Questions about "all in one" video cards

[GLE3]

I just got myself a used Dell (Pent 4 2.8 Mhz processor W/HT, 512 ddr2 ram, 160 gig HD) and am thinking about getting myself a new capture card. I have checked out the capture card lists on here and it has been helpful. At the same time there is enough detail out there that makes it hard to make a decision! I'm thinking about going the route of a "all in one" card with hopes of limiting my need of PCI devices(only have 3 slots total). I have some questions on what these cards can do....

Does the sound still have to come from a sound card?

My power supply only kicks out 250 watts. Am I stuck upgrading to a something with more wattage?

One of my slots are PCI Express X1. Should I try to get a card that fits that bus rather than a regular PCI?

One the other hand, if I just get a regular capture card(w/HD tuner), is getting a new video card manditory(I have an old vid card with like 32MB of memory, lol)?

[Krispy Kritter]

1) yes

2) Depends on what other hardware you install in the PC.

3) Either will work.

4) It's not mandatory, but you can get one cheap enough that's it's not really a consideration. Even for only $20, you could have a card that performs better.

I'd get a new video card, a PCI or external capture card, 2 gig of RAM, and another HDD. The video card will remove the load of video processing from your cpu and free up your RAM (which it is currently sharing). The speed increase from upgrading 512MB to 2GB (or even 1GB) will be quite noticable. The HDD will be necessary fairly quickly for storage and will improve capture performance if used as the capture drive instead of your C drive.

[edDV]

A P4 2.8 + PCIe slots seems an odd combo. What is your current video card?

The 250W power supply will limit new video card choice. Most need near 300W or more just for the video display card.

Are you trying to cap TV, HDTV or analog inputs? Do you intend to edit and/or author DVD? What software?

MPeg2 HD playback may be possible with your current display card. Have you tried? H.264 files probably need more.

[GLE3]

I'm just using intel's intergrated graphics (GMA 900). I took out the old video card that was in it. I'm not sure why Dell mixed only one PCI-e(x1) with my other PCI connections, but it sure makes for a challenge trying to build my budget video recorder/HTPC.

The more I look around the more it looks like I will upgrade my PSU.

I would like to capture and playback SD and HD (over the air). I don't plan on editing or authoring. I'm not sure what software I will use to capture...

Actually, I was suprised to find that I can playback a 1080 mkv file with windows media player classic homecinema. It uses 40% - 60% of my CPU.

[edDV]

Off air requires an ATSC tuner (SD or HD). Most use a PCI slot.

Cable local digital channels require a QAM tuner (SD or HD). The rest require a set top box.

For display look for NVidia cards that support PureVideo HD or ATI cards that support Avivo HD. Pay attention to power and system requirements. Most modern display cards require a PCIe x16 slot.