Best Nvidia card for HTPC?

[lopri]

Get a GT240 for cheap. EVGA rebates are pretty quick. (Got mine approved in 2 weeks, awaiting the check) It doesn't require an 6-pin connector, and it is very quiet. Just be careful that there are two different versions: 1GB DDR3 and 512MB GDDR5. I've thrown every different codecs/containers and it had no problem taking them all. It even surprised me in games, and it should be no slower than 9600 GT.

If you don't mind rebates and bitstreaming via HDMI isn't in the equation, you can't beat this card for the price. I've looked AMD equivalents and they were all more expensive. (AMD products now carrying price premium.. how times have changed)