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What are the best video cards to use with InfoChannel 5?
Hardware FAQ Solution #24, Video Cards (last modified 05/15/2008):
Recommended Video Cards:
PCIeX16:
nVidia PCI-Express, (PCIeX16), Graphics Cards:
The "very-low-end" and "low-end" cards generally have very poor Heat-Sink-Fan assemblies. Customers should be made aware that these devices are likely to be a future maintenance issue.
General Guidelines:
"Very-Low-end"/"Low-end" is viewed as single-output, <= 1360x768, three or less "Zones", Limited Video playback--no HiDef. [or dual output, <= 2x1024x768]
"Mid-Range" with 512MB is viewed as single-output up to 1920x1080, or two 1360x768, displays with HiDef video clips.
"High-End" is two 1920x1080 HiDef displays, several "zones," multiple HiDef video clips.
ATi RADEON cards are best for:
60 FPS Video, Single Output. Dual/Triple-Display is currently only practial with the use of a Matrox GXM. [DualHead2Go / TripleHead2Go--Digital or Analog--3840x1024 max]
NVIDIA GeForce cards are best for:
Limited to 30 FPS video, Dual-Output. Dual-Display possible w/o a Matrox GXM.
Preferred Cards:
Very Low End Discrete Graphics:
EVGA 256-P2-N732-LR GeForce 8400GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card
ASUS EN8400GS/HTP/256M GeForce 8400GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16
POWERCOLOR 24PRO 256M DDR2 Radeon HD 2400PRO 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
ASUS EAH2400PRO/HTP/256M Radeon HD 2400PRO 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Low-End Discrete Graphics:
Currently _NO_ Intel Integrated Graphics Processor, (IGP) Chipset is approved! (not i945G, Q963, G965, G33, G35, or any of the X4#-series)
EVGA 256-P2-N741-LR GeForce 8500GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
ASUS EN8500GT SILENT/HTP/256M GeForce 8500GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
SAPPHIRE 100206L Radeon HD 2600PRO 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card
EVGA 512-P2-N747-LR GeForce 8500GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
XFX PVT84JYAJG GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Low End Integrated Graphics:
Intel Q963 or better--AMD/ATi? RADEON Xpress 1150+ or nVidia Geforce 61## strongly preferred.
ATi RADEON Xpress,(RS41x, RS48x, RS69x), IGP chipsets offer better graphics performance than the Intel products--and more flexible 16:9 display mode options.
ATi RADEON Xpress 1200+(1250, 1270, HD3200)
nVidia GeForce 6150LE or better (7050, 7150, 8200)
INTEL _MOTHERBOARD_ CHIPSETS ARE FINE.
Mid-Range Discrete Graphics:
ASUS EN8600GT SILENT/HTDP/512M GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Super Silent Video Card
EVGA 512-P2-N757-TR GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
PNY VCG86512GXPB-OC GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
SAPPHIRE 100207L Radeon HD 2600PRO 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card
ATi RADEON X2400PRO or better.
ATi RADEON HD2400PRO or better.
nVidia [[GeForce8400GS] or better.
Mid-Range Integrated Graphics:
ATi RADEON Xpress 1200+(1250, 1270, HD3200.
nVidia GeForce 6150LE or better (7050,7150, 8200).
Mid-Range Dual Channel Discrete Graphics:
PCIeX16, (a.k.a. "PEG" cards): nVidia GeForce8600+ w/512MB, Dual DVI-I connectors or DMS-59+"Y-Cable".
If "Dual Output" or HDTV/Component(Y, Pr, Pb) output is required, nVidia products are strongly suggested. If tradition "TV", (NTSC/PAL), capability is desired, ATi products are superior. If "90-degree rotation", (a.k.a."Portrait Mode" is wanted--currently the nV products are better--although in this area the "best" title has been which from Ati to nV and back on a Quarter to Quarter basis.
"Fake Graphics Memory:" Both nVidia and ATi have low end PEG graphics cards that are designated, "TC"(TurboCache)for nVidia, and "HM"(HyperMemory) for ATi. These "special cheap" cards have only 16 or 32 MB of real graphics memory and "use system ram" for the 128MB or 256MB that they report as having to the system. THESE CARDS ARE TO BE AVOIDED! This is an issue with many of the "Mainstream Corporate" PC's from IBM, DELL, HP, FSC, etc.
High-End Discrete Graphics:
ASUS EN8800GT/G/HTDP/512M GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
XFX PVT88PYDD4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
EVGA 512-P3-N805-A1 GeForce 8800GT KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
DIAMOND 3870PE4512SB Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
SAPPHIRE 100215L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
ATi RADEON X1650/512MB or better.
nVidia GeForce7800?/512MB or better. Dual DVI-I connectors or DMS-59+"Y-Cable".
Very-High-End Discrete Graphics:
ATi RADEON X3600/512MB or better.
nVidia GeForce8800/512MB or better. Dual DVI-I connectors or DMS-59+"Y-Cable".
SAPPHIRE 100211 Radeon HD 2900XT 1GB 512-bit GDDR4 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
DIAMOND 2900XT1GPE Radeon HD 2900XT 1GB 512-bit GDDR4 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
PNY VCQFX5500-PCIE-PB Quadro FX5500 1GB 256-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card
Requirement for "Dual-Link DVI-D
Many of the Very-Low, Low, and Mid-Range cards only support Single-Link DVI or only support Dual-Link DVI on the primary output.
Notes on IGP
NOTE: None of the IGP solutions are really ideal for "High Performance" scripts. These are cheap embedded graphics core chipsets best suited for modest needs. Figure a single 1360x768@60Hz display with no more than three frames of which only one is a video file. Do not use Intel 800 or 900 series IGP for InfoChannel 5.
(1) Intel's G33 chipset has very good performance for an IGP on a par with NVIDIA GeForce6150 and ATi RS4## series. However the Intel Q35, while sharing many of the same performance attributes of the G33 it does not appear to permit the BIOS-selection of the size of the video memory allocation. On our single sample this appears to be set to 64MB. [We have checked the PDF's for two other Q35 systems, and none of them have the "32, 64, 128, 256 MB" options that I see in every G33 board's BIOS]. This means that while appearing to perform great the Q35 failed our stress test in under an hour.
NOTE: The G33/Q35 boards we have access to have considerable
compatibility problems with some PCIeX16 Video cards, PCI TV-Capture cards and PCI RAID controllers [some of the problems have been fixed in recent BIOS updates].
Our view is that the G33 and the G35 will be good products for IC5 when the BIOS/chipset bugs are fixed. Reason: Intel appears to have seriously addressed the raw performance of their IGP. The faster FSB's and Memory Bus'es will raise the basic performance of the IGP solution into the territory of some of the lower end 64-bit graphics cards. The Q33/Q35 if it is true that they do not permit variations in video memory allocations are not options for use with IC5. THIS IS AN AREA THAT WILL LEAD TO SOME CONSFUSION AS INTEL CALLS THE "Q33/Q35" CHIPSETS "GMA3100", WHICH IS ALSO THE NAME OF THE "G33" [the "G35" gets the new fancy name of "GMA3500"].
(2) The NVIDIA GeForce 7050(AMD CPU) and 7150(Intel CPU) IGP's have
excellent performance. These are actually "cost reduced" successors to the GeForce 6150, which was a very good chipset for IC5. They work, and work well.
(3) The ATi 690T/V/G. This is AMD/ATi's current IGP. Also known as
the "RADEON Xpress 1200/1250". Stable. Using current board samples and drivers these chips are not performing as well as the previous generation ATi IGP product. This confuses us as by every other benchmark. The 3DMark/Sandra chipset should be performing about 7% faster than the RS4##'s, and considerably better than the Intel/NVIDIA chipsets. Its stable and worth watching.
(4) The VIA CN700. This is the IGP chipset of the current VIA
EPIA/Mini-, Nano-, & Pico-ITX boards--as well as the VIA "VESA-Mount Digital Signage Engine". Totally worthless.
NOT YET TESTED/NO OPINION:
Intel "X4#" Chipsets/IGP. [e.g. "G43", "G45", etc.]
nVidia GeForce 8200
Regards,
Scala Technical Support
