Using builtin HDMI with additional graphics cards

[yelp666]

Hello,

I plan on buying Asus M3N-HT Deluxe/HDMI - http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=ka4Zc9Wj4y1RINc4
It has builtin graphics card with HDMI port which I plan to use to connect to my LCD TV.

Day to day I would like to use it as a Media Center. However:

I would like to buy additional graphics card to use it also for gaming.

I have two questions because of that:
1. If I add an additional card (which conventionaly will have 2 DMI ports) can I still use the HDMI port?
2. If I use the HDMI port will the additional graphics card be utilized? Meaning, will I be able to play some games over HDMI cable .

Thanks a lot in advance for any answers.

 

[ubernoobie]

i wouldn't call it a graphics card because it's not a card and if u add a card, you couldn't use the hdmi port if you have dedicated graphics. The card wouldn't be used if you use onboard, so choose onboard or dedicated

 

[hunter315]

If you are going to buy a card for gaming then dont bother getting one of the fancy boards with HDMI out, a DVI to HDMI adapter will carry the video fine and you can just run the sound cable out of the motherboard to your sound system. There are also many ATI cards that have HDMI out and can provide sound over HDMI as well.

 

[yelp666]

Thank you for quick replies.

Won't I loose quality though if I use DMI to HDMI adapter?
I mean comparing HD movie over HDMI vs. over DMI to HDMI?

Thanks so much.

 

[hunter315]

its DVI and no you wont, they are electrically compatible and both can transmit higher than full HD, there will be no loss of quality, i would actually bet on higher quality from a DVI cable vs a cheap HDMI cable.

 

[yelp666]

Thanks so much for helping out hunter315.

 

[Paperdoc]

Yeah, what they all said. To add: you can always get full-quality video from a DVI output to an HDMI cable with an adapter because the electrical signals are the same. Beyond that, though, you have audio options. DVI outputs do not have to include audio signals on them. Many ATI video cards have a way to route the audio from your on-board or PCI card system through the video card and make it available at the DVI output. If you then get the right adapter (from ATI, or maybe elsewhere) those signals can be included in what the HDMI cable carries over to your monitor or HDTV. So you can either use this on ATI-based video cards to have both video and audio on the HDMI cable, or you can have video only on the HDMI cable and arrange other connections for audio out to your sound system.

 

[yelp666]

Hmmm, I haven't thought about audio. Excellent point.
I'm leaning toward DVI->HDMI for videa. And a different cable for audio. How will that work from TV stadpoint. Won't it expect the sound to be transmitted over HDMI? I'm not sure you can configure video as one source and audio as another. Or are these completely seperate things?