Shuttle SB51 and graphics VIVO

[Bravehead]

I'm thinking of buying a new graphics card to my Shuttle SB51. The space inside the cube is limited but most cards would fit anyway.
I would really like to have a card with Vivo functionality. I have been looking at the Leadtek G4 Ti 4200/128 (WinFast A280 LE TD - MyVIVO) which is fair in price.

The Radeon 8500 All in wonder is another alternative. But I have read not to promising reviews and comments on its drivers.
Of course I am but afraid that the Shuttle SB51 is a bit picky about the choice of suitable card.

There should be someone out there with experiences from Shuttles line and the choice of graphic card. Especially since the SB51 should be nicely fitted in the living room, close to TV and big screen performance. What are your recomendations?

My setup is as follows:
P4 2.4/533, 512 DDR 333Mhz, 120Gb IBM 180series, Samsung 172T LCD monitor (so a DVI output is recomended).
I also use the Dlink wireless network at home, which would require the PCI expansion slot.
Preferred use: 3D gaming, Mpeg2 encoding and decoding.
/AL

 

[BoomAM]

Welcome to the Anandtech Forums Bravehead.

First, do you have the shuttlePC that has the AGP slot otherwise my recommendations are useless.
ATI`s driver situation, as of late has improved, still not as good as nVidias, but still far better than it used to be. So dont worry about the drivers, and worry(or not) about the cards themselves.
As for the cards, it depends on your budget. Below is a small list of VIVO cards that`ll suit your needs(in order of price)

ATI Radeon 7500 All-In-Wonder (Available in PCI format as well)
ATI Radeon 8500 128mb All-In-Wonder
ATI Radeon 9700PRO All-In-Wonder.

All three cards will do all of your uses, although i`d suggest anything from the 8500 upwards for gaming. If you do get the 8500, make sure its the 128mb version, as more&more games are having more complex and detailed textures, and just 64mb wont be enough.
You`ll notice that i havnt listed any nVidia baced cards, this is because ATI`s All-In-Wonder range, although more expensive than the nVidia VIVO cards, are packed with far more features(like a built in TV-Tuner), and come with all of the software that you`ll need for your uses.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bravehead]

Thanks,
I have been looking around for the 8500 all in wonder. It is a bit difficult to obtain with the 128MB version. Anyway here in Sweden.
By the way I saw that Toms hardware are testing the SS51 with the 7500 all in wonder, in an article on building your home pc tv.

Bye and thanks a lot.

P.s. If there is anyone with some experience from the Ge4Ti VIVO cards, please drop me a line.