Graphics card suggestions

Seems like you want a 6770 Radeon.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150542

Like this one for $65.

It's between your budget of $50-$75 you set.

It is clearly the best option in this price category for performance.

It's a single slot card like you desire.

I am not sure you need to step up any higher.

For your intended use the card I linked is already overkill.

Here is the info your asking:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ew,3107-3.html

Around $100 price mark I would probably look for a deal and try and get into a newer 7750 Radeon.

Officially- For $110 price mark the Card I link above - a 6670 - is really the recommendation.

I just knew you could get it for $65 (your budget was 50-$75)

The more powerful cards in the $100ish ranges would be 6850, and 6790- but again they are probably overkill if your not serious gamer.

The two Nvidia recommendations are on the lower and higher side. 430 + 560.

But in general Nvidia has higher price / Lower GPU performance. Some prefer it for brand preference - or the driver stability in special circumstances even though it's not the best choice for pure value.

Both Nvidia and AMD are good. Pick your poison.

(I have a 6870X2 x2- I bought two cards for $129 each)

Best video card - none, use the on chip gpu. For quick conversions quicksync is built into the core.

Your keeping the same board?


Look for a used CPU from a good seller on Ebay, they pop up now and then for a nice discount.

If you do it right and sell your old one too.. the cost to upgrade is small.

You would think QuickSync should be the answer, but Taubs linked a really good article a few days ago on "The wretched state of gpu transcoding." Basically the conclusion was that all the GPU based transcoding software is lousy, and the best available is Handbrake, which doesn't use the GPU, which would suggest that the best thing for transcoding is a powerful CPU.

It's really worth a read.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1409659

BTW Taubs, if you happen to read this thread, thanks for linking that article.

If you don't game and all you care about is picture quality all you needed was an ati 5450 for $25.

But he had a 3870 x2. I have one spare I uses to use. In its day 2008-2009 it was a mighty card costing over $500.

It would still put the smack down on a 5450 with one hand behind its back. Any non directx11 game or older game it's no contest.

He really seemed like he needed a comparable option. Plus I think somewhere it's mentioned about transcoding.

6870 x2 for 129$ is probably the way I would go to replace a 3870. After all I had one and that's what I got now.

Otherwise 7750 is power conservation option and most cutting edge.

5450 uses less power.

Much less actually.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...3#post21766463

He said he doesn't game so no need to mention gaming performance.

He absolutely does not need 6870x2 for HTPC.

Transcoding doesn't really use the GPU. Its CPU intensive.

nVidia used to be the top, but no more. ATI is the way to go with an HTPC. $10 ATI 4000 or greater will work in HTPC just as well as a $200 one, except the $200 will be underutilized.

Would love to see some proof behind these claims.

This is a tired argument.

No sure.

You mean the card fixed it ?






This is very true.

A fast CPU and even CPU overclocking is much better investment and bang for you buck for heavy encoding duties.


But your missing what I said.

I specifically recommended with a link a $65 card that perfectly fit his budget and requirement.






If his budget is $50-$100 then it should work nice for him. No sense in telling him he needs a 5450 when it's a weak card and his budget is $50-$100.

I would get the 6670 for that budget.




My point was the power relative to the performance. High performance and cutting edge without excessive power consumption. The comment was not a recommendation to purchase. It was an informational statement.

Additionally,

The 5450 is a dog. It's weak and should never be compared against a 7000 series Radeon.

It's like saying a moped motor uses less gas than a race car.

While technically true- it don't matter.

Sure he could get a $29 card, but if his budget is $50-$100 I would stay with the $65 card that's much better.

I am not trying to be a jerk here but sometimes I think you miss the point of HTPC. This is NOT PC as I have tried to tell you multiple times over multiple months.

"Performance", up to a certain point, just doesn't matter for HTPC. Can you show me definitive evidence that a 7000 series card for HTPC is even noticeably better for HTPC uses (1080p, 720p, etc)??? What about 16x better which is roughly what that card costs?

So while it might be a "dog" in your world sometimes I wonder if your world is really the same world that resides in this particular forum at AVS.

You are missing the point when you are constantly rambling on about performance when increased performance isn't really even needed (or even wanted given the excess costs, heat and subsequent noise generated for no appreciable gain).

So I would encourage you to look at things through the needs of the HTPC users and not your own personal bias.

Calling the 5450 a "dog" is case in point. There are many on AVS that use that card and have excellent PQ and are quite happy. To suggest that they will notice a marked increase in PQ is just not correct and poor advice.

I never claimed there was any difference in PQ. I believe there would be no noticeable improvement.

Your putting words into my mouth.

I hear what your saying about the performance stuff- but it was you that compared the 7000 vs the 5450. Not me.

You stated about the power consumption.

To me that just seemed silly because who would ever compared them against each other? They are so far apart in application and use.

That was my only point.

I never once suggested anyone get a 7000 series or that it would make any difference at all in PQ. Your imagining both of these.

You took a single statement that was informational- not recommendation- and jumped on it.





I said get a 6670 for $65. It looks like he did and is happy.

Where was all the other advice of everyone at the start of this thread?

By my count I was the only one that put in any effort to provide a logical recommendation at all. It looks like he is happy.

Everyone else is happier to jump on me and fight over silly stuff, or rehash some senseless ATI vs Nvidia debate that is tired- rather than provide any real insight into helping the guy replace his dual card with a single card- for $50-$75 like he asked.

Bottom line is the 6670 is a great video card for $50-$75. There is little reason to recommend anything over it in this price tier.

If you wanted to spend under $50 then the conversation is totally different. But in my opinion there is no point in a sub $50 video card since CPU integrated graphics have advanced so far.

The video card market really needs to start at $50+ For a few years it might take a bit for this to happen since people have older hardware,with CPU and mother boards currently working and there might be a market for a $29 card now.

But the days of the $20 video cards are soon to be expired. Ivy level GPU performance without a video card has made them a "soon to be" thing of the past.

Then you need to communicate more clearly. The guy was asking advice and these two sentences follow one another with no other reason.

My take on what you said: I would go with a 6870. Otherwise with a 7750.

Now maybe that's not what you meant but taken in the context of this thread that's certainly how I read it.

This is a stupid argument from both sides. Let's just drop it.

I get what you mean (now).

Is it odd this is kinda fun ?? The strange banter ...

lol.

Yeah. I see what you mean and you are also right about communicating more clearly.

I think you missed what I said previously and interpreted what I would do personally as a suggestion to him- when in fact I was not clear enough about it all. (my fault)

I meant I would do it for my own application- (I do game when I have time)

and, I thought it to be clearer that I was recommending the 6670 for $65 officially. I never suggested any difference in PQ with any of them- as there is probably none of any significance.


I do usually walk away from these back and forth threads with a higher understanding of something- so I guess we should not discredit it entirely.

[quote=vcrpro3;22023820]
AMD for the win

Where are you all finding a 6870x2 for $129? I'd be all over that!

I bought it when I build my system a couple months back. I actually bought two of them.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1393537

What's a good card in Nvidia's GT 440 line? Or for HTPC purposes with some MadVR would the 430 be enough? After dealing with Intel's crap drivers I'm looking for some stability.