Please recommend the best HTPC videocard: fanless & low-profile

[GTaudiophile]

Nominations please and thank you!

Best HTPC videocard
Low-Profile
Fanless

Edit: the dedicated card is for 2D improvements only. Gaming is a non-factor. The entire HTPC will be fanless; the CPU is likely to be a i3 35W Haswell.

 

[frozentundra123456]

What about a Kaveri APU? I normally think a cheap cpu and discrete card offer much better performance for the dollar, but in a HTPC situation, the A10 7850K seems like a good choice. Its gpu performance in not up to HD7750 levels, but adequate for gaming at 720p.

Alternatively, if you dont game, a pentium or i3 without a discrete card uses less power, has better cpu performance, and is good enough for HTPC use other than gaming.


Edit: I sort of assumed you were looking at a complete system. Obviously if you are not, my post is not very relevant. If you are just adding a card, what is your system now?

 

[Charlie98]

I'm running a Diamond HD6450, it works very well in my HTPC. I don't do 3D or anything. It was something like $22 AR.

 

[OCGuy]

Have to recommend a AMD APU in this case.....

 

[Nebor]

I have a GT430 in my HTPC. Needed it for 3d blurays.

 

[Pia]

If you want some gaming performance, Geforce 750. Have to wait a bit for a fanless model (but the reference models are already very quiet with a fan).

 

[Nate_007]

It has to be AMD APU, I have an htpc equipped with AMD A-10 5800k APU with blu-ray drive and tv tuner. Handles everything flawlessly. I even play bunch of indie games on it for quick pass of time.

 

[NTMBK]

I would have to recommend Kaveri. It has plenty of GPU power for a HTPC with good integrated encode/decode block, and it also leaves your PCIe slot free in case you want e.g. a TV tuner card.

 

[lagokc]

If you want some gaming performance, Geforce 750. Have to wait a bit for a fanless model (but the reference models are already very quiet with a fan).

I don't see any low-profile models at all yet and almost all 750s are two-slot designs. I'm not sure we're going to see any fanless low-profile 750s even though making one should be possible.

I wonder if the companies are using excessively large coolers because retail buyers gauge performance based on how big a heatsink/fan the card needs and they're afraid people will notice it's not a high-end card if it has a small heatsink?

 

[MeldarthX]

if you're building from scratch; Kaveri apu; I used 6600k apu for quick and dirty flash games player for the kids to replace again system and damn thing handles just about everything I throw at it at 1400 by 900.....

Kaveri will be even better; if not

Then low profile 7750 that passively cooled; nothing can touch it in the price range.

 

[JDG1980]

Wait for a fanless 750 Ti.

 

[Pia]

I don't see any low-profile models at all yet and almost all 750s are two-slot designs. I'm not sure we're going to see any fanless low-profile 750s even though making one should be possible.

Ahh, yep. Missed the low profile requirement (though it depends on OP's case how "low profile" the card actually has to be; does it just mean "single slot"?).

I have to question the fanless requirement though. I understand the appeal of knowing there's no moving part at all, but it's not necessary for quiet. If you look at the Anandtech review, the reference 750 is essentially silent both idle and under load. Many TVs might make more noise just by being on, never mind video projectors. Then there's the fact that fanless models are essentially always thicker due to needing more heatsink. If you are willing to sacrifice enough performance to get a really slim fanless card, might as well use integrated graphics at that point.

I wonder if the companies are using excessively large coolers because retail buyers gauge performance based on how big a heatsink/fan the card needs and they're afraid people will notice it's not a high-end card if it has a small heatsink?

Wat. Who on earth would notice what kind of GPU you have unless you specifically advertise it by posting pics or buying a windowed case and taking it to a LAN? And even then, who would ever care?

No, it's simple. Making a heatsink larger makes it more effective, and thus allows more performance and/or more silent operation.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

A Radeon 6450 would definitely do the trick, for HTPC purposes. Anything else is either too pricey or overkill.

 

[GTaudiophile]

What about a Kaveri APU? I normally think a cheap cpu and discrete card offer much better performance for the dollar, but in a HTPC situation, the A10 7850K seems like a good choice. Its gpu performance in not up to HD7750 levels, but adequate for gaming at 720p.

Alternatively, if you dont game, a pentium or i3 without a discrete card uses less power, has better cpu performance, and is good enough for HTPC use other than gaming.


Edit: I sort of assumed you were looking at a complete system. Obviously if you are not, my post is not very relevant. If you are just adding a card, what is your system now?

Sorry. Just updated my OP. Gaming is not an issue. I just want to the best fanless, low-profile, 2D quality I can get. I plan to use HDHomeRun prime, etc.

 

[GTaudiophile]

The entire HTPC will be fanless. I am currently planning on a Haswell i3 with 35W TDP. The only Kaveri I would consider is the 45W A8-7600. But I don't see it on Newegg.

 

[codyray10]

Hd6450

 

[Nate_007]

Oh thats right, I also recommend HD6450 if your already have everything else. I own this one too (fanless) on my other HTPC. It will play full HD videos without any hiccups and very low power. Though if you're building from scratch an APU would be a more logical way to go.

 

[Jimzz]

Yea either get a Kaveri or use a 6450.

You can use a slightly higher wattage Kaveri if you don't get an external video card since you would not have any extra power from a dedicated video card.
and/or underclock the cpu.

 

[lagokc]

Wat. Who on earth would notice what kind of GPU you have unless you specifically advertise it by posting pics or buying a windowed case and taking it to a LAN? And even then, who would ever care?

No, it's simple. Making a heatsink larger makes it more effective, and thus allows more performance and/or more silent operation.

The same sort of people who walk into Best Buy to purchase a video card and make their buying decision based on how awesome the front of the box looks. There is absolutely no reason a sub-60watt card needs to be a two-slot design.

 

[Bryf50]

What are you looking to get out the GPU that you can't get from the igpu? Putting a 6450 in a system that already has an HD4600 is silly. Has their been some test recently that showed Intels 2d quality to be low? If you really want the benefits of a dGPU in an HTPC you would need something much more powerful so you can run things like madVR or SVP.

 

[piasabird]

I am using a i3 4330 with the 4600 graphics and it seems to run great. The biggest problem I see is that Win 8.1 has lousy graphics performance. Many people complain the Intel graphics has problems but it is really just the lousy operating system. So some people are using video cards.

 

[Pia]

The same sort of people who walk into Best Buy to purchase a video card and make their buying decision based on how awesome the front of the box looks. There is absolutely no reason a sub-60watt card needs to be a two-slot design.

Eh? Maybe it doesn't need to be a two-slot design, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea for it to be. Two-slot design gives more room for outputs, has room for air vents (even though those probably aren't relevant outside blowers) and is a bit sturdier. If we're talking about a fanless card, it's going to be hard to get enough heatsink without stretching out to two slots.

Sure, 60W doesn't sound like much, but have you paid attention to the size of heatsinks people throw on ~60W CPUs when they intend to go fanless and don't want the CPU to throttle? Those things are massive.

 

[cnccnc]

I have a fanless half-height HD6450 in a four or five year old HP small form factor Core 2 Duo PC with a tiny power supply that serves as my HTPC. Quiet. Works great. Heat and power are not a problem.

(And this old, cheap HTPC is plenty responsive with an SSD as the boot drive and a mechanical HD for storage.)

 

[GTaudiophile]

I am looking at the i3 4130T with HD4400 graphics.

 

[GTaudiophile]

What about the R7 240? XFX makes one that is fanless and low-profile ready.