[lunasea42]

Hi all I'am building a HTPC on the cheap and would like an opinion on which card to put into her.

GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2-B3 Intel 6 Series Motherboard - Micro ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel H61 Express, 1333MHz DDR3, 7.1-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN

Intel Core i3-2100 BX80623I32100 Processor - Dual Core, 3MB L3 Smart Cache, 512KB L2 Cache, 3.10 GHz, Socket H2 (LGA1155),

was a bare bones kit from Tiger, not into gaming so a decent card under 100 dollars would be great.

Thanks all

[bluray]

that'll be a powerful htpc, and one of these should be fine- SAPPHIRE 100324L Radeon HD 6570 2GB or
PNY VCGGT4301XPB GeForce GT 430

i preferred hd 6570, and here is why-
GeForce GT 430 vs Radeon HD 6570 (OEM) 2GB

[lunasea42]

Thanks for the reply, I agree that the 6570 is the better deal.

:o

[Martijn]

I to have the i3-2100 but why the extra card? The CPU has an internal GPU which plays 1080p just fine.

Edit:
Sorry checked the MB and saw it hasn't got hdmi so that's probably why you want the extra card. I have one with hdmi onboard.

[MidnightWatcher]

If you want to use Linux, definitely stay away from an ATI card for now. For the most trouble-free experience, stick with an nVidia-based video card.

[eskro]

that'll be a powerful htpc, and one of these should be fine- SAPPHIRE 100324L Radeon HD 6570 2GB

again, i dont understand the need for a $85 video card in an HTPC,,,,

even a simple GT210 at $30 will suit his needs,,,,

why need to pay $55 more?

[bluray]

again, i dont understand the need for a $85 video card in an HTPC,,,,

even a simple GT210 at $30 will suit his needs,,,,

why need to pay $55 more?

if someone want something a little more powerful, the hd 6570 is a better choice. when i tried both cards on e7500 htpc, i noticed the hd directv2pc is more stable with hd 6570 than gt 430. the 1gb version is $68- Sapphire Radeon HD6570 1GB

[eskro]

why suggest a card for live tv stuff when u dont know if he needs that??

for 1080P playback, GT210 does the job flawlessly,,,

[bluray]

If you want to use Linux, definitely stay away from an ATI card for now. For the most trouble-free experience, stick with an nVidia-based video card.

the hd 6570 is spec for linux- Sapphire Radeon HD 6570

[eskro]

why suggest a card for live tv stuff when u dont know if he needs that??

for 1080P playback, GT210 does the job flawlessly,,,
__________________

[bluray]

why suggest a card for live tv stuff when u dont know if he needs that??

for 1080P playback, GT210 does the job flawlessly,,,

since recorded hd tv show is getting more popular than ever, it'll be handy when you need it.

[eskro]

lol dont buy something u know u dont need,,,

if i think like that,
i should have bought an i5 + GTX580 in case i decide to play HardCore demanding games!

i dont cuz i know im not a gamer,,,

[DJVege]

lunasea42 hasn't actually mentioned exactly what he is going to use the HTPC for yet. You can only assume watching SD and possibly HD content so far, as the basics.

[eskro]

yepp, sometimes, u just need to buy the minimum that will suit your needs...
no point in going overboard,,,

[bluray]

lol dont buy something u know u dont need,,,

if i think like that,
i should have bought an i5 + GTX580 in case i decide to play HardCore demanding games!

i dont cuz i know im not a gamer,,,

i'm not talking about a distance future either. i'm not sure about canada, but most of my friends in the u.s uses satellite and most of them has dvr now. recorded hd show is very popular in the u.s., and i enjoys watching recorded hd directv2pc (bizarre food, no reservation, motor week, news, etc) on my htpc with ati card. with busy home and work schedules, this is the only way i can watch these shows. i tried both 6570 and 430 on my friend htpc a couple months ago. the 6570 seems to be more stable with recorded hd shows. both cards handles the standard recorded show flawless!