Got a free PC, hooked it up to my tv...what cheapie vid card to buy ?

[dimmy32]

SO my tv is a 46 inch samsung LCD. I got a cheapish computer for free and have it hooked up .
My question is, if I pop a vid card into the PC,will my youtube vids (porn) play in HD ?
If so, what card would you guys recommend ? it wont be used for games...just internetz.
My tv has an HDMI input , but no DVI.

[mikeysg]

Even the lowest end AMD/ATi and nVidia GPUs can handle decoding Bluray HD, so I guess they would do a bang up job for streaming HD movies and such (driver and software permitting). I can't really say for sure, so wait for more Sharks to chim in....

[wh666-666]

No probs, it's easy to get a card that has HDMI ....

A cheapie card will do the job perfectly, I would always aim for the cheapest possible of supporting HD and preferably passive. Listed prices in USD off newegg, not sure if you use tigerdirect or someone else in Canada?

Here is one for $15 USD after MIR. Completely passive, will support HD and HD protected content (HDCP):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500220

However that card is a bit weak on stats and looks like it has a small heatsink. I would probably go with this one below to be honest. The fan only looks like a weak one that shouldnt annoy you by being too loud. 1GB DDR3 low profile card. Will do the job very nicely. Again, supports HD and HDCP. $19.99 after MIR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e-_-14-127-583

[dimmy32]

so as long as it has an HDMI out, i'm good to go ?

cool !
I usually shop at NCIX or tigerdirect. very cheap prices.

[wh666-666]

A refurbished 8400 GS at tiger direct for about $20 CAD at the moment.

Nice score on the free computer btw, well done

[dimmy32]

friend of mine is a doctor, he got a mac.
Its a pentium dual core, with 2 gigs of ram, no vid card. I installed Windws 7.
I bought a wireless keyboard and mouse.
Now I surf with style !

[wh666-666]

friend of mine is a doctor, he got a mac.
Its a pentium dual core, with 2 gigs of ram, no vid card. I installed Windws 7.
I bought a wireless keyboard and mouse.
Now I surf with style !

Nice friend !

Saved yourself a good £100

[kpxgq]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125378

[kujoe2002]

Dimmy, I bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details

and hooked it up to my computer. I ended up buying a DVI to HDMI cable and it works well.

you can either get a DVI to HDMI cable:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882021059

or if you have a dual DVI cable, you can just buy the adapter:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882021066

I bought the cable itself as it's cheap enough.

I think HD is dependent on the TV itself.

[James]

Hope I'm not too late, but go with AMD.

They have the "loosest" HDMI protocol adherence which can seriously ease headaches when connecting the PC to older TV's.

I have a passively cooled HD5450 that I picked up for $50. Best money I ever spent for my HTPC.