Which is a great graphics card for my media centre ??

[MC 1 uk]

Hi

Thought i would ask the world.

I am building a media centre at the moment, money no object.

I am after a Graphics Card that will produce superior HD images through the LG Blu-Ray Drive. This must have HDMI out and be capable of a full 1080i projection to the lastest 40" Samsumg LED TV.
The unit will be running a hybrid quad core motherboard etc etc.

I am also after a sound card capable of being linked to my HI-FI with L+R Analogue out. Capable of being connected directly to my amps in situ. Stereo quality sound to match my B&W / Arcam amp system. High fidelity would be great if it can be achieved with the computer itsself ??

The trouble is - Everyone is telling me to get a 'Decenet' graphics card....But there is just sooooooo many and im very unsure.

What im after - Superior Image repoduction, Capability of playing games (Mid Level), HDMI Out (2 prefered / 1 is ok), money no issue.... finding the right part is very important.


SO !!! If any of you would be able to offer any advise this would be greatly apprechiated and well thought of.

All answers welcome !

Matt

 

[rangers]

ati 5750 or the 4750 both card will be fine with HDMI audio

 

[MC 1 uk]

thanks for your comment paul, ill check them out !! ;-)

 

[Wolfshadw]

I'm actually waiting for the HD5670 card to come out (have no idea when that will be) to replace my HD2600Pro in my HTPC.

-Wolf sends

 

[mrmez]

5750 would be great but just a little too expensive for my taste in an HTPC.
Id wait a little for a 56xx and se what the deal is.

Ps. Been looking at an Apple TV. Out of the box they are pretty dull but can easily be hacked to run pretty much any format, tho not having a cd slot is a PIA. Still... its onlt $100AUD more than a 5750. So bang for buck i dont think u can go past one... plus they are pretty small.

Pss. As i recall Power DVD will use h/ware acceleration with ATI cards, which pretty much takes all load off the CPU. Using a quad may need too much cooling creating unwanted noise. Money may be no object but the most expensive wont always fit your needs the best.

 

[jaguarskx]

Not sure if HD 4750 has been released. There were rumors of it, but that's about it. Maybe it's a part exclusive to Asia?

I believe HD 56xx and lower end cards are expected to be released in Q1 2010.

The HD 5750 is basically just as powerful as the HD 4850, but consumes roughly 25w less than the HD 4850. It should make a decent choice for 1920 x 1080 with mid level graphics quality.

 

[Activ8Computers]

Personally I would get the lowest ATI 5xxx series card available at the moment. ATI have fixed their true high definition sound output (the old 4xxx series couldn't handle True-HD sound over HDMI, the new series handles all the Tru-HD formats) and there will be even lower CPU usage with the right software. Not only that but much lower power use.

 

[fatkid35]

i'm unclear, you have a motherboard or are going to buy one? i'm playing movies on my 42" panisonic in 1080p from my zotac 9300 itx motherboard. using the onbaord gpu out of the hdmi slot it looks great. and the hi def audio out on the board to my 5.1 surround set up. it works wonderful. the right board will have and onboard gpu fully cappable of playing high def blue ray just fine. if this is just a htpc, a 785g board or 9300 board with onboard hdmi would be plenty for playing movies, and power consumption would be alot less.

 

[coozie7]

If you want to game and have the good HD playback then the HD5750/5770 looks good but take a look at some reviews first, some reviewers mention fan noise as a problem with the current reference cooled cards. If you choose not to game on this system then the HD4550 is plenty for HD playback and there are silent, passively cooled cards out there for that whisper quiet experience
The Asus Xonar cards have plenty of audio clout and seem highly regarded, but again, Google a few reviews before making a decision.

 

[MC 1 uk]

cheers guys, i dont have a motherboard yet !!! SO THEN - ......If i get a good motherboard then it will have sufficient onboard graphics??? is this what your saying?? ...

 

[vjcsmoke]

cheers guys, i dont have a motherboard yet !!! SO THEN - ......If i get a good motherboard then it will have sufficient onboard graphics??? is this what your saying?? ...

Onboard graphics are usually poor performers compared to discrete graphics cards. And you certainly won't be able to game very well on them.
You just said that cost is no object but this is an HTPC so I assume power consumption is a concern.
The 5750 currently consumes the least power of the new gen DX11 cards and will handle your medium gaming needs as well as playback needs pretty easily.

Check out the tom's review here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446.html

Of course, there’s an X factor in play: ATI’s value-adds. Eyefinity—the ability to run three concurrent display outputs—is completely unique at the high-end still. It’s particularly exciting at the $159 and $129 price points being represented here. Likewise, the ability to bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA are capabilities previously available through $200+ sound cards. Now you can get that functionality from a DirectX 11 graphics card. Both extras are compelling enough on their own to sell these cards to the folks able to exploit their benefits today. And it’s personally telling that I’ve put one card in my desktop workstation to drive a trio of monitors, and one into my HTPC, driving a 55” Samsung LED display.

 

[Aragorn]

If you want to game then you should step up to the 5750 minimum or prefferably the 5770 to get reasonable framerates at 1920x1080 resolution that your panel has. Some have suggested a motherboard with a good graphics chip from ATI in hte chipset, however it wont game at all well at your resolution and there is no 5xxx series chipset available yet. The new 5xxx series ATI boards are the only ones that can output DolbyHD and TrueHD to your system without a $200 audio card and it sounds like audio is important to you. As it has been mentioned the reference cooler that these come wth could get a bit loud for an HTPC if you use it with your system volume very low, however you can wait a bit for a card to be offered woth an after market cooler, or you can buy one now and, if the noise bothers you, you can put an after market cooler on it later. If you want to build this machine now buying it now and swapping coolers later would be my suggestion. Enjoy the system. I wish I had the money to put one in my living room.

 

[MC 1 uk]

Right guys, in reflection to most of your comments. I think its a good idea to buy a graphics card and a sound card. In regards to power requirements, the unit it's self is and antec with a 350w psu.
I understand the comment with the fan noise and take this on board. I think its best to buy it then deal with the problem should it become an issue.

I have looked about and come to the conclusion that i may / may not buy the following equipment.

all in favour ?? !!! all against ?? !!!

(Products on ebuyer)

Quick find code - 136260
(Asus Xonar D2 Soundcard - 7.1 Ultra Fidelity With Complete Dolby DTS 136260)

Quick find code - 175989
(Sapphire HD 5750 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Display Port Out PCI-E Graphics Card)