Recommendations for a new card

[Steve83]

I'll say first that I'm not a gamer and never will be. But I found my way to this BBS by looking for the best info on video cards.

My computer will be (among other things) the hub of my entertainment system, and I'm starting to get into DVD copying & authoring. My current video card (I don't even know what it is) has NO extras and I want AT A MINIMUM s-video in & out, and I'd like composite video in & out. I see the ATI9700P also has an onboard tuner, and that's cool, but not necessary, and I don't really want to drop that kind of loot. But I don't think an external breakout box is going to be as fast & reliable as a card, so I'm not looking for the cheapo route, either. As soon as I can get a Live! Drive IR, the lack of video connections will be the only thing I'll want to change for a long time, so I definitely want a high-quality, stable, user-friendly solution.

I think all the necessary info is in my sig. Anyone got a suggestion (& maybe a link to the full product specs & a retailer/etailer)?

Thanks,

 

[IBdaMac]

I would recommend basically any of the ATI All in Wonder cards. There are more than just the 9700 which costs 450 bucks.

 

[Steve83]

Yeah, as soon as I posted that, mySimon found several. The 9700, the 8500, and the Asus V9180 all seem to meet my criteria, and cost $390, $180, & $120 respectively. Do you think that the 9180 would do what I want and be compatible with my system?

 

[IBdaMac]

I see no reason why it shouldn't be compatible with your system. But I would recommend the ATI cards over the asus one but that's just my opinion. If that card has everything you want and you want to save money then I say go with the asus card.

 

[majewski9]

9500 pro

 

[Steve83]

NewEgg is also selling a refurbished 8500 for $130, but it doesn't specify WHO did the refurbishing. I'd expect to see "factory refurbished" if ATI had done the work, so I'm suspicious... There are also "white-box" 8500s available for ~$70, but they don't appear to have all the accessories (the AVI-VGA adapter specifically) so I have to wonder what else they're missing.