Compatible GPU for HD videos and Blu-Ray

[Sanju!Ekta]

I bought an i5 2500K and have a motherboard Asus P67 P8 Pro to go along with it. So I was thinking of using the old (Maximus II, q6600 and 8 GB of RAM) to a secondary machine for use with my TV. It is only used for surfing the web, watch 720p and 1080p mkv normal and DivX movies and perhaps as a Blu-ray (going to use my LG Blu-ray in construction). But this requires a new GPU that can handle HD content and also be able to play normal Blu-ray. So which is the best and the cheapest GPU should I purchase?

[Yitzchak909]

If you ask me then I would go with the HIS ICE-Q Radeon HD5750 with 1 GB. It runs three monitors at once, and can play HD movies on each screen simultaneously. I refer to three different movies at the same time. So far it has worked well above what I thought it would and we only paid about $ 130 for it through NewEgg. Also, pay attention to this. ATI cards can run more than 2 monitors, while most of Nvidia cannot. In addition, ATI has 7.1 SPDIF through HDMI port with no additional cables to connect. It has its own built in sound card, and it works awesome in my theater. I'm not going back to NVIDIA.

[pddaugusto]

Q6600 is more than sufficient CPU to decode 720 and 1080p video content, not to state the Flash content. No matter what video card is used as something more or less the time GF2 can issue resolutions of 1920x1080. Ideally you would like a card with HDMI output for audio and video. The role of a sound card in the PC of today is not processing audio at all, is simply a device to transmit sound from the sound API that uses the CPU for sound processing. In all reality the functionality of the output of the video card HDMI audio is logically corresponding to a sound card, a simple means to transport sound.

[Howitzer]

As I do not have a NVIDIA onboard sound device, but simply a passage through a cable from the motherboard or sound card connected to the video card as well be a simple pass-through, where the other side of the card AMD is responsible for their own audio and requires no cable is attached to the motherboard or sound card, thus being its own sound card. So my information is slightly out of date, but which are not correct.

[samar69]

Not sure but I agree the 5750 "flat out smokes" the GT430, both seem very similar to me, but if it’s cheaper then definitely best to go with the cheaper one. Will say one thing though, if anyone is wanting a high end gaming card that can double as an HTPC card, then AMD is the way to go, as Nvidia seem to not support TrueHD and DTS HD on their high end cards like 570/580, while the mid range ones like 460/560 do. You can still get standard Dolby and DTS on them, as well as PCM 5/7.1, but no copy protected formats for some reason.

[Mayur_Jain]

Personally, I would stick to Nvidia simply because Core AVC can’t use ATI Stream so without CUDA you're going to be stuck either with DXVA or without any hardware accelerated decoding AFAIK, at least for now. If that's not a problem to you then it's worth noting Nvidia custom resolutions are a pain in the rear end even though Redemption80 pointed out a while ago in another topic how Re Clock can also be used as a valid workaround if you use S/PDIF, which I myself don't use.

[MACuser]

In my opinion, I would stick to Nvidia core AVC just because you cannot use CUDA for ATI Stream not going to be stuck either with or without DXVA hardware accelerated decoding of my knowledge, at least for now. If that is not a setback for you, then it is worth noting Nvidia custom resolutions are a pain in the rear, although Redemption80 said some time ago in another topic of how Re clock can also be used as a valid solution if you use S / PDIF, which I do not use.