Which Video Card or Cards

zipper_

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Mar 10, 2010
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I'm new to your site & have a question on video cards. I am in the process of building a system as we speak. I have acquired the following components so far & only need a video card or cards to complete this system. I will be running either Win XP or Win 7 for OS

Asus PT6 SE X58 motherboard
i7 920 CPU
6gb Corsair DDR3 ram
Plextor DVD Burner PX-880SA
300 GB WD SATA Raptor HDD
640 GB WD external USB drive
Corsair 520 watt HX520 Power Supply

This computer will be used for general applications & possible some HD video ripping & burning. I would like to be able to stream these videos to my HD 46" television, via HDMI outputs.

I have looked at some cards but really don't know much about them. ATI HD 4350, HD4550, HD5770 etc

I have no intention of gaming with this computer & am looking for a reasonable priced video card or cards to accomplish & finish this build.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks In Advance
 

flyinfinni

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May 29, 2009
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For what you are planning, I would suggest going with the Radeon HD 5xxx series. With the power you have in the computer, you could got for a relatively powerful GPU to match the system, but with the PSU, you don't want to go too high. I would say go for the 5770 to match the system the best with that PSU but you aren't going to be gaming at all so you can go much lower. A 5570,5670, or 5750 would all do what you are hoping to do with streaming video and audio etc. even a 5450 would do what you need. Go look at some prices and see what you think fits your budget and your needs.
 
I'd probably just grab an HD5670. For the price it's powerful, and it packs all the features of the newer technology. As well, it'll use less power which can end up (crazily enough) saving hundreds of dollars a year if you leave your computer running 24/7.
 

zipper_

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Mar 10, 2010
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Boy you guys are quick... Thanks for the speedy responces. The reason I was looking at the 4550 was it had just a heatsink for cooling and was trying to cut down on fan noise if capable. I am not sure I need a real powerful card but you guys know lots more than I do. This card "MSI ATI Radeon HD4550 1 GB DDR3" can be had for about $60.00 usd

The specs are
Graphics Processor / Vendor: ATI Radeon HD 4550
RAMDAC Clock Speed: 400 MHz
Memory Clock Speed: 600 MHz
Clock Speed: 600 MHz

Video Output Type: Graphics adapter
TV Interface: HDTV out
Max Resolution (external): 2560 x 1600
Video Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0 x16

If this card would not be suitable then I would definately consider the other cards you guys have mentioned..

Would this card be any better down the road with another of the same... cross fired.

If this card is not suitable and I went with one of the others mentioned, should it be 512 or 1gb in memory

Thanks In Advance

 

flyinfinni

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Alright- the passive cooling solution can be gotten on a 5xxx series card, which will be better for your uses. here are a few options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010380048&StoreType=-1&CompareItemList=N82E16814131340%2cN82E16814102877%2cN82E16814150469%2cN82E16814131339%2cN82E16814127479&PropertyCodeValue=679%3a55197%2c679%3a55283%2c679%3a54319%2c2953%3a18921&bop=And
Now, something to think about with those is, some have GDDR3, some have GDDR2. one of them has 1gb of GDDR, the others have 512mb. For what you are doing, it probably doesn't matter much how much memory or what type it is. If it were me, I would probably go with the one that has 512mb of GDDR3, but thats up to your personal preference. Also something to think about is the warranty. XFX has a double lifetime warranty, so thats something that might be worth it to you. In the end though, it comes down to what, of those things, matters most to you.