What is a good cheap DVI video card for a non-game user ?

[JJordan]

I have a Dell FP1800 18" LCD.

 

[spanky]

radeon ve

 

[Schadenfroh]

i would reccommend a Matrox G550, but i am not sure if that is what you consider cheap. but it is the best card for a non gamer you can buy. otherwise MX440, FX5200,

 

[JJordan]

What about this from ATI (newegg.com)

ATI OEM RADEON 8500 LE 128MB DDR DVI/CRT/TV Features TRUFORM technology to make characters more life-like- High-resolution 32-bit 3D gaming up to 2048x1536- HYPER Z II technology conserves memory bandwidth for improved performance in demanding applications -
Specifications:
GPU: RADEON 8500LE
MEM:128MB DDR, 128-bit memory. This card has a default Clock Speed of 250/200 MHz
Maximium memory Interface :12GB/s with 250MHZ DDR
Bus Interface: AGP2X/4X
3D Acceleration Features: TRUFORM, SMARTSHADER, SMOOTHVISION anti-aliasing,PIXEL TAPESTRY II, VIDEO IMMERSION II
OEM (comes with Driver and S-Video cable) This card cannot be used in conjunction with a DVI adapter

What does it mean when it says

This card cannot be used in conjunction with a DVI adapter

? It is DVI isn't it ?

And the Matrox -- $95 for a 32MB card ? Is that a good deal ? I know, I said no gaming, mostly office and internet browsing and e-mail for the wife in the kitchen.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

I have been using a Geforce256 DVI that I got off Ebay some time ago.
Works great, but the GPU fan is noisy.
I'd recommend tracking down a card without a GPU fan.
You can probably get some old TNT2 cards w/DVI pretty cheap, and most of them had passive coolers.
I think any Geforce MX card of any generation are available with passive coolers too.

 

[Pete]

Just buy a Radeon 9000 (non-Pro) or 7500. I know the 9000 is fanless, but check to see if the 7500 is, as well--if you're not gaming, there's no point in adding another noise source to your system. A cheap GF FX 5200 or GF4MX should also do well. I'd buy the cheapest of the four, but I'd get a 9000 over a 7500 and a 5200 over a GF4MX if the former are only a few dollars more than the latter--greater resale value. If you don't want to hink about reselling, then just go for the cheapest--look into a Radeon 7000, as well, as others have said.

A DVI adapter is something that attaches to a card's DVI-I connector and adapts it to a DB15 one, allowing you to plug in another CRT. Only DVI-I connectors allow for the adapter; DVI-D ones don't. You can tell the two apart because the -I has a cross with four holes on one end, while the -D has only a line. Take a look at some card pics at NewEgg to see.

Matrox is renowned for excellent signal quality with DB15 connectors (for CRT's) due to their premium digital-to-analog circuitry, but DVI adapters really level the field in terms of quality as the DAC circuitry is bypassed.

Basically any video card with a DVI connector should drive a 1280x1024 LCD; above that, you'll have to check to see if the card supports reduced blanking intervals.

 

[spanky]

hmm.... i was under the assumption that ur idea of cheap was in the $30 range. since u plucked out the $82 8500le... it appears ur budget is higher than i initially thought. since u do no gaming at all... i feel that u wont use the 8500le to it's potential. the radeon 7000 series is still my suggestion... it's cheap, good 2d, good dvd decoding, and good driver support.

 

[Pete]

(Double post.)