Need a budget GPU for movies, preferably 3d capable of some sort?

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gamefreakgcb

gamefreakgcb

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2004
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Hey guy! In a bit of a dilemma. My current GPU setup seems to stutter in the movies. Got a Yamakasi 2560x1440 monitor. Any help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

Purchase Questionnaire:

System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU: i5-2500k @ stock speeds.


II. Current Graphics Card: ATI HD 4650. Needed it to help drive a 2560x1440 Yamakasi monitor. Onboard wouldn't work.


III. Display Resolution: 2560x1440


IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications: Antec TruePower TP-550 550 Watts Modular


V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent):
Corsair 500R, Corsair H100 CPU cooler

Purchase Details:

I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option.
I've been noticing stuttering when I try to play high def videos. CPU doesn't spike, SSD isn't busy but video stutters sometimes anyway. I think my GPU is too tired now. I want to keep it under $150. Better if it can run without the SLI power cable but no big deal anyway, I've got power to spare. I also don't mind rebates.


II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)?
None. Quiet is preferable.


III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI?
Nope

IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs?
Nope

V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?
For movies mainly. I want something 3d capable. Thinking of getting a 3d monitor, maybe. If I can snag the PS3 3d monitor on the cheap I might get that. Otherwise I just need something for movies mainly. Some lighweight gaming that I think even the HD3000 should be able to handle.

VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?
Nope.

Additional Notes: Nada
 
Last edited:
Ken g6

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
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Have you tried VLC to play movies on your current hardware? I'd be surprised if it failed on a quad-core Sandy even at your resolution.

But it won't do 3D, of course. Looks like almost any modern AMD or nVidia card can do 3D. You're just one generation too far back on AMD.
 
gamefreakgcb

gamefreakgcb

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2004
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I got this card FAR quite a while ago. Onboard video is unable to drive the current screen so I put the card in. VLC stutters as well.
 
Vesku

Vesku

Diamond Member
Aug 25, 2005
3,743
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Perhaps one of the Radeon 7750s that doesn't need an extra PCIE power input?

Otherwise a Radeon 7770. Nvidia options aren't quite in the same price/perf range, but if you think you might want to tinker with Nvidia only stuff there is the Geforce 650 and some of the 650TIs squeak in under your budget.
 
I

Insert_Nickname

Diamond Member
May 6, 2012
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I'm surprised that you can't run a 1440p monitor on a 2500K. Perhaps your mainboard doesn't support dual-link DVI?.

Anyway a cheap Geforce GT640 or Radeon HD7750 will do the trick... ;)

I would not go lower then that if you need to game on it. If you ONLY watch movies perhaps an even cheaper Geforce GT610/620 (yes, they're 3D compatible) would be an option.
 
gamefreakgcb

gamefreakgcb

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2004
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I also don't mind rebates and I regularly check the deal sites daily. Thanks guys. I'll keep an eye out for some mentioned here.

Insert_Nickname said:
I'm surprised that you can't run a 1440p monitor on a 2500K. Perhaps your mainboard doesn't support dual-link DVI?.

Anyway a cheap Geforce GT640 or Radeon HD7750 will do the trick... ;)

I would not go lower then that if you need to game on it. If you ONLY watch movies perhaps an even cheaper Geforce GT610/620 (yes, they're 3D compatible) would be an option.
Click to expand...

Asus P8Z68 V Pro Gen 3. It doesn't seem to have DVI-D.
 
Last edited:
I

Insert_Nickname

Diamond Member
May 6, 2012
4,971
1,695
136
gamefreakgcb said:
Asus P8Z68 V Pro Gen 3. It doesn't seem to have DVI-D.
Click to expand...

From Asus's own website:

Integrated Graphics Processor
Multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DVI/RGB ports
- Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
- Supports DVI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
- Supports RGB with max. resolution 2048 x 1536 @ 75 Hz
Maximum shared memory of 1748 MB

It doesn't unfortunately... :(
 
Iron Woode

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
31,259
12,780
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I use a Sapphire 6450 1gb for my HD needs. My TV does 1080P max.

picture quality is great and no fan means super quiet.

yes, it does 3d.

its not a bad card at all. perfect for HTPCs.
 
gamefreakgcb

gamefreakgcb

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2004
2,354
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76
Iron Woode said:
I use a Sapphire 6450 1gb for my HD needs. My TV does 1080P max.

picture quality is great and no fan means super quiet.

yes, it does 3d.

its not a bad card at all. perfect for HTPCs.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Seems like it might be better suited for what I want. I'm trying very hard not to splurge :D. Its available on Newegg for $40-$10 rebate.


Edit: Seems my new card will just be rearranging the model number of my current card. :cool:. Imagine if it were that simple. :ninja:

Edit 2: Will it be able to drive 2560x1440 without stuttering?
 
Last edited:
Iron Woode

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
31,259
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gamefreakgcb said:
Hmm. Seems like it might be better suited for what I want. I'm trying very hard not to splurge :D. Its available on Newegg for $40-$10 rebate.


Edit: Seems my new card will just be rearranging the model number of my current card. :cool:. Imagine if it were that simple. :ninja:

Edit 2: Will it be able to drive 2560x1440 without stuttering?
Click to expand...
I have no clue.

max resolution is 2560 x 1600 / 60.0 Hz

I have no idea how it would perform at or near that resolution.

you might prefer a stronger card for overall performance.
 
B

Binky

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,046
4
81
In the AMD naming scheme, the second number is often the most important.

In general, the 4650 is faster than the 6450 by a significant margin. I'm not sure how this would impact video playback since those technologies have changed a little.

The 6450 is the lowest AMD card you can buy in the 6xxx generation (read: crippled). You also have to pay attention to the memory, since there might be different versions on the market (e.g. ddr5 and ddr3). If you move up to a 6550 or 6570, you will get a much more capable card. The Nvidia gt430/gt440 are also good choices in the lower-middle range for HTPC use.
 
Jimzz

Jimzz

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2012
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Last edited:
Iron Woode

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
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I have always preferred ATI cards for HTPC use.

yup, the HD6450 is a low end card. It does HD video just fine. I would never expect to play video games with it.

always buy what works for your intended purpose.
 
Yuriman

Yuriman

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Jun 25, 2004
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Nope. You could probably underclock the RAM to save a few watts too.
 
B

Borealis7

Platinum Member
Oct 19, 2006
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do you think an E8400 with a GT630 could play 1080P MKV files without dropping frames?
i might turn my computer into an HTPC after i upgrade.
 
Yuriman

Yuriman

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Jun 25, 2004
5,530
141
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Borealis7 said:
do you think an E8400 with a GT630 could play 1080P MKV files without dropping frames?
i might turn my computer into an HTPC after i upgrade.
Click to expand...

I have a Pentium 4 3.0 (non-HT) with a GT240 and it plays 1080p .mkv just fine, as long as I use media player classic.
 
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