720p Content - What Video Card.

[WeatherMan]

Hi guys.

Got a 64MB Via Integrated GPU atm. Also a 64MB GeForce 2 MX400 that both cannot play 720p Content.

Im looking for AGP & PCIE replacements. For my Server & HTPC.

Could someone reccomend me the minimum requirements for 720p Streaming.

I know ATi's 3450 is capable, at £20.

Any other suggestions, and one for AGP.

Thanks.

 

[WeatherMan]

Ive been looking at a 256MB HD2400PRO PCIE

7300 256MB PCIE

Theres also a 7200GS

For AGP, 256MB 5200FX.

Im guessing the FX could struggle at 720p?

Any input?

 

[hermeslyre]

The first two cards would be alright, If you're using hardware accelerated codecs (DXVA), they'll help. Otherwise most important spec for HD content is the CPU. And even a high clocked P4 can play 720p smoothly, you sure your problem doesn't lie elsewhere?

Have you installed necessary codecs? You can make it easy on yourself and just DL a pack, XP codec pack, CCCP, Klite, there are a couple to choose from.

 

[WeatherMan]

Yeah. Ive checked the network and its capable of streaming the bitrate.

Run with a T2130, and onboard Video & got lag.

gonna be running a 1.9GHz AM2 Sempron (90nm) with 1GB ram and one of the above approved video cards. Windows XP.

I'll go look for another AGP card in a sec. One of the systems only runs a 1.7GHz P4. This cannot be overclocked. its a dell blah blah ive tried and i cant get anywhere.

It can play files at a resolution of 1280x544 even with Onboard. Once I get an OK AGP GPU what are my chances of being able to run 1280 x 720?

 

[hermeslyre]

The P4 paired with the AGP card? Not sure that it'd work that well. The CPU is a pretty big bottleneck. Maybe pairing it with a 8600 or Hd2600 would give it enough power, but I'm still not sure. Maybe someone with personal experience will chime in.

I would've thought the T2130 720p capable with even onboard..

 

[WeatherMan]

Thanks for the reply.

I would have thought that a T2130 would have been able to process 720p on its own aswell. Its just the integrated video this system has is real shitty, Even full screen Standard Def movies in browsers lag a little.

Drivers are installed etc etc.

Anyway this is a laptop, which I don't use for HD streaming. Just I think the culprit there would be the onboard video.

For my new HTPC, I've been looking at a 1.9GHz Sempron coupled with 1GB of PC6400 DDR2 and a 256MB 3450 / 7300.

Windows Media Spec for 720p content is a 2.0GHZ P4 / 512MB Ram / 64MB VGA Minimum Spec.

Would a 1.9GHz AM2 Sempron (65nm) be able to match a 2GHz P4? I assume they were talking about the 90/130nm chips

______________________________________________________

The reason the 1.7GHz P4 I have now is tat at HD is because its a 6 year old 180nm Williamette core. Which can't be compared with Intel's newer 130nm P4s.

I just tested it with a Online HD clip from Apple. This was using Quicktime. I've heard this is notoriously bad with Resources in Windows. CPU was maxxing out at 100%.

Will be using VLC in a minute to see if theres a difference.

If theres not, would it be fair to assume, that whatever video card I upgrade to there would still be no improvement. Seing as the CPU is bottlenecking?


Would picking up a 2.6Ghz P4 help at all? (Fastest my Board will handle at 400FSB)? This is a 130nm Chip. So Id need to find if my board supports this. Its an Intel Pendleton D845PT

Could also pick up some 1GB DDR400 ram.

If it does would I still need a better Video card?

Found a 256MB 6200A for AGP which is HD Capable which I could pick up.

The best CPU I can get is the above, which is still lousy and I doubt Il be HD Capable lol. Can;t get a new mobo because its a Dell...So my only other way is to build a whole new comp...But thats what Im already doing for the HTPC The reason I want the Server HD Capable is because its also often used to view movies.

 

[hermeslyre]

I would have thought that a T2130 would have been able to process 720p on its own aswell. Its just the integrated video this system has is real shitty, Even full screen Standard Def movies in browsers lag a little.

That's odd. Definitely try a different media player, Quicktime is a bit intensive on resources, yeah. VLC is a good choice.

Would a 1.9GHz AM2 Sempron (65nm) be able to match a 2GHz P4? I assume they were talking about the 90/130nm chips

A 1.9 sempron would more closely match a 2.6+ghz P4. I would say more than 720p capable. Our sempron 2800+ @ 2.0 paired with a old Tnt2 (little better than OB) is. Never tried Quicktime on it though.

I just tested it with a Online HD clip from Apple. This was using Quicktime. I've heard this is notoriously bad with Resources in Windows. CPU was maxxing out at 100%.

Will be using VLC in a minute to see if theres a difference.

Good idea, come back with the results.

If theres not, would it be fair to assume, that whatever video card I upgrade to there would still be no improvement. Seing as the CPU is bottlenecking?

It's a dead end I would say. Again I don't have experience with anything better than a 3.0+ghz p4 and AMD equivalent (the sempron), but that's my opinion.

Would picking up a 2.6Ghz P4 help at all? (Fastest my Board will handle at 400FSB)? This is a 130nm Chip. So Id need to find if my board supports this. Its an Intel Pendleton D845PT

It would help. 1GB of RAM is enough. The 6200 would be alot better than our TNT2.

 

[WeatherMan]

Hey thanks for the reply.

I've decided against updating the dell, Ill maybe stick some more ram in it. But ill just use it for streaming, and wathing SD movies. My main objective is to get the HTPC HD Capable.

I ran VLC on the dell, theres less stutter but the CPU still maxxes out and the video is unwatchable.

What 2GHz P4 do you have btw?

Ive been doing a bit of testing, to find out whether or not Il need anything better than integrated for the new Sempron HTPC.

Found that this T2130 System can play 720p ATi Demo's (Whiteout) over wired. Not Wireless, Im only running a £20 router.

Also tested streaming Whiteout over the network in 720p and that works too.

Trying to figure out why I couldn't stream 720p movies over the network. I tried this with wired on the T2130. 2GB ram - Integrated Video.

Right now just browsing the net, gonna try looking for some 720p trailers I can stick on the server, see if they stream down OK.

Any Idea's as to why I may of got that choppyness?

Its the same choppyness that I got today whilst testing HD on wireless.
Confusing, My Router is 100Mb Wired, and 720p has an average bitrate of around 11Mb apparently.

 

[WeatherMan]

Back again, streamed some movies over, the T2130 doesnt max out, but Im still getting lag (even when Content is local) Which I think means I need a better video card.

Ive also noticed. My router is 54Mb/s.

The datarate on these HD files are 16MB/s, which would be 128Mb/s??

Is that my problem.



I don't understand how the bitrate can be 16MB/s That would mean the file size would have to be 1.573GB for 99 Seconds which is the clip size. Its only a 90MB file.

For the filesize the bitrate should be apparently...

Aprox 900KB/s

Wtf

900KB/s would be 7.2Mb/s, Which is fine for my router.

Is this right?

 

[WeatherMan]

Heres what Im looking at anyway



Would love to know what is causing this stutter though, Cos I cant be certain it wont happen when I set the new system up.

Its not the CPU cos its a T2130
Its not the network beacause I get the same lag when playing the video locally.
Only thing it can be is this Video Card - System has 2GB ram.

Video Card is a 64MB Via Chrome9 HC IGP.

Why the hell didn't I think to google this card and see if other people have 720p viewing problems! *Runs off to Google*

Im pretty sure its the card.

I can't even view BBC Iplayer properly, which is SD, running it up at fullscreen produces screentearing, out of sync audio and frame drops.
My 6 year old MX400 is better than this card.
It's bad at most flash games, can't run any type of high quality movie in IE properly, HD runs like crap in IE. Only thing it can do is run SD avi files. Im pretty certain its the graphics card on this system, and the dells lousy cpu.

Is it better to go with the above list of hardware, or minimalise on some of it and get something like a 8400GS

"Increasing the resolution to 720p yielded different results. While the Radeon Xpress 200 still beat out the GeForce 6100 by using 6.1% less CPU cycles, neither graphics core beat out the GeForce 6200 by as big a margin as with 480p video. Interestingly enough the Radeon Xpress 200 and GeForce 6100 played the video smoothly. The GeForce 6200 produced very choppy video that was simply unwatchable. "

http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?/a...w_and_Biostar_T-Force_6100-939_Review/testing