[luci5r]

A GTX 1050 has 2GB or memory.  A GTX 1050Ti has 4GB.  2GB of memory is insufficient for most demands.  4GB meets most requirements and allows ample madVR algorithms to compute.  More memory would allow even higher madVR settings that might be considered overkill as quality improvement is unnoticeable.  However, madshi does release new algorithms from time to time requiring more processing strength and reserve so a little head room is always advisable.  That said, I am able to utilize all the algos I require to date but any intensive additions in the future may require me to lower basic processing to take advantage of it/them which wouldn't be ideal using my GTX 960 4GB.  If I was 'step up', it would be a GTX 1060 6GB since I know the 60 series is sufficient and reasonably priced.  A 70 or 80 series would help future proof but I can't justify the price based on todays video needs and I don't game to take advantage of the extra headroom.  I suppose when the day comes I need a card as strong as the 1080, newer cards will be widely available and the 1080 I can buy used at a discount by then.

DVDFab Player v.3 or v.5 video processing is hard coded.  There's not much in the way of custom tailoring or adjustments.  It does produce a good picture though while most importantly being menu capable.  madVR is always going to offer hands on fine tuning adjustments that are passed to compatible players.  Quality wise, it simply can't be rivaled.  When menus are of no importance, my 'go to' will always be madVR with compatible players.  For users who prefer convenience and versatility over quality, the combos of those 3 players makes sense.  Not everyone is interested in the intricacies involved squeezing performance from their setups and are perfectly satisfied using hard coded processing with limited refining adjustments offered in various players.  Imo, many of the refinements madVR accomplishes are not noticeable enough to impress the common viewer.  I've toggled things on/off and asked others if they notice the difference and was asked what changed?  Although I know what changed because I'm looking for it, others simply don't really care.  There are some things madVR enhances that are undeniably noticed so...…

All this in mind, considering the amounts invested in all our equipment and environments, we, as enthusiasts, out of shear passion, should probably be very interested in obtaining the highest quality and versatility possible especially by utilizing the 'freebies' which are of no additional cost and allow us to unbridle our investments.  This of course requires no more out of pocket money but does require some intermediate knowledge, time, patience, and desire.

 Thanks much brazen1, that makes a lot of sense -- and thank you for sharing additional knowledge here. Every little bit adds up to better understanding. 

With abundant news of newer nVidia cards (1180 or 2080) dropping July 30th, I'll probably wait for a few & see if prices drop for 1060/1070/1080 cards, at least used ones. So I don't think I'll rush into anything right away. 

My primary HTPC has a GTX 1080 and I'm running MPC/MadVR with very high settings & excellent results. This discussion has mainly been focussed at my secondary HTPC in the bedroom which doesn't host any media, only streams it from the main HTPC. This is an older Sandy Bridge/i5 HTPC w/ GT 1030 mainly for streaming media (Kodi) and games (Steam) from the main system. 

Being the secondary system, I'm not overly enthusiastic about spending the time & knowledge in getting the MPC/MadVR results on this system. Kodi & PDVD work great for all non-4K HDR stuff, and for 4K HDR I've been using DVDFab without any issues. Right now I'm going to continue to do so, and may not actually tamper with it in future either. 

One thing I wanted to throw out there as well -- I was testing 4K HDR playback in VLC 3.0 "Vetinari" release. It doesn't do 4K UHD HDR ISO like DVDFab does, but for 4K UHD HDR MKV playback, I found it to be pretty solid & comparable to anything I saw in DVDFab. I don't have that videophile eye as some do, but I could see nothing wrong with it. Looked pretty good & HDR worked out of the box like DVDFab. 

Just wondering if anyone else gave it a shot?

Thanks.