Video card? MCE2005 + medium level games

N

Noozer

I've scrounged up enough parts to put together a Windows MCE 2005 machine,
but it won't play DVD's or TV because my GeForce 2GTS is too old to be
supported.

Can anyone suggest a cheap AGP video card that would be suitable for use
with MCE? Other than the PVR functions of MCE, I'd be playing game console
emulators (MAME, etc.). The most demanding PC game I'd probably toss at it
would be Quake III.

I'm considering the following (cheapest up, prices are CDN)
- Radeon 7000 64meg - $42
- Radeon 9250 128meg - $59
- FX 5200 128meg - $68
- Radeon 9550 128meg No VIVO - $78
- Radeon 9550 256meg WITH VIVO - $114
- Radeon 9600 Pro, 128meg, DVI, TV out - $131

Most likely go with the Non-VIVO 9550 for $78

FWIW, MCE 2005 is pretty sweet from what I've seen of it. Of course $200 for
a dual tuner TV card was a bit much but I'm sure it's worth it. The
Microsoft remote and IR transmitters are pretty cool as well.
 
J

John

I've scrounged up enough parts to put together a Windows MCE 2005 machine,
but it won't play DVD's or TV because my GeForce 2GTS is too old to be
supported.
Click to expand...
Can anyone suggest a cheap AGP video card that would be suitable for use
with MCE? Other than the PVR functions of MCE, I'd be playing game console
emulators (MAME, etc.). The most demanding PC game I'd probably toss at it
would be Quake III.

I'm considering the following (cheapest up, prices are CDN)
- Radeon 7000 64meg - $42
- Radeon 9250 128meg - $59
- FX 5200 128meg - $68
- Radeon 9550 128meg No VIVO - $78
- Radeon 9550 256meg WITH VIVO - $114
- Radeon 9600 Pro, 128meg, DVI, TV out - $131

Most likely go with the Non-VIVO 9550 for $78
Click to expand...

Probably anything on there but the 9550 and 5200 are more modern I
think. I cant remember where the cutoff was for DirectX8 for ATI.

I was definitely thinking 150MCE Hauppauge and it may still be the
best deal but now Im waiting for the ATI Elite to come out next month
and for it drop in price.

It boasts - remote, FM , Mpeg2 hardware compression etc all the same
stuff actually at a MSRP of 149.

The thing it has going for it for me is , PCI express - I have to free
up some PCI slots since I only have 3 and this makes my choice of the
Chaintech OK which has 3 pci slots like almost all the rest of the
PCI-E boards.

Besides that it claims to have all this hardware processing to make
the picture better:

http://www.ati.com/products/tvwonderelite/index.html

http://www.ati.com/products/theater550/index.html

If there is a big difference which matches the hype - check the
halfscreen comparisons , then the $149 uhhhhh is OK but Id still be
looking for discounts. Thats MIGHTY high for just an add on card
though other cards that arent OEM whitebox are fairly high too
especially with all those advantages and remote etc. If not than the
whitebox OEM 150 still looks like the deal to get for everyone.
The difference would have to be fairly big though since you are
dealing with ATI which will probably only work with their software for
a while which will probably be buggy and the price is kind of high.
 
R

Rene

Noozer said:
I've scrounged up enough parts to put together a Windows MCE 2005 machine,
but it won't play DVD's or TV because my GeForce 2GTS is too old to be
supported.

Can anyone suggest a cheap AGP video card that would be suitable for use
with MCE? Other than the PVR functions of MCE, I'd be playing game console
emulators (MAME, etc.). The most demanding PC game I'd probably toss at it
would be Quake III.

I'm considering the following (cheapest up, prices are CDN)
- Radeon 7000 64meg - $42
- Radeon 9250 128meg - $59
- FX 5200 128meg - $68
- Radeon 9550 128meg No VIVO - $78
- Radeon 9550 256meg WITH VIVO - $114
- Radeon 9600 Pro, 128meg, DVI, TV out - $131
Click to expand...

I would get the 9600, but off course that is the most expensive from Your
table. But even before having seen that list, I was saying it to myself.

Greetings,
Rene
 
P

Paul Murphy

[email protected] said:
Probably anything on there but the 9550 and 5200 are more modern I
think. I cant remember where the cutoff was for DirectX8 for ATI.

I was definitely thinking 150MCE Hauppauge and it may still be the
best deal but now Im waiting for the ATI Elite to come out next month
and for it drop in price.

It boasts - remote, FM , Mpeg2 hardware compression etc all the same
stuff actually at a MSRP of 149.

The thing it has going for it for me is , PCI express - I have to free
up some PCI slots since I only have 3 and this makes my choice of the
Chaintech OK which has 3 pci slots like almost all the rest of the
PCI-E boards.

Besides that it claims to have all this hardware processing to make
the picture better:

http://www.ati.com/products/tvwonderelite/index.html
Click to expand...

The ATI TV Wonder Elite will use a PCI slot (not PCI-E) so that slot
shortage may be an issue after all. Rather than waiting for its eventual
release, if its for an MCE 2005 machine, why not go with the eHome Wonder
here: http://www.ati.com/products/ehome/index.html ? It has similar features
to the TV Wonder Elite and is much cheaper. It won't work outside of a
Windows MCE machine however.

To answer the OPs question, from that list, the closest I'd go would be to
get a Sapphire Radeon 9600 Ultimate Edition - the reason being this card
doesn't have a fan but a passive heatsink so it'll be silent. Although the
Radeon 7000 series card would probably also be passively cooled, it won't be
DirectX 9 compliant in hardware so really isn't up to the task of an MCE
2005 VGA card.

Paul
 
N

Noozer

Can anyone suggest a cheap AGP video card that would be suitable for use
Probably anything on there but the 9550 and 5200 are more modern I
think. I cant remember where the cutoff was for DirectX8 for ATI.

I was definitely thinking 150MCE Hauppauge and it may still be the
best deal but now Im waiting for the ATI Elite to come out next month
and for it drop in price.

It boasts - remote, FM , Mpeg2 hardware compression etc all the same
stuff actually at a MSRP of 149.
Click to expand...

The 150MCE is already here (if you can find one in stock) for $99 Cdn.
That's why I opted for the 500MCE, only $199 and has two TV tuners. Can't
say how well it works yet, as I don't have a good enough video card! : (
The thing it has going for it for me is , PCI express - I have to free
up some PCI slots since I only have 3 and this makes my choice of the
Chaintech OK which has 3 pci slots like almost all the rest of the
PCI-E boards.
Click to expand...

Ah... I know what you mean. I can build now with PCI, or wait for PCI-e.
I've been around long enough to know that you could wait forever for the
hardware to "sync" up.
Besides that it claims to have all this hardware processing to make
the picture better:

http://www.ati.com/products/tvwonderelite/index.html

http://www.ati.com/products/theater550/index.html

If there is a big difference which matches the hype - check the
halfscreen comparisons , then the $149 uhhhhh is OK but Id still be
looking for discounts.
Click to expand...

I doubt that's a fair comparison. Probably comparing their card to a cheap
$29 capture card (or even USB1 TV Tuner???)
Thats MIGHTY high for just an add on card
though other cards that arent OEM whitebox are fairly high too
especially with all those advantages and remote etc. If not than the
whitebox OEM 150 still looks like the deal to get for everyone.
The difference would have to be fairly big though since you are
dealing with ATI which will probably only work with their software for
a while which will probably be buggy and the price is kind of high.
Click to expand...

I don't trust ATI. Their hardware is great, but when it comes to drivers and
features there is something that is always "almost" working and it always
bites me in the ass.
 
J

John

The ATI TV Wonder Elite will use a PCI slot (not PCI-E) so that slot
shortage may be an issue after all.
Click to expand...

Many of the PR blurbs point out :

"There will be support for both PCI and PCI Express. "

Now whether ATI makes a PCI express version quickly or at all remains
to be seen, obviously based on how popular PCI express motherboards
are but there does seem to some movement towards add on PCI- E boards
with talk about Creatives PCI express card which people have been
posting about. Dont know when thats coming out but Im at least happy
that theres SOME talk about SOMETHING coming out. I was getting pretty
frustrated searching and finding nothing , nada --- about any PCI
express cards except some controller cards etc.

Rather than waiting for its eventual
release, if its for an MCE 2005 machine, why not go with the eHome Wonder
here: http://www.ati.com/products/ehome/index.html ? It has similar features
to the TV Wonder Elite and is much cheaper. It won't work outside of a
Windows MCE machine however.
Click to expand...

Yeah they finally have Mpeg2 hardware compression. I returned one (the
Wonder Pro) when I found it didnt, when I bought it at a sale at
Compusa. But I dont think it has the new 550 theater chip and thats
what all the hype is about. If all I wanted was mpeg2 compression Id
get the 150 MCE which Ive been hyping after I read some reviews on it
a while ago. Noozer got the dual tuner version which is also popular
but too pricey for me for a feature I wouldnt use though recording and
watching something else is pretty handy.

I just want to know if the so-called real time video processing is
that much better than standard chips (mostly Conexant) that everyone
is using including ATI on many of their cards. The Wonder Pro I bought
I found out used a conexant chip , not even their (ATIs) old Theater
chip or whatever its called.

Now if it all turns out to be hype - the price and probably the
hassles of using an ATI card would make the 150 the overwhelming
choice though some people say theyve picked up the E-wonder cheaper
but the 150 MCE goes for 66-70 so its hard to beat that.

But if there is a significant improvement in visual quality due to the
550 chip it would be the thing to beat cause their cards could pair
mpeg2 AND the 550 like on this new Elite card. I guess we'll know
when they actually ship everywhere and someone does a real test on it.
 
J

John

Heres a blurb from a site I came across trying to find info on the
Elite:


You would have to purchase what Microsoft calls a Media Center
computer, what is a media center computer you ask? It is a computer
that is set up to run Media Center. Microsoft doesn't mention what the
minimum requirements of Media Center are, but from my experience I
would recommend at least a mid range CPU, 2400ghz or higher (Intel or
AMD), at least 512MB of RAM, and at least a mid range Video Card with
TV out, I used a Radeon 9550 video card and had no problems at all.
You also require at least one TV tuner card. You need one TV tuner
card for each station you want to watch/record at a time. So if you
have only one you can only watch or record one channel, if you have
two you can watch one channel while recording a different one, etc.
Microsoft recommends that if you use more then one tuner card, that
they are all the same make/model. How much hard drive space you want
depends on how much you want to record. A larger hard drive allows you
to record more shows.

I tried both an ATI E-Wonder tuner and a KWorld tuner. I did not
notice any real difference between them.

----------------------------
As for the ATI card Im having my doubts now. I talked to a salesrep
and he says itll probably be "a few months" before they are shipped.
Man did he sound grouchy. I told him places online were taking
preorders and others showed "backordered" as if they expected it soon
and he told me anyone could do anything they wanted but that doesnt
mean they are going to be shipped. The shipping date given in some
blurbs is Feb 6.

Pci express? The first shipments will be PCI and he doesnt know of
any plans for a PCI E version. He actually seemed confused about the
whole issue. Now that begs the question will ANYBODY ship both a PCI
and PCI express card when everyone has PCI slots so that would be the
broadest market so why incur the cost and hassle of making a PCI
express version too unless it got to the point PCI express was taking
over so completely that PCI seemed to be on its way out in the
forseeable future. I wonder if the new creative rumor is vaporware
too?

Oh heck Ive to go now.
 
N

Noozer

I'm considering the following (cheapest up, prices are CDN)
- Radeon 7000 64meg - $42
- Radeon 9250 128meg - $59
- FX 5200 128meg - $68
- Radeon 9550 128meg No VIVO - $78
- Radeon 9550 256meg WITH VIVO - $114
- Radeon 9600 Pro, 128meg, DVI, TV out - $131
Click to expand...

FWIW, I picked up an HIS Radeon 9550 card. 128bit memory, 256meg with VIVO
for $114. The Non-Vivo only had a 64bit memory interface. This card works
very well for Windows MCE 2005. Haven't tried any gaming yet.
 
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