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Radeon HD 3450 for $49.99 + shipping

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for $50 you might as well get the 2600xt for $55 after rebate that is in stock. 2600xt is actually faster than the 3650
 
Originally posted by: hans007
for $50 you might as well get the 2600xt for $55 after rebate that is in stock. 2600xt is actually faster than the 3650
Click to expand...

If I were going to play games on it, absolutely. The passively cooled HD 3450 is very much a niche product. It seems to be the best fit for a budget HTPC box that will only be used for DVDs and HD video.
 
Darn you all to heck for running them OOS! Anyhow, those who have them, what is your opinion of their performance for a HTPC and for less demanding (I'm thinking WoW) games?
 
Originally posted by: hans007
for $50 you might as well get the 2600xt for $55 after rebate that is in stock. 2600xt is actually faster than the 3650
Click to expand...

I agree I waited weeks for these cards to arrive and was sad to see the price and performance less than the 2600xt and only $5.00 difference after rebate.

My 2600xt for my MCE box arrived yesterday. The 3450 needs to be a $35-$40.00 video card otherwise go with the 2600xt
 
Provided:

1)I don't care about power consumption, since I do not pay for electricity.
2)I don't care about a "quiet" PC, since I wont hear my HTPC working over my TV.
3)I don't care about space, since I have plenty of space inside my case for anything short of 8800GTX.
4)My PC will be used ONLY for watching movies.
5)I cant afford a video card costing more than $60

Which would be a better card for me? The 3450 or the 2600xt?

PS: Where do you guys see a 2600xt for $55? They cost a lot more.
 
Originally posted by: ibex333
4)My PC will be used ONLY for watching movies.
5)I cant afford a video card costing more than $60

Which would be a better card for me? The 3450 or the 2600xt?

PS: Where do you guys see a 2600xt for $55? They cost a lot more.
Click to expand...

If you mean standard definition movies and DVDs, then even a 3450 or 2600xt are overkill. Even integrated video is fast enough for standard definition.

If you do need high definition, then either of the two cards above should work fine and you can buy strictly on price.
 
Originally posted by: ibex333
Provided:

1)I don't care about power consumption, since I do not pay for electricity.
2)I don't care about a "quiet" PC, since I wont hear my HTPC working over my TV.
3)I don't care about space, since I have plenty of space inside my case for anything short of 8800GTX.
4)My PC will be used ONLY for watching movies.
5)I cant afford a video card costing more than $60

Which would be a better card for me? The 3450 or the 2600xt?

PS: Where do you guys see a 2600xt for $55? They cost a lot more.
Click to expand...
Passive is less maintenance. Something like a HD3450 is better than a a HD2400 class at the very least because the latter doesn't do 1080i to 1080p conversion correctly I'm not sure about the 2600XT, but if the HD3450 satisfies your conditions, I think you should go for that. I do care about fan noise, so that is influencing my choice.
 
Originally posted by: KenAF
Does anyone know what the 3450 scores in Vista's Windows Experience Index?
Click to expand...
Mine scores 4.0/5.9 on Microsoft's completely useless and arbitrary Windows Experience Index, if that's what you wanted to know.
 
Is anyone certain that this model has onboard sound? I'm about to order w/ the HIS adapter they have in stock for the 2xxx series.
 
Originally posted by: sjwaste
Is anyone certain that this model has onboard sound? I'm about to order w/ the HIS adapter they have in stock for the 2xxx series.
Click to expand...

I won't have complete proof until my DVI-HDMI adapter arrives, but there is a "Digital Output Device (HDMI)" now showing up in the control panel now that I've installed the HD 3450.
 
Well, I went for it anyway, along with a P182 case, Allendale 2200 CPU, G-Skill 2x1GB mem, and a P35-DS3L board.. and the HIS HDMI adapter for the 2xxx series. I'll be transplanting my Opteron 165 @ 2.2 GHz / ASRock 939Dual to the HTPC case w/ the 3450 and basically giving myself a new machine to play with as my main rig. I didn't intend on spending that, but my HTPC is currently a Barton 2500 @ 2.2 GHz and lacking PCI-E, and it wouldn't have handled VC-1 in any event (see how I talked myself into this?).

Thanks for the help, typhoid. I'll let you know if my HDMI adapter works. If you can, let me know how yours does, because if the one I ordered doesnt, I have to give the other a shot.
 
Originally posted by: texasfury
This is a great card for those who run a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), where absolute silence is paramount, and Quake benchmarks mean squat.
Click to expand...

I've wondered that before, what do you guys do with your power supply? Do you isolate it in a separate chamber, or do you have something that's completely passive-cooled?
 
I'll definitely post back w/ the HDMI result, since that seems to be the only thing this card is realistically useful as 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Binky
This isn't a gaming card. Anybody suggesting that it sucks compared to any other card for gaming is missing the point.
Click to expand...

Yes and no...

You need to figure in at least the performance of something like World of Warcraft.

I'm always amazed how many people I've met in real life who play WoW, but before WoW never really played PC games.

If a <b>cheap</b> card can both decode Blu-ray AND handle WoW at say 1280x720 (720p) it's golden to gain market share of lower end PCs.
 
Originally posted by: kidsafe
Originally posted by: KenAF
Does anyone know what the 3450 scores in Vista's Windows Experience Index?
Click to expand...
Mine scores 4.0/5.9 on Microsoft's completely useless and arbitrary Windows Experience Index, if that's what you wanted to know.
Click to expand...

Can you clarify this?

Does the 3450 score 4.0 out of 5.9 in graphics, or 5.9 in graphics and 4.0 in gaming graphics?

A score significantly below 5.9 in graphics will indicate a reduction in Vista responsiveness.
 
Originally posted by: KenAF

Can you clarify this?

Does the 3450 score 4.0 out of 5.9 in graphics, or 5.9 in graphics and 4.0 in gaming graphics?

A score significantly below 5.9 in graphics will indicate a reduction in Vista responsiveness.
Click to expand...
4.0 out of 5.9 in Graphics...there is no distinction between gaming and general graphics as far as I can tell.
 
Originally posted by: kidsafe
Originally posted by: KenAF

Can you clarify this?

Does the 3450 score 4.0 out of 5.9 in graphics, or 5.9 in graphics and 4.0 in gaming graphics?

A score significantly below 5.9 in graphics will indicate a reduction in Vista responsiveness.
Click to expand...
4.0 out of 5.9 in Graphics...there is no distinction between gaming and general graphics as far as I can tell.
Click to expand...

Your Windows Experience Index screen should look something like this.

Anything equal or better than a 8600GT should score 5.9 in the Graphics test.

Are you sure you have the correct drivers for your card installed?
 
Originally posted by: typhoid
Originally posted by: ibex333
4)My PC will be used ONLY for watching movies.
5)I cant afford a video card costing more than $60

Which would be a better card for me? The 3450 or the 2600xt?

PS: Where do you guys see a 2600xt for $55? They cost a lot more.
Click to expand...

If you mean standard definition movies and DVDs, then even a 3450 or 2600xt are overkill. Even integrated video is fast enough for standard definition.

If you do need high definition, then either of the two cards above should work fine and you can buy strictly on price.
Click to expand...

I've heard that you would need some power if you wanted to do post-processing on the DVDs. That said, I'm not sure how the video cards rate in that aspect. Otherwise, I do agree on all your points.
 
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