2 PCs, which 1 should be my HTPC? - Page 2

vlad · **19th June 2007, 10:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrAsErTaG

he said in his initial post he was a n00b

N00b in HTPC could become a very powerful user if he/she is versatile in PC/media area.
I was n00b so what

wazzageek · **19th June 2007, 10:43 PM**

For card prices try theses links.

http://www.staticice.com.au/index.html
http://www.shopbot.com.au/

That's if you don't already use them.

jkeysers · **20th June 2007, 10:41 AM**

Yeah, I do use shopbot, and to a lesser extent staticice. My concern wasn't so much where to find the best price, but which cards to look at and roughly how much I should expect to pay for them?

The budget is always going up, which is funny considering I already own the 2 computers! The $300 on a Mozart case is the biggest thing though I guess.

wazzageek · **20th June 2007, 11:19 PM**

Have a look for an ASUS EN7600GS with 256 MB of memory. They are really good value and has a heatsink. Or an XFX 7200GS which is a cheaper option.

In ATi ASUS do an X1650 pro which has a heatsink. Not sure of the number though. They are also more expensive. I have an HIS X1550 which is a cheaper option.

These are just some I have looked at and there are many others out there.

You haven't said what video format you have, AGP or PCI-Express? The cards above are all PCI-Express.

Regards
Warren

jkeysers · **21st June 2007, 10:08 AM**

Cheers, I will have a look into those cards. As for my video format, i'm not too sure what I have. I haven't really had the old box open too much, and as I said, i'm not the great with computers! haha.

Another question, will the old P4 be able to handle HD video well? And how about if I decided to put a Blue-ray or HD-DVD drive in later? Would this mean I would have to upgrade the computer to run these things or would the P4 do it OK?

wazzageek · **21st June 2007, 11:31 AM**

The old P4 should handle HD and blue ray etc. This would make it more important to find the right video card and make sure it supports a HD resolution. Most of the new cards do but it would be important to check when doing your research.

To check the video card interface you will need to look on the motherboard and find the make and model number ie ASUS P5AD2 or something similar. Then you can find the specs on the manufacturers website. If you have problems you could always take a good photo of each board and post it.

At a guess I would say the old board uses AGP and the new one uses PCI-E but it might not so you need to check before you buy anything.

Regards
Warren