cheapest gpu for 4k video playback

[cooldex]

so i need a gpu just for 4k video playback and windows desktop and very efficient, and cpu

thinking of selling my current setup i7-4770k/rx480 but need a replacement for media content and running kodi, idea is low power consumption and price under 100$ and under a 100watts

 

[pete_101]

The integrated graphics on your current CPU would be fine for that. Any modern Intel CPU can handle 4K video playback.

 

[cooldex]

yea at first i didn't want to do that because shared memory issues and bad scaling quality of intel hd graphics compared to dedicated gpu's. And i really wanted to sell it as i can still get 200$ from it without ram/mobo. but reconsidering i'll have to do all that hassle.

 

[pete_101]

yea at first i didn't want to do that because shared memory issues and bad scaling quality of intel hd graphics compared to dedicated gpu's. And i really wanted to sell it as i can still get 200$ from it without ram/mobo. but reconsidering i'll have to do all that hassle.

I'm pretty sure all those issues have been solved. Just be sure to get the latest drivers for your HD 4600.

 

[Solandri]

Media content will be fine. Kodi is a different matter. Most streaming services are required by Hollywood to run the video decoding process on a PC in an encrypted virtual machine. Hollywood is paranoid that you will simply capture the stream to create a digital copy of the show/movie.

Decoding the video in an encrypted virtual machine means it has to be done entirely by the CPU. It can't use the dedicated video decode hardware built into the GPU. As you needed at least an i3 to decode 1080p streamed video until recently, I suspect 4k streamed video will require a mid- to high-end i3.

In addition, Hollywood has only approved Kaby Lake CPUs and the Edge browser to decode 4k streamed video. They may approve other GPUs and browsers in the future, but for now those are your only choices to stream things like 4k Netflix on a PC.

Frankly, I'd stick with streaming devices like a Roku for streaming 4k video just to avoid this Hollywood stupidity. Because those are considered a dedicated hardware device instead of a general purpose computing device, they're allowed to use the hardware decode built into the GPU. Cheaper, burns less power for the same result. (Ironically, pirate video streams on Kodi also avoid this Hollywood stupidity. They're doing everything they can to make sure honest people receive an inferior product.)