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Video Card Recommendation

Sal1950

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I've got a 10 yo computer I built using a Gigabyte EP45-UD3P motherboard. It's been my main music server all that time but I only had need for 2 channels out. I'd now like to update to a HDMI video card to be able to output multich audio to my pre/pro. I don't want to spend a bundle here, lord only knows how many more reboots this ole MB has left in it. Can someone recommend a good CHEAP (prefer under $100) video card with HDMI outs? I don't do anything video intensive, no gaming, etc; my cpu is a Intel quad core Q9550 2.83 g and 8 gb of memory. This old box should still have enough muscle to handle anything I need to do if I can just pick up a low cost pci-e 2.0 x16 video card to do the HDMI thing for me.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Update, I'm currently leaning towards this card which has been well reviewed, what do you think about this.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814932004&ignorebbr=1
 

bunkbail

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GTX 1030 is a great card, even for gaming. I have one for my HTPC, it can run almost every game at low settings. You should be perfectly fine with it.
 

Soniclife

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Is noise from the card a consideration?
 

bravomail

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getting anything lower than gtx1060 6GB will not be smart. You can reuse it once you decide to upgrade MB, CPU, mem. GPU will have support of any latest HDMI, plus it will play any game at fullHD at more than 60fps. Or u can other way around - get AMD Ryzen (100) with MB(80) and mem (80) - it will have HDMI among other things. :)
 

Roen

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RTX 2080 Ti, obviously.

Seriously, a cheap AMD Polaris card and you should be good.
 
OP
Sal1950

Sal1950

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Is noise from the card a consideration?
Electrical or mechcanical? I do want the fan to be quiet as possible, fanless would be even better.
And what resolution does it need to support?
Video or audio? Won't be using it for UHD video server.

My current card, EVGA GeForce 9800 GT DirectX 10 01G-P3-N972-TR 1GB 256-Bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
has been all or more than I ever needed, just now looking to do some multich REW measurements so need the HDMI audio support.
When this box dies or even sooner, it will be replaced with something small and silent, hence my not wanting to spend too much.
 

amirm

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Electrical or mechcanical? I do want the fan to be quiet as possible, fanless would be even better.
I bought this recently to support my 4K monitor and audio that could be controlled properly with windows driver: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BL9CRM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1545257346427.png


It is fanless with great performance (non-gaming) and reliability. With prime shipping is only $99. The one you posted has fans and such which I personally like to avoid.
 

Soniclife

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Electrical or mechcanical? I do want the fan to be quiet as possible, fanless would be even better.
It was fan noise I was asking about. Fanless seems the best fit if you want it quiet, unless you want to do a lot or research on how loud things are. Amir's suggestion looks more than capable, cheaper might be possible.
 
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Sal1950

Sal1950

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Sal1950

Sal1950

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andymok

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is there any differences in the video codec between Nvidia and Radeon actually @@?
 
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Sal1950

Sal1950

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is there any differences in the video codec between Nvidia and Radeon actually @@?
Being a Linux person myself, support of NVidia has traditionally been much stronger.
 

amirm

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Sal1950

Sal1950

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That is in my main audio system so it has to be there.
OK FINE. LOL
I'll probably build a clone somewhere down the line. The Steacom case is attractive as one of the few options to build a relativly high power but still totally silent box. Nice stuff
 
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Sal1950

Sal1950

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I bought this recently to support my 4K monitor and audio that could be controlled properly with windows driver: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BL9CRM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

index.php
Got the same card you recommended and the needed cables. Never had one with the DisplayPort connection and had to get a DP to DVI cable for my monitor. HDMI port with drive my Marantz Pre/Pro so a new 10' cable for that. Just starting to tear down the system now to install the card. I installed upgraded video drivers in my 4 Linux partitions, that should be plug&play at startup. Hoping my Windoz 10 install doesn't schit the bed over it.. :( I'll let ya know in an hour or two.
Fingers crossed. :facepalm:
 
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Sal1950

Sal1950

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All done, easy peasy. Even Windoz is getting smarter. After install of the new card I just booted W10 and it started up with a generic driver and complained something was wrong. With my little bit of Windoz knowledge I just went to Device Manager and told it to update the video card drivers and wamm bamm the latest nVidia drivers went in.
Thanks @amirm for the recommend, it's totally silent and I didn't realize how loud the fan on my old 9800 card was. If it wasn't for the power supply fan I don't think my other fans would be heard. I've got 3 others but all are Noctua, rubber mounted, and running at reduced speeds via inline resistors. I'll see if I can get the multich REW tests to run via HDMI now.
 
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