What Graphics Card do I need for H264?

nwgarratt

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 5, 2002
Messages
29,434
Reaction score
3,612
Points
4,249
Age
49
I only have a Athlon 64 3700. I cannot play 1080p H264 files without severe stuttering and lip sync issues. I have the same problem with BD and HD-DVD's (LG BD/HD-DVD ROM drive). I have been told I just need a graphics card. I am using Geforce 6150 onboard atm. I don't have a lot of room so a small one and cheap as possible is needed and would prefer to stick wih Nvidia.
 
I only have a Athlon 64 3700. I cannot play 1080p H264 files without severe stuttering and lip sync issues. I have the same problem with BD and HD-DVD's (LG BD/HD-DVD ROM drive). I have been told I just need a graphics card. I am using Geforce 6150 onboard atm. I don't have a lot of room so a small one and cheap as possible is needed and would prefer to stick wih Nvidia.


nvidia supports that but you need to use this player (not sure if others do) maybe power dvd

link

NVIDIA PureVideo


gives you a list of cards that support at bottom of page


also look at this go to bottom of page

Features & Benefits

:thumbsup:
 
Forgot to mention that I am using a Asus socket 939 A8N-VM CSM board. I do have PowerDVD 7.3 and Nero Showtime installed. I prefer the Nero software.

I can play up to VC-1 1080p from my hdd but just had a thought. Would the graphics card just do discs and not files?
 
Last edited:
I have been told I just need a graphics card. I am using Geforce 6150 onboard atm.
The graphics card is only half the story; you also need a video codec which if you want hardware acceleration onboard. I have a feeling your CPU is not upto the task but you could always try CoreAVC as this is a software H264 decoder and whilst not free you can try the demo and see if it would save you a new graphics card.

If CoreAVC is no good (I am guessing your CPU will just max out at 100%) then check out this for details of which cards do what

If you have a BD drive I would imagine you got PowerDVD with it? If so you need to get whatever you are using to playback video to use their codecs and you should be ok.
 
comparison says power dvd 7 does not support it .
 
You might need to swap out your cpu for a dual core 4400/4600. If you can find one it should be fairly cheap, try flea bay.

The if your not gaming go for a 3450 ATi (£25) or get a 4670 (£60). The 4670 will allow you to pass HD audio down the HDMI connection.

If you want to game on the pc then go for the 4850 for £100.

Try the card first and see how you get on. I think you will have to upgrade your cpu to get what you need, might be lucky. :)
 
Also - HD broadcast TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD can be much more easily hardware accelerated by the right video card and codec combo than some x264 MKVs and other file-based formats that require a hefty processor, as they don't exploit graphics card acceleration in the same way. (HD Broadcasts, Blu-ray and HD-DVD have quite tight specifications making this much easier to support than some files which can be encoded with far more variables)
 
comparison says power dvd 7 does not support it .
which comparision and support what.....

PowerDVD 7.3 Ultra (the version which shipped with my LG BD drive) does H264 with hardware acceleration
 
if you click on the link andy98765 posted for power dvd and then click comparision it says powerdvd 7 does not support it

here is link that was posted

DVD Player Software - CyberLink PowerDVD – #1 Playback Software for DVDs and Blu-ray Discs

That link does say it is supported.

High-Definition video formats - play MPEG-4 AVC (H.264), MPEG-2 HD, WMV-HD, and SMPTE VC-1 files

If it wasn't than loads of BD wouldn't play without acceleration.

So does HD files on the hdd get accelerated by the graphics card? If not then I have to forget about a card as I won't be replacing any hardware anytime soon.
 
Most file based HiDef material is not going to be Hardware accelerated by the GPU, and is powered by CPU and helped nicely by special codecs like cOREAVC.

Optical based HiDef material is HA, and thus helped by the GPU.
 
Most file based HiDef material is not going to be Hardware accelerated by the GPU, and is powered by CPU and helped nicely by special codecs like cOREAVC.

Optical based HiDef material is HA, and thus helped by the GPU.

Thanks for confirmation. I already have codecs on the pc and it isn't enough. I want both optical and file based accerelation so it looks like I will have to wait until my next pc.
 
Thanks for confirmation. I already have codecs on the pc and it isn't enough. I want both optical and file based accerelation so it looks like I will have to wait until my next pc.

Err. Hello :hiya:

Read my post again £75 should get you what you need. £50 for the cpu and £25 for the gpu. ;)
 
Err. Hello :hiya:

Read my post again £75 should get you what you need. £50 for the cpu and £25 for the gpu. ;)

I did read it unfortunately x2's cpus go for around £100 now and out of my budget.
 
That link does say it is supported.



If it wasn't than loads of BD wouldn't play without acceleration.

So does HD files on the hdd get accelerated by the graphics card? If not then I have to forget about a card as I won't be replacing any hardware anytime soon.

it does i.e Deluxe you said powerdvd 7.3 version (patched) you never said you had Deluxe or ultra

have you tryed purevideo that takes advantage of your card i.e hardware it is worth a try before mass upgrade
 
Most file based HiDef material is not going to be Hardware accelerated by the GPU, and is powered by CPU and helped nicely by special codecs like cOREAVC.
Depends where you get the files from. The problem is that some codecs are a little funny with standards. HD standards mean that certain flags should be set and without them some codecs refuse to do hardware acceleration.

If you rip them yourself you can quite easily get hardware acceleration. Also I believe more and more stuff available on t'interweb is also encoded for hardware acceleration.
 
Thanks for confirmation. I already have codecs on the pc and it isn't enough. I want both optical and file based accerelation so it looks like I will have to wait until my next pc.
Have you tried CoreAVC?

Also you should be able to get a fair bit of H264 playback using an ATI 3450 which you can get for around £25
 
Depends where you get the files from. The problem is that some codecs are a little funny with standards. HD standards mean that certain flags should be set and without them some codecs refuse to do hardware acceleration.

If you rip them yourself you can quite easily get hardware acceleration. Also I believe more and more stuff available on t'interweb is also encoded for hardware acceleration.

This is the problem - unless you have done them yourself, you cannot guarentee that they are HA, and may think you are ok with a GPU, then find the next ones that you pick up from our mate Tim are not....:D

And to the OP - X2 AMD start from £42 inc vat ex delivery as Razor mentions....
 
He needs a Socket 939 CPU though, and these seem to command a bit of a premium for some reason - on the face of it, it looks like it might not be any dearer to upgrade the motherboard and then use a cheaper AM2 x2 CPU -seems a bit odd TBH!!! :)
 
Any 8 series gforce will do the job

Slight overkill for playing mkvs in a HTPC. Whats that Qute from the Red Dragon in Bone? "...never show an Ace when a two will do..."
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom