Need advice on video card upgrade

[1EZduzit]

I have an older system (Abit IT7 Max2 Ver 2) running WinXP Pro and a P4 2.66 northwood. The mobo will overclock the cpu to 166 fsb with no increase in vcore, but I just run it at stock right now, although I used to run it at 160 fsb (3.2) when I gamed and never had any stablility problems ever. I just don't game much anymore but occasionally play some CoD, AA, IL2, and MS Flight sym (the version before X). I may get CoD4 at some point.

I running dual monitors... a Dell Ultrasharp 1905fp LCD and a Samsung 700nf CRT, which I want to upgrade to a 22 or hopefully a 24 inch LCD. I'm thinking I will need a better video card to drive my LCD's especially if I get a 24. I currently am running a 6800GT with 256mb.

I also want to get a good QAM capable HDTV tuner in the near future.

I need some help/suggestions. If I don't get a monitor that supports HDCP then I could get by with a used video card and am looking at a 7600GS and a X1950 Pro, both of wich will do HDTV. Will I be able to watch HDTV with this set-up when I get a QAM TV card?

Is the only advantage of HDCP to watch bluray dvd's?

 

[1EZduzit]

Anybody???

It just occured to me, since I like having two monitors would just getting a PCI video card to drive the second LCD work for me and I could use the 6800GT for the main LCD?

 

[cubeless]

u may run into problems with the dual card (pci) setup...

u should be able to watch basic hd off the air with a non-hdcp monitor... the x1950 should be a good choice to allow maximun gaming perf with that cpu and dual monitors for everything else...

 

[1EZduzit]

I don't have an antenna right now and in this area I would need to put one on the roof to get any OTA hi-def.

I really don't care about HDTV, but since I'm going to have to replace my current TV card once they go all digital I thought I just as well get a QAM card and was hoping to be able to watch the unecrypted local channels that have some high def programing. My understanding is that the cable company is supposed to provide that content in HD?

What I'd like to get is one of those $300 Soyo 24" LCD's that OfficeMax sells. They're not HDCP but I just want to use it to watch cable TV, not blueray movies.

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: 1EZduzit
I don't have an antenna right now and in this area I would need to put one on the roof to get any OTA hi-def.

I really don't care about HDTV, but since I'm going to have to replace my current TV card once they go all digital I thought I just as well get a QAM card and was hoping to be able to watch the unecrypted local channels that have some high def programing. My understanding is that the cable company is supposed to provide that content in HD?

What I'd like to get is one of those $300 Soyo 24" LCD's that OfficeMax sells. They're not HDCP but I just want to use it to watch cable TV, not blueray movies.

Maybe I should ask this in the HTPC forum?

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: cubeless
u may run into problems with the dual card (pci) setup...

u should be able to watch basic hd off the air with a non-hdcp monitor... the x1950 should be a good choice to allow maximun gaming perf with that cpu and dual monitors for everything else...

Yeah, a X1950 would be great, but my understanding is that it's a bit of a power hog too and puts off a lot of heat. I don't know if I have a good enough PSU to handle it though? It only puts out 24a on the single 12 volt rail, so??

My current card does all I need for gaming and I think it would handle CoD4 if I turned the setting down and disabled the second monitor in Nvidia control panel.

 

[Denithor]

Finding an x1950pro for AGP these days is rather tough. Go for a little lower end HD2600XT (around $100) or a higher power HD3850, the top AGP card available these days (around $220). These cards will also use less power than the x1950pro and feature video processing offload for bluray discs and some other formats (if that matters to you). Both of these cards will also be considerably better than the 7600GS you mentioned.

Nearly any card you put in your box will allow you to output to HDTV. The best method is HDMI or DVI (if your TV has either of these ports), followed by VGA and then component input (Y/Pb/Pr wires). Component input is definitely the hardest to get set up correctly, the others typically just plug in and work (select your resolution and you're done).

Note that if you seriously consider the HD3850 you should probably instead just upgrade your complete system (e2180/IP35-E/2x1GB DDR2/Palit 9600GT <$300 after MIR). This would give you a really fast system that should easily OC to 3GHz and run anything you can throw at it.

Several of these rebates (IP35-E and Palit 9600GT at newegg) expire today so if interested jump now.

 

[1EZduzit]

I don't have a HDTV and don't plan on getting one anytime soon, hence the reason I don't care about blueray players or HDCP.

I do have cable though and I'm thinking (guessing) that once they switch everything over to digital next year that I would be able to pick up the HD content of the local channels through my cable and a QAM HDTV tuner without having to put up an outdoor antenna.

All I want to do is enable whatever 22" or 24" monitor I get to double as a TV when I want it too.