[mythtvnz] 8600GT or similar

[Stephen Worthington]

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 23:05:58 +1200, you wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>I've just had my video card melt down, literally.
>
>Does anyone have an old 8600GT or similar that works that is not being used?
>
>Or could recommend a replacement.  The PC is old as well, just wanting to
>get the box running again.
>
>We got quite the smell when it stopped !!?? ;)
>
>Tim

Smell often equals popped electrolytic capacitors.  In the era of
8600GT cards, there were lots of bad electrolytic capacitors being
used in all sorts of electronics, especially computer components.  It
can be possible to replace them, if you are good at soldering.

Failing that, finding working cards from that era is getting
difficult, as they have mostly already died from bad capacitors by
now.  Even if not in use, the capacitors still die.

If you are looking for something for the future, this card looks good:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/video-cards/pciexpress/auction-742513401.htm

if a little expensive.  An Nvidia 630 should be able to handle the
full deinterlace modes.  Of the current generation of silent cards, I
am not sure if the 610 chipset will actually do the full deinterlace,
but the 6330 should.

If you just want any card that can do full deinterlace and are OK with
having a fan, then a second hand Nvidia 220 is probably the lowest
spec card that was made after the era of bad capacitors and will still
be working and be going to keep working.  There were silent 220 cards
made (I have one), but they are virtually never available second hand.
And even second hand 220 cards with fans do not seem to go very
cheaply.  And of course fans do die too.