Graphics Card for 67" LED DLP Samsung

bsharin · Post by **bsharin** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:10 pm

I just bought a new TV and want to build a computer that can support the 1080p resolution for not only video, but for gaming. I would like to keep the resolution at 1900x1200 to game on. What suggestions would you have for an adequate card? I have been looking at the ATI HD4870 and the Nvidia GTX 260/280. What is overkill? What would be ideal?

Also, I would like to keep the system as quiet as possible so that it will not be a distraction sitting next to my TV. Thanks in advance.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:27 am

My $50 AR GeForce 9600 GSO can handle 1920x1080 in most games just fine--even with 8X CSAA enabled! Once the prices start falling on the Radeon HD 4670s, those will probably be a better deal (and they are certainly more power efficient). I don't think you will see much performance benefit going beyond a $140 Radeon 4850 at the relatively low HDTV 1080p resolution.

If you had a 2560x1600 screen then you should consider a 1GB Radeon HD 4870, but a cheaper $215 AR Geforce GTX 260 is probably a better deal right now.

FWIW: I currently have my Athlon X2 4400+/Radeon HD 3200 (780G) system hooked up to a 32" Samsung LN-32A450 (1366x768). The poor IGP can somewhat handle it at 30 fps with no AA in games like Team Fortress 2, but the huge pixels look like crap.

Tzupy · Post by **Tzupy** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:53 am

Since you'll have a huge screen, good performance with 8xAA (or maybe 16xAA ?) is a must.
Both the 4870 and the GTX 260 are capable of good performance at 1920x1080 (not 1900x1200 like you wrote) with high levels of AA.
If your case is large enough for the GTX 260, then get it, it's quieter than the 4870, unless you put an aftermarket cooler on the 4870.
The cards probably come with a DVI -> HDMI adapter, but you may experience some overscan or underscan issues.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:32 am

The Geforce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4850 perform very similarly at 1920x1080. It really depends on the specific game which one is faster (i.e., you might get less performance for spending the additional $75.)

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:07 am

Anything less than the 4850\260 wont be great for gaming at your resolution. And since you have such an expensive TV im guessing you can afford a fairly beefy GPU. I recommend the 4870 with an aftermarket heatsink (personally id go for the Accelero S1 with a slow 120mm fan zip tied on). Quiet and fast.
The very high end cards (GT280 and 4870x2) wont provide much of a boost unless you up the res further, and both are very difficult to cool quietly (they cant use most heatsinks).

ryboto · Post by **ryboto** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:51 am

I'm quite jealous right now, I've been eyeing the 61'' version of that television...mind sharing your opinion on it?

ckang008 · Post by **ckang008** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:31 pm

Sorry to go a bit off topic but i'm planning to get a video card for my HDTV. Will using DVI->HDMI adaptor allow sound to be outputted on the HDTV?

FartingBob · Post by **FartingBob** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:01 am

No, You need a graphics card with HDMI connection to get sound, an adapter wont cut it.

kimx · Post by **kimx** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:48 am

FartingBob wrote:No, You need a graphics card with HDMI connection to get sound, an adapter wont cut it.

AMD cards should be able to output sound though the enclosed DVI->HDMI adapter.

ryboto · Post by **ryboto** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:13 am

kimx wrote:
FartingBob wrote:No, You need a graphics card with HDMI connection to get sound, an adapter wont cut it.
AMD cards should be able to output sound though the enclosed DVI->HDMI adapter.

I can second this, Since I actually use the DVI-HDMI adapter often with an HDTV, sound works perfectly. I don't remember when, but I can almost say for certain the HD38xx, maybe even all of the 3xxx series had an HD audio processor on board.