Two video cards for two different purposes

[bandwidth20006]

I'm building my own system and i have decided to go with the Nvidia Quadro FX 4800 for my video card because i plan on doing alot of 3d animation (the system will be built around a core i7 extreme). I also wanted to play blue ray through my computer since it is in the same room as my HDTV; however, i noticed the fx 4800 doesn't have HDMI output- yes i know that DVI-D can do the same as HDMI but for the sake of being able to hook it up to my TV and surround sound i wanted a card with HDMI- just for blue-ray i don't game. Any suggestions.

 

[royalcrown]

Uee a board with on board graphics and HDMI. Plug your quadro into that

 

[Zenthar]

One thing you have to pay close attention to if you go with the on-board (which is a very good idea BTW) is that some board will completely disable on on-board GPU if any GFX card is plugged-in. You have to make sure both can be used simultaneously.

Maybe that part would be best suited for the MB section.

 

[royalcrown]

Ya OP needs to look for a newer chipset, the newest don't auto disable the onboard video for that reason, nvidia calls it "hybrid" support I think ?

 

[Zenthar]

Unfortunately, there is currently no i7 MB with on-board video so either wait for i5 & P55 or get a 2nd entry-level card with HDMI output.

For the 2nd option, I would recommend an ATI 4650 (40-50$) as it can even support light-moderate gaming, but, if you want to save more and/or prefer passive cooling for noise, the 4350 (25-35$) would be able to play HD movies without issues. Complete list of cheap suggestions here.

 

[chef7734]

Just buy a dvi to hdmi adaptor. Everyone makes things harder than it has to be. Use spdif to connect to your surround sound if you have it.

 

[Zenthar]

If the card doesn't have native HDMI support, you will need to run audio cables as well because DVI doesn't have "built-in sound".

 

[chef7734]

If the card doesn't have native HDMI support, you will need to run audio cables as well because DVI doesn't have "built-in sound".

You have to run audio anyways if you are running audio to sourround sound like the op wants.

 

[royalcrown]

Unfortunately, there is currently no i7 MB with on-board video so either wait for i5 & P55 or get a 2nd entry-level card with HDMI output.

For the 2nd option, I would recommend an ATI 4650 (40-50$) as it can even support light-moderate gaming, but, if you want to save more and/or prefer passive cooling for noise, the 4350 (25-35$) would be able to play HD movies without issues. Complete list of cheap suggestions here.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182167

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813151194

he's using a quadro, why not a "server" class board. Dunno if it shuts off or not on adding a card, read manual OP.