Low profile Video card recommendation

Discussion in 'The HTPC, HDTV & Ultra High Definition section' started by mechanicboy18, Oct 4, 2011.

  1. mechanicboy18

    mechanicboy18 Member Guru

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    Hello all, I've been out of the computer modding scene for a long time, years in fact so I'm out of date on what's good and what's not. Anyway, I'll get to the point.

    I have a slim HP PC with onboard Nvidia 9100 onboard video card. It plays 1080P video but just barely. I was hoping to upgrade the video and hook it up to my 60" 1080P plasma via HDMI and just have it to watch ripped movies on. I might play some steam games on it once in a while but my #1 concern when buying a card is Video playback.

    I took a look at the HTPC buying guide on here and say the GT430 recommended but I'm worried about noise and the power requirements. It is available in low-profile but would this card be way overkill for me?

    Any help is appreciated.

    Also a recommendation for a blu-ray ripper would be welcome too.
     
  2. Chillin

    Chillin Ancient Guru

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    Can you list the model number of the HP slim PC?
     
  3. mechanicboy18

    mechanicboy18 Member Guru

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    Sure thing, S707c
     
  4. mechanicboy18

    mechanicboy18 Member Guru

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    So... No opinions? Did I post this in the wrong forum and should have gone to the video card section?
     

  5. Chillin

    Chillin Ancient Guru

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    I hate to say, but Google and HP aren't finding "S707c". Can you go to HP and use their automatic update finder to see which HP model you have. Thanks.
     
  6. iako

    iako Ancient Guru

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    I have a Sapphire HD5450 in my Shuttle and it did come with a low pro bracket as an option... I think the HD6450 does aswell.. and most of them are passively cooled.
     
  7. mechanicboy18

    mechanicboy18 Member Guru

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    Oh, I'm sorry, you're right. The correct model number is S3707c.
     
  8. Chillin

    Chillin Ancient Guru

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    OK, worked this time. Unfortunately I have some bad news (which I why I asked for the model in the first place).

    This is bad because your system already uses about 110w-120w (under load) as configured. The maximum headway in your system is about 128w if you want to stay even remotely efficient with your PSU (or else you are just wasting a lot of power in the background).

    Would you consider buying a new PSU or is that out of your budget? Also, have you considered using software that takes advantage of CUDA such as CoreAVC or Splash Pro, as well as several open source programs listed in this forum?

    Lastly, but I wouldn't promise anything, you might be able to squeeze in an AMD HD 5450 or an Nvidia GT 210 in there; but like I said, I can't promise it will work well in your power envelope. If you have a computer store nearby where you can try out one of those cards and see if it works would be best.
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2011
  9. mechanicboy18

    mechanicboy18 Member Guru

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    Well, you're right, it's a 160w, took it apart to verify. For some reason I thought it was a 200W.

    Well I'm not out of options because today I found out my new TV plays media files right off my external hard-drive. The problem is it only plays certain video and audio types. For instance it'll play my downloaded version of Avatar but it says the audio isn't supported. So IF I could find a good media converter I might not even need a HTPC as I'd just be able to put them on my external drive and hook it to the TV.

    Can you guys recommend a Media converter, it need to be able to do HD video and be able to convert just the audio files. Or you guys could lead me to the right forum to ask this question.

    Thanks
     
  10. nhlkoho

    nhlkoho Guest

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    What file format does your TV play?
     

  11. mechanicboy18

    mechanicboy18 Member Guru

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    From the manual;

    SD-Video Files(SD-Video Standard Ver.1.3)
    AVCHD Standard Compatible Files
    MP4 files (Video codec H.264 | Audio codec MP3/AC-3/LPCM)
    MKV files (Video codec H.264 | Audio codec MP3/AC-3/LPCM)
    MPEG-2 PS files
    MPEG-2 TS files

    Which of these formats are the best, I've never even heard of AVCHD or MKV files before. SO which would be best for DVD coversion and which would be best for Blu-Ray/1080P Video?

    Thanks
     
  12. Chillin

    Chillin Ancient Guru

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    MKV is container format that holds video, audio, etc. AVCHD is mostly used by video cameras these days.

    Download MediaInfo and check which audio codec and video format most of your video files use:

    http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en
     

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