the VGA driver for 1920x1080, and that's it, or are there other settings as well?

So question 1...which VGA card would be best suited? I'd like to stay with nVidia since I've always had good luck with them, and I'd like to stay around $150. Question 2...see above regarding what all is involved in getting the PC hooked up to the TV using HDMI.

Thanks!

Forgot to mention, I'm looking for a PCI-E card.

4850 is your best bet. Can play todays games with ease, onboard 5.1 sound and HDMI, and the best video encoding around. You can find these for $190 and lower.

for around 150$ you can buy a GeForce 9600GT. There pretty afordable and should play BF2 easily and if you look around some have HDMI adapters some don't so.

I agree with spathoten, though if money is an issue, prices for a 3870 continue to fall, and they can do all that you need.

4850-3870

You didn't say what OS you are going to be using, it does make a difference. If you are planning to use XP, then the only decent option for HTPC use is ATI, that said, the best bang for your dollar in any of the common OS selections is the the HD 4850, with HDCP, HDMI output with 7.1 blu-ray audio support, excellent gaming performance. Careful shopping, depending on your location, can net you one for ~175 US.
Using the proper software with it will enable full hardware accelerated HD video playback, and its encoding performance is only excelled by the HD 4870, albeit at a price of around 300 US.

I will prob be upgrading my current HD 3870 Toxic to the HD 4870x2 later this year, and the 3870 will go into my HTPC.

Thanks guys, I had no idea ATI was dominating the HD market. Just shows how long its been since I looked at anything related. Yes, I will be sticking with XP. Does anyone have any links handy that rundown the features of the 4850 or show a review of it in a HTPC role?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/sho [...] ?t=1041621 This link is to a user review from HTPC perspective, it has some very useful links embedded in it.

last but no least u can get a DVI to HDMI connector
I run my 720p projector that way and works fine.

Recent ATI products include a DVI to HDMI connector.

Or you can buy a DVI to HDMI cable, such as I use for my second monitor, the W227h, which uses an HDMI input. I also use this type of cable to connect my mac mini to my HDTV. Inexpensive and no screwing around with adapters.

System specs?