GPU for an SD HTPC?

Jax Omen

Golden Member
Mar 14, 2008
1,654
2
81
Well, did some upgrading and now I have a socket 754 mobo that's got nothing to do. I have one spare computer that's sporting an Athlon XP 1900+ and an FX5500 GPU (yuck, I know). Would it be worth swapping the two mobos and buying a spare PCI-E card for the 754 (gave away the old one to a friend who needed it), or would the slower computer be adequate for an SD HTPC? I just want to use it for watching ripped DVDs and such, maybe use it as an emulation box while I'm at it. Or if I go crazy, maybe get a bluetooth adapter and try to get my Wiimote working with it, try to play Starcraft on it or something :p



Anyway, that's a bit of rambling, basically, would the old computer do that adequately, or should I spring $30 for a cheap 7300GS or something like it?
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
Old system is probably fine. My first HTPC was a mobile Celeron and it ran SD stuff just fine with a Radeon 7500 AIW.

If you want more power out of it, then maybe sell off all your old stuff and use the proceeds to get a socket AM2 setup with a 780G chipset board.

Or just keep using the old stuff.