PCI Graphics Card capabilities? (1 Viewer)

[w_y_p]

Please excuse me if this question is addressed elsewhere, I searched for 20 minutes and couldn't find the answer...

I'm building a "prototype" MediaPortal box to see how the software handles. I have a 4 year-old Dell Box with a 2.4Ghz CPU and 768Mb RAM. I'll probably get a Hauppauge PVR-150 or similar for the tuner card.

For my prototype I only intend to work with standard def digital cable in stereo. HDTV and Dolby Digital will come later, and I'll get new HTPC equipment at that time anyway. So for the prototype I want to use hardware sufficient for the task, while keeping overall costs down.

My question: I also need a graphics card, and my Dell box only has PCI slots. As you know, the PCI interface for graphics is very slow compared to AGP and PCI-Express.

I've noticed in these forums that the nVIDIA fx5200 and above with 128Mb RAM have worked well with MediaPortal - using AGP or PCI-Express. Will an nVIDIA fx5200 128 Mb RAM PCI card perform satisfactorily as well? Should I get an fx5200 PCI card with 256Mb RAM instead? Or should I try out an nVidia fx6*** or fx7*** instead? Or is the PCI interface so slow that I shouldn't even bother?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Callifo]

The PCI and PCI-E interfaces are not the same; you can only use PCI. The only card Ive seen in the PCI interfaces is a 128mb FX5200. That will be adaquete for what you need...

 

[w_y_p]

Thanks!

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