Possibly using one of these 3 older video cards . . . ?

[Seeker47]

I already had these on hand, and was thinking of using one of them in a PC I'm assembling, at least on a short-term basis.

ATI X550 (fanless, so should be quieter)
Nvidia 6600-based card
Sapphire X700 Pro (if I can find it again -- seems to have gone missing)
[All are PCI-E. Each has 256M of memory on the card.]

These are all single-slot cards of course, with no power connection to the PSU required, which is just what I need. (I was also looking for low heat and low power draw.) Getting any video card into the small confines of this SFF box is going to be something of a pain. I can see that already from even the X550, which is the smallest of the three: the retaining bracket must come off, and then be reattached after the card is positioned and seated.

I would expect that any of these would be a marked improvement over the built-in video chip I've been using on the older-model Shuttle. My questions: Would all of these three be roughly equivalent in video performance, or does one of them stand out vs. the others ? I'm no gamer, and I would guess that all of these are going to prove to be underpowered for the display of much HD video content, vs. a lot of the more contemporary models ? That could be a consideration . . . but I do have other reasons for possibly using one of these. (Being cheap is not the reason.)

[redwudz]

The ATI X550: http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx550/specs.html

There are several versions of the Nvidia 6600 card: http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_6600.html

The ATI X700: http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx700/specs.html

I'd probably go with the X700 or the 6600. I think the X700 may be a bit newer.

To get my tuner card out of my HTPC desktop case, I have to remove the VGA socket studs and the nut that holds the RCA jack to the PCI slot mount, along with a tiny screw that holds the top of the card to the slot mount, then slide the card backwards and up. Takes about five minutes.

[Seeker47]

The ATI X550: http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx550/specs.html

There are several versions of the Nvidia 6600 card: http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_6600.html

The ATI X700: http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx700/specs.html

I'd probably go with the X700 or the 6600. I think the X700 may be a bit newer.

To get my tuner card out of my HTPC desktop case, I have to remove the VGA socket studs and the nut that holds the RCA jack to the PCI slot mount, along with a tiny screw that holds the top of the card to the slot mount, then slide the card backwards and up. Takes about five minutes.

Thanx for your reply. Yeah, I'm not real keen on having to partially disassemble stuff to cram it in there, but that can come up, and not just with small form factor boxes. I was just looking over a favorable review of a high end case that was said to have unusually good design, and very generous space to work with inside, but a strange decision about the HDD drive cages still causes this problem for some video cards.

I was hoping to hear from others who have used these cards for awhile, maybe graduated from them to the heavier artillery, along the lines of: "You'll be able to play video 'Y' with them (specific example), but not video 'Z'."

[disturbed1]

Depending on which nVidia 6600 (LE/GT....) these things can run HOT. The x700 might have better video out than the 6600. Be warned though, AMD/ATI has dropped support for all video cards less than an HD2000. They could/should/would/maybe - but not likely release bug fixes for legacy cards

All future ATI Catalyst™ releases made available past the ATI Catalyst™ 9.3 release will not include support for the legacy products listed above or any of the features associated with those legacy products.

I put an EVGA 9400 in an HTPC case a couple of days ago. Came with low profile brackets, was a snap to assemple. The TV output is a dream!!!!!! I expected it to look better than my FX5500's and 6200 series cards, but the image quality even blows my 7600 and 7200 cards out of the water. Well worth the $30 (after $20 MIR).

If you're not hooking this PC upto a TV, and not gaming, I'd opt for x550 (fanless, so should be quieter) If you're connecting to the TV, I'd look at the x700, if you can find it

[Seeker47]

I put an EVGA 9400 in an HTPC case a couple of days ago. Came with low profile brackets, was a snap to assemple. The TV output is a dream!!!!!! I expected it to look better than my FX5500's and 6200 series cards, but the image quality even blows my 7600 and 7200 cards out of the water. Well worth the $30 (after $20 MIR).

Sounds interesting, especially for such a modest price point. What about the temps -- I'm thinking this could be an issue for this box, since mine does not have the best airflow design or fan solution -- and doesn't it require a power connection to the PSU ?

If you're not hooking this PC upto a TV, and not gaming, I'd opt for x550 (fanless, so should be quieter) If you're connecting to the TV, I'd look at the x700, if you can find it

A receipt reminds me that I should have the X700 Pro, but it seems to have disappeared somewhere into the general chaos of my home office. I hope it turns up again soon, since I can't rule out a tv connection from time to time. Thanks for the suggestions.

[disturbed1]

and doesn't it require a power connection to the PSU ?

Mine did not. There is a plug, but I don't believe it's for power. Here's the link http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N947-LR there are 3 different models, this is the Low Profile model. There is a fan on it, but I did not add any more noise - at least we couldn't tell Other vendors do make both the 8400 and 9400 low profile and fanless. Both of which offer hardware decoding of video formats (MPEG2/WMV/VC-1/h264). The 9400 has a bit more power on the openGL side. Which is what we needed.



This is in an Antec case ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129039 ). We also have this one ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129034 ) which is MUCH larger, and nicer too Looks right at home on the entertainment center.

[jagabo]

All of those cards are sufficient to play HD video if you have enough CPU power -- just about any dual core CPU.