Super Computer Graphics Card

[ezysk]

Well thats what I've been hearing about the latest NVIDIA's Geforce cards and their so called CUDA streaming architecture. Seems like I've been barking up the wrong tree by adding more memory trying to get HD movies to play smoothly, when in fact I should be upgrading a GPU. Only problem it seems, that I may have to replace the power supply as well. I'm thinking of getting a GeForce 9400 GT along with a Dynex 400w box. The other reason for the upgrade is so Photoshop CS4 can run the way its suppose too. I was also thinking of overclocking but it seems a GPU replacement can soup up the performance with far less hassle. I'm wondering if NVIDIA has trumped Intel and AMD....making their multicore CPU's superfluous.

 

[Peter.Cort]

Currently you're hd movies are being decoded by the cpu ontop of the normal cpu tasks, so that explains why it's choppy. ATI and NVidia now have developed gpu's that do the decoding on the gpu rather than on the cpu, making your hd movies look like normal.

You don't need a great card to do it either, any 3k series or later ATI or 9k or later (i believe the 9k series is when it was implimented for nvidia) from nvidia will do the job.

also what's your current psu? if you could give us a link that'd be appreciated.

 

[ezysk]

I believe my Hp Pavillion 6109n came factory equipped with a Bestec ATX-250-12V psu....definitely not enough to meet the minimum 300w requirements for the GPU upgrade. I'll be glad to post additional hardware specs if requested.

 

[patonb]

CUDA starts on 8'series if thats what you mean Peter

 

[Peter.Cort]

yeah, no it won't work. If it's a BTX psu then you're somewhat screwed, but I think it's ATX as HP got rid of BTX things a while ago. I'd make sure that it's a standard ATX PSU, and if it is any psu is good.

What's your budget for a possible upgrade?

and Paton, I was referring to the ability to decode HD content on the gpu itself. I'm not sure if that's a CUDA thing or a physical hardware thing as I believe it was a hardware bit on the ATI cards.

 

[ezysk]

Seems like you can get a NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT with twice the processors for under a $100. What I like about it also, is that it only uses 50w power consumption. I suppose it also has an idle power feature. Just not crazy about those upper end cards where they can use up as much power as a small space heater.

 

[Peter.Cort]

right, but it's a matter of the amps that your psu puts out.. it might over load and then you'll experience worse performance in EVERYTHING rather than just HD content.

 

[ezysk]

So what kind of PSU would you recommend ? Was looking at Coolmax 14616 V-400 ATX Power Supply that goes for just under $30 but some reviewers complain that its too loud. The Thermaltake W0070RUC TR2 Series 430W has two fans and supposedly is quieter.

 

[Ethan_Kaizer]

I'm pretty sure a basic system with an HD 4670 is well under 250w though. So something even smaller like an HD 4550 should do well and still be fine with that power supply. If you wanna be safe, I'd recommend:

Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP-350B 350W ATX12V Version 2.01 Power Supply - Power Supplies

and depending on your budget:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100255L Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

or

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100252L Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Low Profile Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[ezysk]

Thanks for the links. Seems with deals and values like these, a GPU upgrade is really a no brainer.