which graphics card?

Hi,

Well my trusty old ATI 9800pro finally gave up the ghost :(
It is time to build a new pc.
My question is for a non gamer who wants a high spec rig for hd video and general pc use to run silently. What are my options?
I was looking at the ati 4550/4650 due to hdmi port, struggling to find the passively cooled ones in stock anywhere though.
Am i looking for the right thing?

Thanks

If gaming/3D work is completely out of the picture then you can go lower than the 4550 the 4350 is available in all sorts of guises they all appear to be passively cooled and if they do not have HDMI on the card the DVI is easily converted via the included adapter (normally included check the box contents to make sure)

Other alternatives include the 3450, 3650.

If 3D is a possibility then getting something in the region of the 4670 or above is probably a better idea but then passive options are harder to find.

thanks for advice but with a dvi adapter u don't get the audio pass through. I know this from experience :/

On a modern ATI card with the included dongle yes you do ;)

Oh ok, well i really want hdmi - tv then use dvi - hdmi for monitor so i still need an hdmi port :)

Does it have to be an ATI?

Oh and what is your budget?

ATI cards do both video and audio over HDMI unlike Nvidia cards which do only video and need a separate cable for audio.

budget for the whole rig is fairly high but since I dont game I dont think a high spec gfx is necessary and yes as above ati is the way to go for audi through hdmi

Cant you use a VGA connector to your monitor? If so, the sky is the limit on choice :)

Hold on... one TV to HDMI and one monitor to DVI... that's easy. Passive too...

http://www.scan.co.uk/Images/Products/907410-a.jpg

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512MB...Sub-DVI-I-HDMI

if you were BRAVE you could buy one with a large heatsink, unplug the fan, and underclock it by 50% and see how you get on :)

Zak triple post :o

Yeah I saw that 4350 earlier as well just was in lazy can't be bothered to post links mode.

great, can i ask what the key differences are in terms of usage? can i still get audio via dvi if i get an hdmi adapter? effectively having 2 hdmi connections.

no idea... check the website ;)

edit:http://uk.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=...92&modelmenu=2

You can use the HDMI output for just that... but the other is a standard DVI for your pc monitor, leaving you a spare VGA output if you ever need one!

thanks a lot guys,

this does look a good option, il read some reviews and see if i can find out about the audio over dvi.

driving myself crazy lookin at reviews for this new system
better be worth it lol

Thanks again :)