Graphics for HTPC Transition

[BroHamBone]

Hello,
i am using my secondary PC for an HTPC. I have pretty much everything i need. I have been looking around wondering about GPUs. I want to hook this thing up to a 42'' LCDTV @60hz or bigger@120/240hz when i upgrade. The mobo is an m3n72-D which i believe has geforce 8 series gpu.
It will be mostly for streaming High Def/Blu Ray quality Video's. I will probably game single player FPS unless someone wants to LAN with it. But my main i use for mostly gaming.

HTPC system specs:

AMD Phenom II 720 x3
Corsair xms2 ddr2 800 8gb
m3n7d-2
*lying around if needed - Creative Soundblaster xfi xtreme gamer
win7 64bit

Anyway, if i am going to game every so often on the machine, should i buy a 150$-200$ card?
I can always slow my main PC down and remove a GTX 280

Also, will the soundblaster be worth reinstalling?

Sorry bout the format, im am exhausted atm. I was typing whatever came to mind.

 

[shadow187]

Sound quality is useless to most people unless you have a $5000 surround sound system.

For $200, an HD5830 would be your best bet.

 

[BroHamBone]

Sound quality is useless to most people unless you have a $5000 surround sound system.

For $200, an HD5830 would be your best bet.

I am an nvidia user. So i do not know what brands are good with ATi's side of the house. Any suggestions?

 

[shadow187]

The equivalent to the HD5830 is the GTX465, which is incredibly inferior in terms of power efficiency, heat, and noise.

 

[BroHamBone]

The equivalent to the HD5830 is the GTX465, which is incredibly inferior in terms of power efficiency, heat, and noise.

Would a 5770 suffice?

 

[jaguarskx]

Yes. HD 5770 will suffice as long as you do not expect it so run every single game at high or max graphics quality.

You got your desktop for that right?


I have a 9600GT in my HTPC. I haven't really used it to play games. Mostly to watch videos on my HDTV. The most GPU demanding game I played was Fallout 3, the most demanding CPU game was X3: Reunion.

 

[BroHamBone]

Yes. HD 5770 will suffice as long as you do not expect it so run every single game at high or max graphics quality.

You got your desktop for that right?


I have a 9600GT in my HTPC. I haven't really used it to play games. Mostly to watch videos on my HDTV. The most GPU demanding game I played was Fallout 3, the most demanding CPU game was X3: Reunion.

Even on my main PC i dont run maxed out due to temperature.... I really dont like to get my cards above 60C cause then i start to sweat. I keep the door closed cause the stupid AC controller for the house is right outside the room.

Majority of the games i would play on my HTPC are probably single player RPG's and other things the wifey could get into. We played Monkey Island for the Wii, but the graphics were terrible! I already have a PS3 for blu-rays.

Anyway, what if i were to SLI something considering thats my mobo's capability. I am all about quality product. So if i were to find a good 5770 i would probably stick with it.
MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770
*edit* and what is this display port people speak of?

 

[shadow187]

You can only SLI nVidian cards. But if you want temperatures to stay below 60c, odds are you'll not use SLI and stay with an ATI card. An HD5770 VAPOR-X edition is probably the coolest card on the market, and you can stay below 65c for sure, provided you have decent air flow.

 

[BroHamBone]

Best answer selected by BroHamBone.