Need a video card for 1080p playback

MegaHurtz · 2008-05-12, 18:00

I am currently using a 7900GTX for my HTPC. It is my understanding that much of the video processing with this card is done by the CPU, as opposed to the GPU as is possible with newer cards. Can anybody recommend a card for me that will suit my needs? I use my system for video only, no gaming. I have a 1080p LCD connected. I primarily watch DivX rips of TV shows, with the occasional 720p or 1080p TV show or movie rip. I was thinking 8800gt or 9600gt. Would those be good choices? I believe the 8800gt has 256mb and 512mb varieties, would I be able to get by with the 256 or should I opt for the 512?

jan_chu · 2008-05-14, 15:17

you say divx and sutch.....

are you watching H.264 or X.264 encoded movies.... it is my understanding (Please correct me and teach me how) that x.264 is not possible to get hardware supported playback. So what you need is not a powerfull GFX, but a powerfull CPU.

If you are playing H.264 there is allot of cards out there that offer HW accelerated playback.

//Jan

2008-05-12, 18:00	#1 (permalink)
MegaHurtz Portal Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 5 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Need a video card for 1080p playback I am currently using a 7900GTX for my HTPC. It is my understanding that much of the video processing with this card is done by the CPU, as opposed to the GPU as is possible with newer cards. Can anybody recommend a card for me that will suit my needs? I use my system for video only, no gaming. I have a 1080p LCD connected. I primarily watch DivX rips of TV shows, with the occasional 720p or 1080p TV show or movie rip. I was thinking 8800gt or 9600gt. Would those be good choices? I believe the 8800gt has 256mb and 512mb varieties, would I be able to get by with the 256 or should I opt for the 512?

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2008-05-14, 15:17	#2 (permalink)
jan_chu Portal Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	you say divx and sutch..... are you watching H.264 or X.264 encoded movies.... it is my understanding (Please correct me and teach me how) that x.264 is not possible to get hardware supported playback. So what you need is not a powerfull GFX, but a powerfull CPU. If you are playing H.264 there is allot of cards out there that offer HW accelerated playback. //Jan