Good cheap 720p capable video card

va1210 · n00b Joined: 16 Apr 2005 Posts: 39

I'm currently building a media center to run Gentoo on, and I'm currently trying to decide on what graphics card to settle for. My mobo is AGP 8X, and I figure a GeForce 5xxx might be a good all-round video board for the setup. However, I'm not familiar with running HDTV modes on the PC. Does anyone have any experience here configuring xorg with HDTV modes (mainly interested in 720p), and what graphics cards are you using?

mnxAlpha · Apprentice Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 210

Does the TV have a DVI input? If so, any video card with a DVI output should do the trick, and you would configure it like a normal monitor, running at 1280x720. I know there are GeForce FX5200s available with DVI outputs, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting one.

If it doesn't have DVI input, then you'll need a graphics card with component output, capable of running in high def modes. I know the GeForce 6xxx series can do that, although I've not tried it myself.

va1210 · n00b Joined: 16 Apr 2005 Posts: 39

Yes, it does have DVI. The FX5200 sounds like the perfect choice, thanks for the help!

anxt · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:56 am Post subject:

well i have tried for two weeks to get a pic on my hdtv (advent hd3061a)
tried a radeon 9000 and geforce 5200. now i wonder, does it output digital analog or both.

i am assuming since there is a cheap adapter bundled it must put out analog (dvi-a --> vga)

my tv is dvi/hdcp, which if i understand correctly is a digital input.

is it even possible to make work with the right cable (currently i have a dvi-d single link)

i guess my question is does the rad 7000 or gf5200 actually put out a compatible signal. i really don't wanna buy a vga->compontent converter.

i tried like 40 different modelines (maybe 60), powerstrip et al, never even saw the tv show up in logs or anything.

augury · l33t Joined: 22 May 2004 Posts: 722 Location: philadelphia

does your cable have 4 pins around the flat pin? those sometimes put you in analog mode. (I pulled mine out with needle nose pliars)