ExtremeTech on Graphics for a HTPC

[Geo]

ExtremeTech on building a HTPC (thanks, Hanners at EB).

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1955050,00.asp

The article definitely leans green for this application, with card noise being a major factor. Such comments as:

All the companies whose names are asterisked were kind enough to lend us graphics cards for testing; ATI also lent us numerous cards, but all proved too noisy for HTPC use.

No X1K included, tho some X700/X800XL from AIBs.

and:

In a lot of performance tests we read, nVidia showed moderate performance advantages over ATI Radeon chipsets, sometimes even when price differences went strongly the other way. ATI and nVidia both make good products, but we find nVidia's current price/performance ratios to be more compelling than ATI's.

Edit: Come to think of it, the article is identified as "an excerpt" from an ET book on the topic. This probably explains why the cards referenced are last gen. . .

 

[Jawed]

Big clue: no Geforce 7 series GPUs listed, either

Jawed

 

[MuFu]

Big clue: no Geforce 7 series GPUs listed, either

Jawed

Shame they didn't mention the 7600GS. Looks like an HTPC winner. As geo noticed though, this article seems to be a generation behind.

Edit - They may want to verify Figure 9.1.

 

[Geo]

Yeah, there were some 7's in that table, which kind of threw me on the context of when this thing was done.

 

[kyleb]

Looks like that table isn't at all what they meant to have shown there.

.

 

[mjtdevries]

Sure card noise is an important factor for a HTPC.

But is there anybody who hasn't expended 5 minutes of their time and 16 euro to replace the noisy coolers with a silent one?
(Or isn't willing to do so for a HTPC?)

With the Accelero X2 even my X1800XT is completely silent.


Then again, these kinds of reviewers might persuade ATI to use better coolers in the first place....

 

[pakotlar]

The article IS a generation behind. Check Table 9-3 for last years (maybe even 1.5 years?) pricing data, and the article is part of a larger book that the website put out.