XFX 7600 too old for an htpc ??

[abhishekk89]

guys i have an old pc which i thought i'd use it in my home theatre... its got the XFX 7600 GT graphics card with dual DVI ports...

can i put a dvi to hdmi converter to the graphics card, run a hdmi cable to the av receiver and be able to transmit both audio and video to the receiver... i was specifically looking to transmit dolby digital and dts audio... My mobo doesn't have a spdif out... so i want to bit stream audio through the graphics card only...

so can the 7600 handle it or is it time to change the graphics card ??

 

[rwpritchett]

No, the 7600GT cannot pass audio via HDMI. Plus it most likely is not HDCP compliant if you plan to go blu-ray. I suggest you shop for a newer HD4xxx or HD5xxx radeon card. Even the cheap ones will have HDMI audio onboard. If Nvidia is a must, the new Geforce GT 220 cards have onboard audio, but no other Geforce cards have audio at this time.

 

[akorzan]

You can pull it off but you will need extra cables. You will have to route the audio from the computer in a separate cable. Depending what your computer has you can run it through SPDIF, Optical, or you can use the regular 1.3 mm jacks and convert them to RCA. SPDIF and Optical are the way to go if your old computer has them since they are able to route surround sound. You can use the regular stereo out 1.3mm jack too but you will need a simple plug converter. If your old computer also has other 1.3 mm jacks for surround you could add those on too but once again you'll need to probably need a converter. By converter I mean a simple 1.3mm to RCA which provides the same signal so its just a change in the type of plug. Granted you might not be able to run all films due to HDCP protection but there are ways around that.

So basically, it will be easier to upgrade but it can be done without the upgrade.

 

[abhishekk89]

so 7600 is obsolete crap... alrite then guys... i jus went to my local shop and found the 9500 GT to be well within my budget... what do u guys suggest ?? i'm ok with ati also...

 

[englandr753]

I ran across this one looking for someone else in another post:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829

I'm considering getting one of these myself. It is ddr2 but the reviews on this card is really unbelievable. Read a few and you can judge for yourself. It appears you can even do some moderately high gaming as well...

 

[dougie_boy]

for a HTPC it you would need with an ATI card, (many come with a HDMI built in) or one of the new nvidia cards, such as the 210 or the 220. price wise the ATI cards make more sense.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125251