Graphics Card/Onboard Graphics for Media Centre PC

Sheepdisease said:

The components I have spare from the other PC wont be sufficient for my gaming requirements will they? So do I wait now until more is heard about this new hardware coming out soon?

Sheepdisease said:

I want to play using highest settings.

Recommended system requirements:

• 2nd Generation Intel® Core™i5 processor (or greater), or AMD equivalent
• 2GB RAM (XP), 4GB RAM (Vista / Windows7)
• AMD Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 series graphics cards or equivalent DirectX 11 compatible graphics card

You already know what you need. If you want to start playing, then get a card. If you want to wait, that's fine, but the game's requirements aren't getting any more demanding... a 6870 or a 570 is going to play your game just as good today as it is in a month or 18.

I think you'd be well advised to stay as far from MSI as possible... just about every other vendor has superior support.

I haven't had an AMD since Conroe, I only know Intel has been kicking AMD's butt for quite a while now... hard. If the price difference between this AMD rig and the Intel rig you're about to go looking for is minimal, then get the Intel rig.

Yes, a 6950 will run your games nicely at 1920 and it will Bitstream. All you need to do now is make sure your receiver has hdmi 1.3 or above ports, and that you use hdmi 2.0 cables.

Recall that Bitstreaming is just passing all audio off to the receiver. You're only using the hdmi connection to the card as an audio conduit.

Sheepdisease, I can tell you what you need to meet your specfications for a gaming rig. However I can't help with the video center and bitstreaming. Listen to Fumz, he knows what he is talking about. Fumz is your guy.

It's been longer than just a moment. Intel has been kicking AMD's keister since 2006 with the introduction of Conroe. Since then, no matter what AMD has tried, they just haven't been able to produce a processor that can keep up with Intel. Even the AMD 6 core cpu's get crushed by Intel quads.

I don't know what's happening over at AMD because it used to be the opposite. Intel were the big boys with the huge market share... and AMD was the little engine that could, continually producing one chip after another that was just faster than Intel.

Here's where the 955 stands, below the 1156 i5's. CPU Benchmark, Part 2: Mainstream Processors. Page 6 - X-bit labs. Here's how well the AMD 6 core cpu's stand up to last generation Intel cpus. CPU Benchmark, Part 3: High-End Processors. Page 6 - X-bit labs... and if that weren't bad enough, along comes Sandy Bridge. Core i7-990X Extreme Edition vs. Core i7-2600K. Page 4 - X-bit labs

Those Phenom's just look lost and alone hanging out waaaaay down there at the bottom of the list... kinda makes you sad.

Sheepdisease said:

Right, well that is fair enough! I think I am beginning to understand.

Could you please provide me with an alternative list of hardware, which would come to around the same price and achieve the desired end result?

No... that's your job. You have links to how the cpu's perform... now pick one and go find out how much it is?

I don't mind critiquing hardware, or nudging someone in a direction I feel is better performance/price wise once you've made your decision(s), but, I don't feel it's my place to choose your hardware for you. It's a karma thing...

Well done.

... now go get yourself a quality power supply.