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upgrade 8800GTS ? 250 or 240

J

jose

Platinum Member
Hi everyone,

I'm looking to upgrade my 8800GTS 640mb card. I'm using it to watch movies at 1080p, it's connected to my epson 1080p projector.

I have a stuttering problem when watching the blueray version of Avatar. I'm using powerdvd ultra 9 for the software decoding.

The rest of the system is 2.4ghz C2D with 2 gigs of ram and 2 - 150g raptors and a 750w corsair psu.

Now since this is for movies only, I'm wondering if I should get a Nvidia 250 or 240 card. There about $100 - $150, that would be my limit.

I will also probably change my processor to a 3.0Ghz C2D that I have on hand.

So which would be better for HD video playback ? 240 or 250 ??

Just noticed I could get a pny gts 250 1MB card for $139


Thanks for the input.

Jose
 
Since it's only for HD movies, the GTS 240 should be better, lower power consumption and I think it has a slightly updated video processor, GTS 250 is just a rehashed 9800GTX+ which is a rehashed 8800GTS 512. GTS 240 will suit you very fine.
 
If it's for 1080p playback you might want to check out some of ATi's offerings. They have HDMI outputs, and do audio through the HDMI.
 
The Geforce GT 240 is an upgrade in terms of video but a downgrade in terms of gaming performance.

It is the newest card from nVidia (after GTX 460/470) and has the latest hardware video acceleration (VP-1, H.264) you are looking for to correct your Bluray problems.

The GTS 250 is just a 2-3 year old rehash of previous video cards as post above me explains.

For cost and power savings get the Geforce GT 240 1GB GDDR5 version.
 
Stay away from the low end Nvidia stuff and drop some money on a 5770 if you want a better video card. But looking at your specs I don't see any reason why HD video playback at 1080p would not be possible. Sounds like a software problem to me.
 
5670, hands down, if you're only looking for HD playback. It only performs as an equal to the 8800GTS at games tho.

IRCC the first 8800s (GTX and the 640/320 GTS's) didn't support hd decode acceleration which means your stuttering was due to the gpu not helping with the video and all the work being done by the cpu.
 
Thanks guys, I've been out of the loop for a long time.

Because it's only going to be used for video HD, I think I'll get the
Geforce GT 240 1GB GDDR5 version..

But before I buy, I'll research the 5670 & 5770...

I'll pop in the 3ghz C2D into the system also.

Do you think I should add more ram ? have 2 gigs, could add 2 more.


Just found the GTX 260 896mb ... Is this a newer core also... better than the 240 & 250 ?

Regards,
Jose
 
Last edited:
In case that you're considering ATi's solution, the HD 5450, HD 5650, HD 5670 are great solutions for HD Video, plus audio thru HDMI. But in terms of gaming performance, you may want to go with the HD 5670 or better. ATi's usually has a more robust video decoder solution for your HD video needs.
 
With the prices of the GTX260s being what they are right now ($200+) I'd recommend a 5770 over that if you're gonna go for the mid/low range performance type of card.
For your needs though, which is primarily 1080p video, you can get away with less.
 
If all you need is something for HD playback- theres no reason to get anything other than a 5450 for cheap.
 
5770 seems to be overkill since he said this PC is for "movies only". A 5750 should be more than sufficient, and priced right.
 
Here's another vote for the 5450. If you are 100% sure you won't use the machine for anything other than movies, you'll be wasting money and power by using anything more expensive.
 
I vote for 5450 as well, unless there's other cheaper cards available that will give you hardware acceleration for your videos and perhaps if you require, be able to pass audio over hdmi. Just go for the cheapest card you can find!
 
toyota said:
I hope you mean GT 240. the GTS 240 is a rebadged 9800gt.
Click to expand...

Actually I think this one is a rebadged 9800gt as well. I think the 192 bit ones usesd the same g92 chip which was why certain models could be bios flashed to become 8800 GTS 512s. I read some people could do this with 768 MB models, but not sure about 1.5 GB.
 
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