BEST HD viewing for WMC

[Steve R2]

Hello all,

I'm curious to see if there is a BETTER HD WMC viewing experience than onboard HD 4000 via i3770K on a DH77EB ? I have a budget (like to stay around 250). In the past EVGA has done a great job, so I would like to see what you all suggest with this product line... Im not a gamer per say mostly live & recorded TV through WMC.
Thanks
Steve r2

 

[James7679]

MATX case? So it would need to be a low profile card then?

 

[Steve R2]

Correct MATX, 600 watt power

 

[James7679]

Well, TBH, pick the strongest Low-Pro GPU you can get. If it's not for gaming, you don't need to go crazy. Low-Pro cards won't be anyway. This should suffice. be sure to get a DVI to HDMI adapter as well.

 

[Steve R2]

Also, it can be low profile but I do have room (L 10" X Depth 1.5") only have a ceton TV pcie to fit above video card

 

[James7679]

usually microATX cases don't have room for full sized cards. What is the exact make/model of the case?

 

[Steve R2]

Many thanks for the time. The case is/was a emachine ET1810-03R (old link below)
eMachines ET1810-03R Desktop PC - Intel Pentium Dual Core E2210 2.20GHz, 3GB DDR2, 320GB SATA, DVDRW, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, White at TigerDirect.com

 

[James7679]

Okay, you should definitely be able to fit a reg GPU in there. I had this GPU before I got my 580. It's a great card. Should suit your needs just fine.

 

[MrNeeds]

Okay, you should definitely be able to fit a reg GPU in there. I had this GPU before I got my 580. It's a great card. Should suit your needs just fine.

+1 on the 550ti, it's a fantastic card for HD video decoding, it's more than capable of playing a few powerful games as well, if that tickles your fancy

 

[Steve R2]

Ive reviewed, sweet. 1 question, there are fermi card(s) that have 2 gb memory (EVGA 02G-P3-1559-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 2GB)...would this added memory futher enhance and out due on board HD4000? Looking to get real clear video to TVs through xboxs.

 

[James7679]

That particular GPU should be plenty for an HTPC. You shouldn't need more than 1gb of vram for video.

 

[James7679]

and BTW, that GPU will def blow away the HD4000 gfx.

 

[Steve R2]

thank you, i like knocking it off the chart. so, any added memory would be a waste if im watching TV? added = processing video?

 

[James7679]

Well, tbh, the onboard should be good. So, again, I have to say, the 550ti FPB 1gb would be plenty.

 

[Steve R2]

Many thanks. Its just me trying to get the best picture on all 4 xboxs at once............. got to ask questions.

 

[James7679]

Many thanks. Its just me trying to get the best picture on all 4 xboxs at once............. got to ask questions.

What, wait a minute, I must have missed something here. Are you thinking that using the media center extender over Xbox is affected at all by the PC? Processing is still done by the Xbox when streaming media from the PC to the Xbox. The only processing that the GPU and CPU will do on the PC is when you are viewing something directly from the PC, not via the extender.

 

[Steve R2]

I watch Live HDTV via xbox and a ceton cable card tuner 9500 channels). Media center on xbox picks up live TV from computer to LCD & plamas. All via wired 5e cable with linksys e4200 router and se2800 switch.

 

[Steve R2]

>>>>(500 channels)

 

[James7679]

Okay, again, anything you are watching via the extender, won't be affected by the PCs abilities, only limited by the Xbox's. You could run 4 TVs from a good single card, all extended...open new windows for each instance and drop them on whichever screen you want. There are a million ways to do this really. The technology available today is amazing. Home automation is something I am relatively new to though. I would suggest if you are just using the PC to stream to the Xbox via the extender, don't buy the GPU. You won't notice a bit of difference, unless, you are watching something directly from the PC.

 

[Steve R2]

understand extender, but where does HDCP support come in to play? the extender (xbox) doesnt except anything but HDCP supported by the vcard. I havent bought anything, looking for education...and you have brought it, thanks.