Looking to replace the video card in my HTPC. Power supply died, so I'm taking this chance to upgrade a few of the components that need it, which is namely the remote control setup and the video card. Basically, I'd like to find something that runs a little cooler as the case is crammed and airflow is an issue.
From the template:
System Specifications:
I. Processor/CPU: Intel C2D, low voltage 2ghz dual core air cooled with a Mini Ninja and single fan. I forget the exact model number CPU. EVGA 680i SLI board, Ceton tuner, 4TB storage (mirrored), LG CD/DVD/Blu-Ray, SoundGraph iMon UltraBay which will probably come out and smashed on the ground. 4GB xms2 RAM.
II. Current Graphics Card: MSI Radeon 2600HD fanless. Perfectly fine, gets hot and the case is small so it has been a problem on occasion. Summer months, crazy amount going on at once, etc.
III. Display Resolution: 720p nothing very difficult really.
IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications: as noted above, this is being replaced too. Thinking of the 500w Corsair CX 500 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER) Whatever it ends up being will be modular.
V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent): Lian Li V800 black. This thing is a pain in the ass already, so nothing oversize, but regular full size cards should be fine. (http://estyleshoppe.com/LIAN_LI_V800B.JPG) I know a EVGA 8800GT fits by bending the 6pin power connector, so that could be a reference of a maximum size. It's crammed as it sits due to storage needs.
Purchase Details:
I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option: $100 is about the max, if it's worth it. Would rather be in the $50-75 range. I usually buy from Newegg or Amazon (Prime), but any reputable dealer with a good price gets my business.
II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)? I don't care, as long as they have their drivers available online and don't go out of business (ala BFG...)
III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI? No
IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs? Been looking at the Radeon 5570 as recommended by Anand, might be something better out there I don't know about. Ideally something that runs cool and can take care of 720p video and regular compression formats.
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? No gaming, it's a dedicated HTPC. Win7x64 Ultimate, WMC, Netflix, Amazon Instant... etc. Has a Ceton cable card tuner, so lots of DVR stuff going on too.
VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase? No. Actually I've thought about finding a nice quiet fan based card and looking into an underclock for noise purposes.
From the template:
System Specifications:
I. Processor/CPU: Intel C2D, low voltage 2ghz dual core air cooled with a Mini Ninja and single fan. I forget the exact model number CPU. EVGA 680i SLI board, Ceton tuner, 4TB storage (mirrored), LG CD/DVD/Blu-Ray, SoundGraph iMon UltraBay which will probably come out and smashed on the ground. 4GB xms2 RAM.
II. Current Graphics Card: MSI Radeon 2600HD fanless. Perfectly fine, gets hot and the case is small so it has been a problem on occasion. Summer months, crazy amount going on at once, etc.
III. Display Resolution: 720p nothing very difficult really.
IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications: as noted above, this is being replaced too. Thinking of the 500w Corsair CX 500 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER) Whatever it ends up being will be modular.
V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent): Lian Li V800 black. This thing is a pain in the ass already, so nothing oversize, but regular full size cards should be fine. (http://estyleshoppe.com/LIAN_LI_V800B.JPG) I know a EVGA 8800GT fits by bending the 6pin power connector, so that could be a reference of a maximum size. It's crammed as it sits due to storage needs.
Purchase Details:
I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option: $100 is about the max, if it's worth it. Would rather be in the $50-75 range. I usually buy from Newegg or Amazon (Prime), but any reputable dealer with a good price gets my business.
II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)? I don't care, as long as they have their drivers available online and don't go out of business (ala BFG...)
III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI? No
IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs? Been looking at the Radeon 5570 as recommended by Anand, might be something better out there I don't know about. Ideally something that runs cool and can take care of 720p video and regular compression formats.
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? No gaming, it's a dedicated HTPC. Win7x64 Ultimate, WMC, Netflix, Amazon Instant... etc. Has a Ceton cable card tuner, so lots of DVR stuff going on too.
VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase? No. Actually I've thought about finding a nice quiet fan based card and looking into an underclock for noise purposes.
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