Need EXPERT Help Choosing HD 2600 Card for HTPC

[imported_arklab]

I REALLY need help choosing a video card for a new HTPC build that my wife is INSISTING I do quickly (really!).

THIS WILL BE A DEDICATED HTPC feeding a 52" 1080P LCD TV ? not a gaming rig.
So I?m looking at the ATI HD 2600XT family with DDR4 or DDR3, ether 512M or 256M.
A CrossFire setup is possible, as is the ?real-soon-now? Gemini cards (those with two 2600 GPU?s on one card).

So ?. What helps HTPC 1080P playback (and keeps the load off the CPU) most?
(Please don?t guess if you don?t know)

1) 512M vs. 256M?

2) GDDR4 vs. GDDR3?

3) Faster vs. Slower GPU speed?

4) CrossFire vs. Single card (to allow 256 bit memory bandwidth vs. the 128 bit native)?

Please remember, this is not a gaming rig and I?m willing to pay for a card that gives more ?elbow room? to overall operation.

Cooling and noise should not be a problem, as I?ll be using an Antec P182 case.

Thanks for the help!

PS: New HTPC (building)
Intel Q6600 on DFI LP UT P35-T2R (or similar Asus)
2G of DDR2 with fast timings
Two 500Gb SATA HD (not RAID)
DVD-RW SATA Drive
Antec P182 cast (with 120mm fans in all mounts)
Corsair HX650 PSU
Vista Home Premium MCE

 

[KAZANI]

Crossfire for an HTPC is just paranoid.:laugh: Also I wouldn't worry so much about specs since all 2600XT's have UVD for HD video decoding, the beneficial effects on CPU usage of which can be seen in an AnandTech review here. An E4300 offers just as good performance as a high end X6800. That quad core you are planning to get is an overkill. Hey, everything in your list screams "My life depends on this build!". Now, I am not an *expert* but I do *know* you *need* a passively cooled card to keep noise levels down and that huge Antec case is going to be an eyesore in your HT room.

 

[imported_arklab]

Thanks for the thoughts, KAZANI!

Crossfire for an HTPC is just paranoid.

I absolutely agree, but still would like to know more; like does it help with the 128 bit memory bottleneck?
And some day after I retire - who knows? I might just want to play a game on my 52" LCD.
Just not right now.

Also I wouldn't worry so much about specs since all 2600XT's have UVD for HD video decoding,

Yea, I read that article too.
Then I bought a Visiontech HD 2600 Pro in AGP version for my old P4 3.2 Prescot - and watched it fumble when other shows were recording in the background.
So much for not worring about specs....

An E4300 offers just as good performance as a high end X6800. That quad core you are planning to get is an overkill.

Now that's just nuts, to me at least.
Check out any compairative review of CPU proformance and focus on video encoding.
It's the one area the quads DO excel! And when you see prices, the Q6600 is the best bargan out there, esp. if you are not going to overclock. (about $275 for the G0 retail box)

Now, I am not an *expert* but I do *know* you *need* a passively cooled card to keep noise levels down

Again I disagree ... and from personal experience.
I started this HTPC experiment out with an ATI 9800 Pro colled with an active Artic Cooling cooler, and even with the case open its inaudable. Passive also has problems staying cool under long period of high load.

and that huge Antec case is going to be an eyesore in your HT room.

Sorry, but it's already in the room, and it looks great!

I have learned the hard way that saving a few hundred on a build is never a good idea in the long run - unless you like to continually build (and there's nothing wrong with that if it's your hobby).

Still, I DO value all comments, and continually mull them over, so really - Thanks for taking the effort to reply.

 

[JPB]

I'm pretty sure that if you go with Crossfire, You will still only have a 128-bit bus. Two 128-bit cards in Crossfire doesn't make 256-bit bus.

 

[AzN]

I absolutely agree, but still would like to know more; like does it help with the 128 bit memory bottleneck?
And some day after I retire - who knows? I might just want to play a game on my 52" LCD.
Just not right now.

you are not gaming. You say it's for HTPC. Stick fanless 2600pro/xt and you are done. 128bit memory does not bottleneck if all you want to do is play movies.

Yea, I read that article too.
Then I bought a Visiontech HD 2600 Pro in AGP version for my old P4 3.2 Prescot - and watched it fumble when other shows were recording in the background.
So much for not worring about specs....

Of course it's going to fumble when you do 2 things at once with a single core processor. Not to mention your hard drive is doing 2 things at once. Even my core 2 duo will fumble if my hard drive is constantly accessing while playing a movie. What you need is 2 hard drives. One for playing the movie and the other for recording.

Now that's just nuts, to me at least.
Check out any compairative review of CPU proformance and focus on video encoding.
It's the one area the quads DO excel! And when you see prices, the Q6600 is the best bargan out there, esp. if you are not going to overclock. (about $275 for the G0 retail box)

I think you already have your mind set already. Why ask questions when you know what you want?

Again I disagree ... and from personal experience.
I started this HTPC experiment out with an ATI 9800 Pro colled with an active Artic Cooling cooler, and even with the case open its inaudable. Passive also has problems staying cool under long period of high load.

9800pro was a power hog which required a molex connector and it produces more heat than current HTPC cards.

 

[KAZANI]

Originally posted by: arklab

Also I wouldn't worry so much about specs since all 2600XT's have UVD for HD video decoding,

Yea, I read that article too.
Then I bought a Visiontech HD 2600 Pro in AGP version for my old P4 3.2 Prescot - and watched it fumble when other shows were recording in the background.
So much for not worring about specs....

We are refering to different cards here. XT vs Pro, although I would expect the Pro to be able to cope as well. Maybe the P4 was the bottleneck. You are right about the lack of coverage of HTPC performance from review sites.

An E4300 offers just as good performance as a high end X6800. That quad core you are planning to get is an overkill.

Now that's just nuts, to me at least. Check out any compairative review of CPU proformance and focus on video encoding. It's the one area the quads DO excel! And when you see prices, the Q6600 is the best bargan out there, esp. if you are not going to overclock. (about $275 for the G0 retail box)

I meant the performance in the article. :laugh: I should have been more clear.

 

[wittangamo]

Went through the same mental exercise in building an HTPC and video editing system. I wound up spending under $100 for a Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 XT. Mine is a 256-meg GDDR3 version.

It does a great job playing DVDs and HD DVDs and recording and editing HDTV for playback. It has enough guts to run most games at acceptable framerates.

I also went with a Quad, overclocking it mainly for sport, and used an Antec Sonata case with a pair of 120 mm fans. It runs strong, stable and cool. It's not silent, but it's actually quieter than the Northwood/X1950GT combo it replaced.

I have it hooked to a 22" widescreen monitor in my home office and use it to stream HD on a wireless network to an Xbox 360 hooked to a 50" DLP in another room. The specs are in my sig.

 

[Binky]

Originally posted by: arklab
1) 512M vs. 256M?
2) GDDR4 vs. GDDR3?
3) Faster vs. Slower GPU speed?
4) CrossFire vs. Single card (to allow 256 bit memory bandwidth vs. the 128 bit native)?

1) 512mb won't make it faster in MCE.
2) This is less important than cooling/noise, but go DDR4 if you can.
3) 2600XT cards seem to have better stock cooling. Underclock the XT to Pro speeds if you want it to run cooler.
4) More cards in an HTPC is just plain nuts. Heat and noise are your enemy, not FPS.

EDIT - be sure to get a card with a bundled HDMI adaptor. This is mandatory on ATI cards, since they are known to have issues with anything but the bundled adaptor. They pass the audio right from the card. This may not apply to all cards, but better to be safe.

 

[imported_arklab]

Originally posted by: Azn

Of course it's going to fumble when you do 2 things at once with a single core processor. Not to mention your hard drive is doing 2 things at once. Even my core 2 duo will fumble if my hard drive is constantly accessing while playing a movie. What you need is 2 hard drives. One for playing the movie and the other for recording.

Actually, I'm (often) doing FIVE things at once - recording two different HD programs off the air (using a HDHomerun dual ethernet device), recording two SD programs off cable (using a Haupgage 500MCE dual tuner card), and (trying) to watch a pre-recorded program.

Also, I do have two 500G drives available.
Your idea of using both for different purposes sounds good.
Or do you thing a striped RAID array would be better?

Watching Vista's resource meter has shown stress on the drive, but not much at 100% usage.
The poor P4 prescot has never worked so hard, though!
It thinks 100% is idle by now.

I think you already have your mind set already. Why ask questions when you know what you want?

Not at all, esp. in the area of the video card.

I really do appreciate everyones replies and ideas.
Thank You

 

[imported_arklab]

Originally posted by: KAZANI
I meant the performance in the article. :laugh: I should have been more clear.

I'm begining to think I couldn't have been more "unclear"!

 

[AzN]

Speed improve on raid but I think it will do the same thing when you do 5 things at once. Recording takes a lot from the hard drive. Playing does not. So if you want to record you should get a separate hard drive just for that purpose.

 

[zig3695]

recording doesnt soak up a harddrive that bad... i dont have any problems recording two shows while playing games or whatever... recording tv is less taxing on a system then playing tv, thats for sure.

 

[themisfit610]

You're hard drive bound and trying to do too much at once.

I don't want to make you feel bad or anything - but why do you need to record 4 programs at once AND watch one at the same time???

I mean.. dude.

~MiSfit

 

[zig3695]

sorry, i was looking for info on 2600pro's and i accidentally dug up an old tread... my bad

 

[chizow]

Like the others said, go with a decoding GPU or a heavy CPU, don't really need both. Best bet would be a nice passive cooled 2600 or 3-series or 8600 with a low-end C2D or Athlon X2 for $60-80. Then get a ton of big, fast HDDs if you plan to record a lot.

HD Video Decoding at AT

AT did make a distinction between the ATI 2400 and NV 8400 (not recommended)parts vs the 2600/8600s (recommended).