[mythtvnz] graphics card options

Mon Nov 21 09:37:01 GMT 2011

On 21/11/11 22:09, Stephen Worthington wrote:
> On Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:35:44 +1300, you wrote:
>
>> On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 4:32 PM, Stephen Worthington
>> <stephen_agent at jsw.gen.nz>  wrote:
>>> On Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:35:13 +1300, you wrote:
>>>
>>>> <http://www.dragonpc.co.nz/p.aspx?214439>Hi, I am in the middle of
>>>> setting up a dedicated myth front end box that has onboard everything
>>>> including an HDMI port, and an empty PCI-e slot.  I'm recycling an ATX
>>>> motherboard/amd cpu, a couple of years old and modest specs for that
>>>> time (not sure which board/cpu off the top of my head but it is nvidia
>>>> video) in a full size box.  I'm yet to determine if the HDMI port "just
>>>> works" or can be made to work, being a simple but probably only interim
>>>> connection to an HD TV.  Thus far I have a functional myth installation
>>>> that displays fine on an LCD monitor.  Total expenditure so far is zero.
>>>>
>>>> I am weighing up the best course to follow.  The main feedback I am
>>>> interested in assumes the better choice is to have a dedicated card,
>>>> primarily since it hands off the processing from the CPU to the card and
>>>> that the onboard HDMI port + cpu isn't going to manage 1080i/p.  Seems
>>>> VDPAU, h.264, and the usual "more RAM is good" is where to pay
>>>> attention.  This wikipedia page seems to be a good summary of cards:
>>>>
>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_PureVideo
>>>>
>>>> suggesting feature set C and a GeForce 210, I believe is this from Dragon:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.dragonpc.co.nz/p.aspx?230501
>>>>
>>>> or the more modern feature set D and a GeForce 430:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.dragonpc.co.nz/p.aspx?214439
>>>>
>>>> Any feedback on these options or similar would be appreciated.
>>>> Hopefully I am correctly lining up the relevant specs.  Both cards are
>>>> low profile capable which offers some future proofing should I build
>>>> something in a smaller form factor.  Would there be much difference
>>>> noticeable between a C or D feature set capable card in a myth FE box?
>>>> Is there something else I should also be paying attention to?
>>>>
>>>> I see the 430 has 2 fans, just how quiet would they be?  Is the
>>>> passively cooled 210 a better option if noise is given weight or is this
>>>> not much of an issue in practice?
>>>>
>>>> Are there similar cards I should consider in that<$100 price range?
>>>> Other local (esp Chch) suppliers?
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Roger
>>> You need C or D feature set, but the reports on the GT 210 cards are
>>> that they are just a little bit shy of the power needed to handle
>>> H.264 HD video without any glitches.  Which is why I got a silent GT
>>> 220 at my last upgrade, and I have been very pleased with the result.
>>>
>>> My last encounter with fans as on that GT 430 card was that they can
>>> be very noisy, which is a real problem for a PC that is normally
>>> parked in the living room next to the TV.  You really want a silent
>>> video card, as the GPU fan(s) are now normally the loudest component
>>> in a PC.
>>>
>>> I am thinking that the best option now is the new GT 520 chip set.
>>> There seem to be silent cards using this:
>>>
>>> http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=396586
>>>
>>> If you are not dead set on a local shop, I can recommend buying from
>>> Ascent.  They have excellent customer service and no problems with
>>> returns and replacements.  Their prices include shipping, so this one
>>> from QuietPC is likely to actually be a little more expensive:
>>>
>>> http://www.quietpc.com/nz-en-nzd/products/vga-cards/zo-gt520
>>>
>>> But we really need to see a report from a MythTV user to be sure as
>>> the 520 also seems a little light on shader hardware like the 210.  It
>>> does have even better H.264 support, so that might not be a problem.
>>
>> These things are regularly commented on in the mythtv-users list,
>> although most of the discussion is about the USA where there is not so
>> much h264 broadcast, although if it works with bluray, it should
>> handle anything.
> No, it looks like handling BluRay properly does not let you know if
> the deinterlacing performance is up to the job, as BluRay is
> progressive.  I have now found a thread on the MythTV Users list that
> says that the 520 is not up to doing Advanced 2x deinterlace mode for
> MythTV, so it is not good enough to handle the 1080i TV programmes
> which are common in NZ.  One owner of a 520 confirmed that.  There was
> also some other comment that the GT 430 may also be in the same
> situation, not having enough shader performance to do the
> deinterlacing, but I have not confirmed that.  So it looks like the
> best card is still a GT 220, which basically rules out an under $100
> price tag for a silent one.  This is the one I have:
>
> http://www.elive.co.nz/asus-gt-220-silent-video-sy2397.php
>
> which has a number of optional extras I am not using (eg remote
> control).  There may be a lower price somewhere in NZ, but I doubt it
> will be below $130.  The only other silent GT 220 model I have seen
> advertised in NZ was a Zotac one, but when I clicked on the buy link
> it wanted to charge me $80 for shipping, so it was not actually in
> stock in NZ.
>
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That silent GT220 is listed as "out of stock". As such, you'd have to 
think it unlikely they'll be getting anymore in, if usual practice 
applies (as it does for older hardware).

I found the GT430 adequate for watching 1080i (at least with my i5-750 
CPU). I used the Rugby World Cup semifinal (NZ vs Aussie) as my test 
video, tried all of the deinterlace settings and options, and it did do 
Advanced 2x no problem, no stuttering and no tearing. Lots of fast 
motion, being rugby.

As mentioned above, it does stutter and tear with a composite desktop 
enabled - but so do all NVIDIA cards to a greater or lesser degree 
(including my GTX460). This is a function of VDPAU and the X server, and 
is not something NVIDIA seems readily able to fix. Disabling composite 
when watching Myth is fine. The tearing with composite enabled is less 
pronounced on the GTX460 than the GT430, FWIW.

For your purposes, a quiet, or silent GT430 would seem to be ideal - 
especially if you run it on a Frontend without a compositing window manager.