- May 18, 2001
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I have had a HTPC now for 2 years and absolutely love it. Since moving to Vista though (6 months ago) the video-card has been driving me up the wall, so I am finally caving and am planning to get a new card.
My issues with the current card are:
- I use DVI-HDMI to connect to my Panasonic LCD HDTV; when the computer resumes from standby about 50%-70% of the time the image remains black/no signal. Leaving the TV on, putting the HTPC to sleep and resuming again sometimes fixes the issue ... but most recently it usually doesn't. The only option is to force-shutdown the HTPC and restart. (and this is not some power management thing - all those are disabled)
- it does not support the actual native resolution of the LCD (1366*768); when I set it to that resolution I have a HUGE overscan (5% of the picture missing on all 4 sides) - only setting the resolution to some custom resolution can I get close to the actual resolution of the display (1240*700).
- I just got an HD Homerun device. The HTPC in general should be able to handle HD content without issues but actually watching HD it very quicky stutters and the audio is no longer in sync.
My current HTPC:
- P4 2.6GHz HT
- 2.5GB RAM
- ATI Radeon x300 (PCIe x16)
- Sound via the integrated HD audio
- Avermedia 1500 Ultra TV-Tuner
- Panasonic LCD HDTV (connected via DVI-HDMI and seperate audio cable)
- 3 HDDs for 750GB
I am looking for a graphics card that can do the following:
- when the TV is turned off/on the picture is always on (I assume the issue stems from the DV-HDMI connection: the PC senses when the TV is turned off but not when it is turned on)
- I want to address the HDTV in its native resolution without some @#$%@#$ overscan issues.
- should play HD television from the HD Homerun (or recorded) without any issues with my current HTPC
- should play games decently (should be better than my current card)
- should help my HTPC stay cool - the thing is a freaking oven, so an active cooling card might be a good idea if the fan has a smart control (only speeds up when necessary and still quiet)
Any recommendations?
My budget for the card is approx $50 - $100. I heard that should be enough?
My issues with the current card are:
- I use DVI-HDMI to connect to my Panasonic LCD HDTV; when the computer resumes from standby about 50%-70% of the time the image remains black/no signal. Leaving the TV on, putting the HTPC to sleep and resuming again sometimes fixes the issue ... but most recently it usually doesn't. The only option is to force-shutdown the HTPC and restart. (and this is not some power management thing - all those are disabled)
- it does not support the actual native resolution of the LCD (1366*768); when I set it to that resolution I have a HUGE overscan (5% of the picture missing on all 4 sides) - only setting the resolution to some custom resolution can I get close to the actual resolution of the display (1240*700).
- I just got an HD Homerun device. The HTPC in general should be able to handle HD content without issues but actually watching HD it very quicky stutters and the audio is no longer in sync.
My current HTPC:
- P4 2.6GHz HT
- 2.5GB RAM
- ATI Radeon x300 (PCIe x16)
- Sound via the integrated HD audio
- Avermedia 1500 Ultra TV-Tuner
- Panasonic LCD HDTV (connected via DVI-HDMI and seperate audio cable)
- 3 HDDs for 750GB
I am looking for a graphics card that can do the following:
- when the TV is turned off/on the picture is always on (I assume the issue stems from the DV-HDMI connection: the PC senses when the TV is turned off but not when it is turned on)
- I want to address the HDTV in its native resolution without some @#$%@#$ overscan issues.
- should play HD television from the HD Homerun (or recorded) without any issues with my current HTPC
- should play games decently (should be better than my current card)
- should help my HTPC stay cool - the thing is a freaking oven, so an active cooling card might be a good idea if the fan has a smart control (only speeds up when necessary and still quiet)
Any recommendations?
My budget for the card is approx $50 - $100. I heard that should be enough?