Is it possible? I recently bought a card for my HTPC, but have now discovered that it doesn't appear to support blu-ray. Any suggestions?
It doesn't... support Blu-Ray? Maybe it's too slow (unlikely), but that really sounds like a software problem to me. What card do you have and what kind of crap is your system giving you about not being able to play Blu-Ray? - Diosjenin -
Didn't think this one was passive? Im on the hunt for a cheap but good bluray/hd playback graphics card at the moment. With HDMI audio. Seems like a right decision picking one
Go for an ATI variant if you want HDMI, as the ATI cards have built in audio (nVidia still requires a sound card with the proper header). I'd recommend a 4550... http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512M...GDDR3-GPU-600MHz-80-Cores-D-Sub-DL-DVI-I-HDMI Full passive, great performance for the price, and it's got a built in HDMI port (no adapter required).
@Cyberlink: @Anandtech: And of course GPUs along the same lines released after that article was written (GeForce 8400 and 9400 IGPs, Radeon 4350 and 4550, etc.) also support 8-channel LPCM. I did a little looking around, and unfortunately there aren't any passively cooled 4350s with either an HDMI port or a DVI-HDMI adapter, nor are there any passively cooled 4550s that are also low-profile, and beyond that it's just standard-height cards. If you're willing to buy a DVI-HDMI adapter or cable separately, shoot for a Radeon 4350, otherwise a Radeon 3450 will suit you fine. Or if you don't much care about 8-channel LPCM and feel like batting for the green team, there's plenty of stuff in their camp as well. - Diosjenin -
That looks like a good bet to me. Fits all your specifications (low profile, passive, HDMI), and it's HD 3000 series so shouldn't be too slow. +1
I would try to avoid passive videocards at all costs. first of all you will need some kind of airflow to cool it anyway, whether it's in the case or on the videocard itself, the air has to move so there is no way you could have no fan in the case (excluding watercooling as a possibility) second of all, fanless videocards tend to die easily. I have seen lots of them die in PC's that were getting old and dusty so once again, you need to make sure you have a very good airflow in your case
I've always had passive-cooling video cards, and never had issues. There will of course be some airflow.
Have you considered buying a card then fitting a passive aftermarket cooler? Thermalright make some big shiny things... Although that wouldn't be half height. Scrap that idea.
It is possible for me to use full height cards, though it reduces me to 2 cards maximum, so I might go that way, or just find a factory-made passive one.
Nice! I was after similar, but didn't need a passive card (I also wanted to do some light gaming on it) I went for a Sapphire HD4650 - plays left4dead and GRID at 1360x720, and Blu-rays at good old 1080p.
