[mythtvnz] graphics card options

Mon Nov 21 19:16:52 GMT 2011

On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 10:37 PM, Curtis Walker <sultanoswing at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> 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 have one and it is great, not problems, it even fits in my HP
slimline case (although depends on the case very much, the heatsink is
huge.

>
> 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.
>

You don't need a compositing window manager on a frontend. If it is
doubling as a desktop, it's not really a myth machine IMHO.

Yes, chipset-->decoding
shaders-->de-interlacing.

Sorry my post above was on the wrong basis, for the reasons given by
the responders.