low profile, fanless AGP recommendation

[CorrND]

I'm looking for a low profile, fanless AGP card for my HTPC. It needs to be able output at least 1080i (I'd prefer 1080p for future-proofing) and have a DVI port. It will NEVER play games, so gaming performance is a non-factor. It would be nice if it came with a low-profile bracket, but I can also live with just taking off the full bracket and going without a bracket at all. Price is not really a concern, but I'd rather not go over $100.

Is there a difference between a card that can output 1920x1080 resolution and a card that does HDTV 1080p or are those designations identical?

Is this a crazy combination of requirements? newegg has handful of cards that seem to meet my needs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131255
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814141051
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102458
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121542R

There are also some cheapo low profile Radeon 7500 cards on ebay that have a max resolution of 2048x1536.

I'm leaning toward the Asus 6200 (last on the newegg list). Any recommendation among these or other cards to throw into the mix?

 

[BassBomb]

Do you mean half height by low profile? Or just single slot Passive?

I would suggest 7600GS if the above is the case.

 

[CorrND]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
Do you mean half height by low profile? Or just single slot Passive?

I would suggest 7600GS if the above is the case.

Yeah, I need half height cards for my teeny tiny HTPC case. Doesn't look like anybody makes a half-height 7600GS card. The most powerful thing I've been able to find is the Asus 6200 I listed above (good deal with the open box). I plan to use a DVI to HDMI adapter to connect the card to my HDTV.

1920x1080 = 1080p, correct?

And therefore, getting 1080i out of any of these cards through the DVI port is trivial, right?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: CorrND

Originally posted by: BassBomb
Do you mean half height by low profile? Or just single slot Passive?

I would suggest 7600GS if the above is the case.

Yeah, I need half height cards for my teeny tiny HTPC case. Doesn't look like anybody makes a half-height 7600GS card. The most powerful thing I've been able to find is the Asus 6200 I listed above (good deal with the open box). I plan to use a DVI to HDMI adapter to connect the card to my HDTV.

1920x1080 = 1080p, correct?

Yes.

And therefore, getting 1080i out of any of these cards through the DVI port is trivial, right?

In theory, yes.

You might want to check over at AVSForum for info on connecting a specific HDTV model to a computer. Some of them don't always want to play nice. And some computer video cards don't always output resolutions over 1600x1200 reliably over single-link DVI (technically 1920x1080p is slightly out-of-spec for DVI).

 

[nanaki333]

almost any of those cards will output to 1920x1080.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814129070

there ya go!

 

[CorrND]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
You might want to check over at AVSForum for info on connecting a specific HDTV model to a computer. Some of them don't always want to play nice. And some computer video cards don't always output resolutions over 1600x1200 reliably over single-link DVI (technically 1920x1080p is slightly out-of-spec for DVI).

Thanks for the advice, I wasn't aware of the DVI specs issue. I'll definitely head over to avsforums and see what I can dig up.

I just looked up the 6200 series on wikipedia and it seems that different versions support "HD playback". I'm guessing a 6200 card that supports "HD playback" will probably resolve some of the issues you're talking about, and I'd assume that most 6200s being sold these days have the most recent core/feature set. Some cards on newegg say 6200 and some say 6200A. Does that designate the difference between the NV43 and NV44a core and possibly the difference between cards that support "HD playback"?

Originally posted by: nanaki333
almost any of those cards will output to 1920x1080.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814129070

there ya go!

That card is perfect for my requirements, but isn't that price a little outrageous for a 9550 card? I certainly don't need the dual DVI port.

 

[nanaki333]

don't know what to tell ya. that appears to be the going rate on something like that. it's exactly what you wanted under $100.

 

[CorrND]

Originally posted by: nanaki333
don't know what to tell ya. that appears to be the going rate on something like that. it's exactly what you wanted under $100.

I think you're right, newegg's price on that particular card is not outrageous. I just mean that a regular 9550 isn't anywhere near $100. I'm willing to pay a little premium for low profile, but not that much!

 

[GundamSonicZeroX]

Isn't there a fanless 9800 pro?

 

[IlllI]

i think i remember seeing some low profile ati 9600 cards and maybe some nvidia 5700le low profile cards a few years back...but i doubt they are still making them. you might want to try ebay