FX5700 AGP Personal Cinema <= $62 @ Chiefvalue/Newegg

[mindless1]

FX5700 AGP Personal Cinema barebone $62 or less

This post started out in reference to a refurb deal but the card seems a fair deal even at regular price (but see caveats below about the possible lack of software).

$62.49 @ ChiefValue
$62 @ Newegg


Refurbs (former price may change, but links should be good if/when more become available)
$44.49 w/free Ship @ Chiefvalue
$48.20 shipped @ Newegg

FX5700 video card, 128MB, w/digital (for analog signals, not digital tuning) TV & FM tuner, nV Cinema.

The one I bought and received was a refurb so the full retail should at least (in theory) contain everything mine did, if not more. Included in OEM plain box was:

- FX5700 card, 128bit, 128MB. Core 425, Memory 550.
- VGA adapter
- Power cable splitter (Y-adapter)
- S-Video cable (std. 4 pin)
- BOB - std. nVidia Bob w/ Composite & S-Video In, S-Video & Component HD Out
- Installation CD
- Generic Manual (How-to-install-any-random-video-card, not relating to THIS card's extra features)
- No Remote Control
- No Windows TV or FM Software!

Edit:This last detail is rather crucial. No application for TV or FM means you are left either hunting down some 3rd party TV/FM/Capture application that can use generic WDM drivers (that are provided on nVidia's website, the card does *work* as a TV & FM tuner but no software means no way to use those features) AND supports silicon tuners. Edit- MCE2005 does not recognize the tuner with only the nVidia Detonator & WDM tuner driver. I can only assume MCE will not work with further software and this card either, at least not for the special MCE functions.


Edit 2: It appears there is another version of this card that includes some (possibly all) of the missing items mentioned above like the Remote and Software. As with any refurbs, you have no guarantee of exactly what IS in the box but these next few linked options do include the parts in the pictures. Since they are refurbs, links may not work until there are more available.

EDIT3: I ordered one of these and it too, came without the Multimedia software or remote- not even the BOB. This is a huge YMMV situation, IMO you should not expect to receive anything but the card itself.

Newegg Refurb FX5700 Cinema $56
Chiefvalue Refurb FX5700 Cinema $50




No competition in the $60 class, Radeon 9600 AIW is $132, but it does have windows software, a very important feature for some. Curiously these cards are priced even lower than the slower FX5700LE non-cinema (plain video) cards.

Pretend THIS REVIEW is for a PNY product instead of eVGA, and erase all knowledge of a BOB or remote from your mind since it doesn't appear that they're included. I did get the BOB, and I suspect they all do since the reviewers at the 'egg got one too, but it's not in the picture so YMMV. FWIW, this missing product picture shows it.

There was no audio cable included but you may not need it for most common (listening or recording) functions. As of yet I am not sure, so when I determine if it's "necessary" I'll add that info. The cable would be like OLD soundblaster cards used, typically black .1" pin-spaced motherboard connector at one end, and white 2mm space card connector at the other end, 4-pin socket on each end. A newer style audio connector with .1" spaced pin sockets on both ends will not work. Alternatively there is also an audio-out minijack on the rear of the card that can be used as an audio output, input to your sound card pin-header or minijack.

Another non-PNY review

Foreign Review
Translated foreign review (slow loading)

 

[tfinch2]

Out of stock for both

 

[mindless1]

Either I just set a world record for sales at 6:am or there really wasn't but a few of these. Guess I'll kill the thread.

Sorry you weren't able to buy one, have a

 

[mindless1]

Well my card came today. It does include the BOB, but no remote and no audio cable. Card appeared new, cables and bob still in factory sealed bag.

Haven't had the time to hook up to CATV yet or do any serious overclocking but it looks like it will o'c pretty well, just using the Coolbits auto-overclock resulted in core 484 and memory 675 MHz. Stock was 425/550.

Heatsink is underwhelming, mostly just a flat plate wit the fins barely even attached by metal. Not flimsy, just not enough for much thermal conduction. It doesn't overheat though, but then again the fan is running faster than I'd like, not as loud as older-gen FX cards but not quiet either. If this ends up in a HTPC I'll put another 'sink on it.

This was a heck of a deal @ $44. Actually a pretty good deal even at the regular $62 price. considering a Radeon 9600 Pro (or it is XT?) AIW is about double the price.

Newegg had a couple customer reviews tht claimed the tuner was just a dumb/unusable feature but that doesn't seem to be the case at all. I'll update after I get it running... I picked up a clue that it might do hardware MPEG encoding too but not sure about that.

I might try underclocking it and putting one of these $1 Alpha 'sinks on it ('tis not meant to go on a video card but a drill and some other minor mods to it and it will yield to my will), first passively, then adding a ultra-low RPM fan if the 'sink alone doesn't do well enough. It'll block a PCI slot though, but I tend to leave next PCI slot empty either way, for best ventilation.

Don't know if MCE likes it or not. I've been short on spare time recently so it may be awhile till I get a chance to try that, currently only installed as a basic video card on WinXP.

 

[mbackof]

I grabbed one for a media center PC. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Silvestry]

I got a retail one (it is a PNY MC2) from Newegg awhile back. It works ok - and for the price, great. I overclock to some 500 core/700 memory, if I remember right. The tuner and the software provided is not so great however. It takes a lot of memory/CPU power and the tuner won't work unless you have a very strong signal (cable). But if you can afford cable, you can probably afford a real TV... The remote works fine, just with a little lag... Hope these info are helpful...

 

[mindless1]

Link to the PNY MC2 Manual

Unfortunately it seems there was no Forceware Multimedia Application CD included. In a quick check to confirm tuner works I put a wire into the end of the TV input and fired up VirtualDub and it did pick up TV video and audio (albeit poor, a piece of wire is no antenna). So this is yet another limitation of the card, no nVidia front-end software for it.

Anyone have a link to download Forceware Multimedia?

 

[mindless1]

Spent a bit of time looking for the Forceware Multimedia, found nothing. Tried this card on MCE2005, and MCE doesn't see the tuner even though supposedly NVTV is supported, though maybe not the app but only the separate NVTV PCI card.

Tried DScaler and it produces audio and video but cannot change channels through the regular interface rather than the sub-menus, which isn't a realistic way to do it.

VirtualDub's capture feature sees it, but again not a direct interface for normal PVR type functions.

In light of these failures I can't recommend this as a deal for anyone looking for a TV tuner card. Maybe I just overlooked some settings or didn't come across the right 3rd party software yet but either way, consider it a regular FX5700 card that you have to use extra effort to use for TV or FM. It did seem to have a fairly good TV & FM quality for an analog card though, darn shame nVidia pulled the plug on Forceware Multimedia.

On the other hand, as a plain old FX5700 card that overclocked fairly well, it might still be interesting at the $44 refurb price.

 

[dwirsz]

Mindless1,
Thanks for the work you have done on this and for keeping us informed. I would be very interested in one of these if it came with the forceware app. If you find a third party app that works with this please keep us informed. I would want to use this for a htpc and without the forceware app it would seem kind of useless. I spent some time looking for the app too, with no success.

 

[mbackof]

I also looked for the forceware app without any luck. I got the same item from Chiefvalue as mindless1 mentioned. It looks like a pretty nice card so far, but I will have to see if I can get some app to recognize it. I may go the linux route and see what I can do there.

 

[mscdex0]

You might try some of these applications.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: mscdex0
You might try some of these applications.

Thanks for the link. I tried a bunch of those and several others, Many seemed incredibly buggy and crashed, locking up the tuner till a reboot.

Some half-worked, but I think I've tried too many and lost track of which did what correctly. WinDVR works but it's $80 and only does MPEG1/2. "MediaPortal somewhat works too, but I'm not satisfied with any of the alternatives found thus far, they all take what should be simple and make it far more cumbersome than it needs to be, or half-non-functional.

 

[dwirsz]

I am curious... would this be the same thing? Wonder if it would come with any of the extras including the software? Refurb FX5700 personal cinema

 

[imported_dani]

Originally posted by: dwirsz
I am curious... would this be the same thing? Wonder if it would come with any of the extras including the software? Refurb FX5700 personal cinema

Sometimes they do and sometimes not. They clearly state that they include photos only to show you what is missing. Basicaly expect nothing but the card. But I do hear of people getting everything and the retail packaging.........

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: dwirsz
I am curious... would this be the same thing? Wonder if it would come with any of the extras including the software? Refurb FX5700 personal cinema

It does appear to be same thing, but including the software, remote & receiver. FM antenna & audio mini-plug patch cord.

This *seemingly* more complete version is also available for less, $50 @ Chiefvalue. Both links to these refurbs now appended to opening thread post.

 

[digiram]

Well my card came today. It does include the BOB, but no remote and no audio cable. Card appeared new, cables and bob still in factory sealed bag.

"Battery Operated Boyfriend"???

 

[Anonemous]

Originally posted by: digiram

Well my card came today. It does include the BOB, but no remote and no audio cable. Card appeared new, cables and bob still in factory sealed bag.

"Battery Operated Boyfriend"???

hmmmm so the card comes with the break out box but not the software to utilize the TV tuner...

What software would you use in this case to use the TV tuner part of the card?

 

[mbackof]

Do a search on Fatwallet under hotdeals if you want some information on this card. There is a thread from the summer on it. I searched for 5700 and found some info.

 

[mindless1]

Thanks mbackof.

Fatwallet Thread

Forceware WinXPSp2 UpgradePatch mentioned in that thread

 

[mindless1]

Overclocking

Default speeds are core 425, memory 550
Default voltages are core 1.35V, memory 2.50V

Mine overclocks to core 505, memory 675 on default voltage. It runs pretty cool on default voltage too, I don't think there would be any problem with the stock heatsink at regular fan speed, overclocked, OR reducing the fan speed (for low noise) if you don't o'c it). This presumes you don't have it sandwiched next to another card in a poorly ventilated case (YMMV).

Given the memory is the larger bottleneck, I did a voltmod (~1MB d/l, only shows how, not the finished mod) but it seemed to only gain about 15 MHz more [shrugs], guess 675 on default voltage is not so bad for *labeled* 3.6ns memory. A vCore mod would probably allow getting pretty far past 500MHz, but alas, without the memory higher it's of limited usefulness. Still great performance for a ~ $50 card. A few voltage reading points.

Made a couple ridiculously large scans too if anyone wants a closer look at the stock card. ~ 3.7MB each Front & Back

 

[dwirsz]

Originally posted by: mindless1
Thanks mbackof.

Fatwallet Thread

Forceware WinXPSp2 UpgradePatch mentioned in that thread

Did anyone try this upgrade patch? does it work?

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: dwirsz

Originally posted by: mindless1
Thanks mbackof.

Fatwallet Thread

Forceware WinXPSp2 UpgradePatch mentioned in that thread

Did anyone try this upgrade patch? does it work?

Depends on what you mean by work. Some on the Fatwallet thread used it, but if you don't have Forceware Multimedia app, on SP2, it won't get you anywhere.

I suppose it should be mentioned that although the card won't work with MCE2005 as "officially" supported hardware, if you have the Forceware Multimedia or any other SW that would work with XPSP2, you do still have that software working on MCE just as it did on non-MCE.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: mindless1

Originally posted by: dwirsz
I am curious... would this be the same thing? Wonder if it would come with any of the extras including the software? Refurb FX5700 personal cinema

It does appear to be same thing, but including the software, remote & receiver. FM antenna & audio mini-plug patch cord.

This *seemingly* more complete version is also available for less, $50 @ Chiefvalue. Both links to these refurbs now appended to opening thread post.

I ordered one of these too and it did not come with anything but the bare card. It's a bit confusing that they are now selling two different part numbers without correlation to what's included as a refurb so if you want to be sure of getting the software a remote you may have to buy the full retail kit.