Best card for PC gaming on 720p HDTV?

MD1 · Oct 17, 2008, 04:14 PM

Hello everyone,

Need some advice on which graphics card to pick for my HDTV. Its a 60hz 720p 37" LCD. Max rez is 1366x768 so im looking for a card, something mid to high range, to do some PC gaming on it. ( mostly mmo's and stuff...nothing hardcore like crysis )

One other question...would it be better to go RGB or HDMI as this is the only options for PC hookup on this tv?

Thanks in advance for your help.

PennySavre · Oct 17, 2008, 04:17 PM

If the rest of your system is pretty decently-powerful, you could get a 4850... that might be overkill though, depending on how much gaming you want to do.

MD1 · Oct 17, 2008, 04:40 PM

OK, so 4850 on ATI....how bout NVIDIA?

niko084 · Oct 17, 2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1

OK, so 4850 on ATI....how bout NVIDIA?

9800GTX+ or GTX260, but at that rate you could grab a HD4870 also.

9800GT isn't too bad but the HD4850 spanks it, 8800GT isn't bad either but 4850 beats it pretty good for not much more..

4850 is pretty much your bang for you buck by a good majority right now.
It's pretty much like the x1950pro in its day, it just was the card if you didn't want to spend $300...

But to be honest if its all light duty gaming which it sounds like a HD4670/HD3870/8800GT/8800GS/9600GT would all fit the hit really well.

MD1 · Oct 17, 2008, 04:47 PM

Thanks for the advice....ok, does it matter if I use RGB or HDMI? Any advantages to one or the other?

JrRacinFan · Oct 17, 2008, 04:52 PM

I used to play on a 37" 720p. Never had any fps lag issues with an HD3870. Go with HDMI if you can with a HD4850 Toxic

Be able to max pretty much 99% of your game library.

As for nvidia, 9600GT over Component.

niko084 · Oct 17, 2008, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

I used to play on a 37" 720p. Never had any fps lag issues with an HD3870. Go with HDMI if you can with a HD4850 Toxic

Be able to max pretty much 99% of your game library.

As for nvidia, 9600GT over Component.

Pfft 100% at 720p... I don't know about the rest but the HD4850 will upscale games as well as movies!

In fact it does it so well, that I played a really crappy 540mb 320x240? or something AVI my friend had on his mp3 player through my video card into a 1080i 42" and it looked perfect!

HDMI if you can is way superior to component, and I believe its the only way you will get the upscale.

MD1 · Oct 17, 2008, 04:57 PM

Thanks everyone for the advice...just one thing...I plan on picking a graphics card for a microATX build/case. I'm afraid of overheating issues. Will I be safe?

JrRacinFan · Oct 17, 2008, 04:59 PM

I SAID 99% NIKO!!!!! LOL

.... that other 1% is Crysis

EDIT: Now were talking mATX, need a 3rd party cooler now on the vid card and cpu, with a few high cfm 80MM fans. Best person to ask is MKmods.

niko084 · Oct 17, 2008, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

I SAID 99% NIKO!!!!! LOL

.... that other 1% is Crysis

EDIT: Now were talking mATX, need a 3rd party cooler now on the vid card and cpu, with a few high cfm 80MM fans. Best person to ask is MKmods.

Eh, I can max Crysis in 1080

Minus AA anyways.

The vista issue is poor programming... Period, because the original crysis I can play it perfectly well at 1080 with 4x AA.

MD1 · Oct 17, 2008, 05:15 PM

OK guys, let me be more specific, I'm looking for enough juice to play WoW and still be good enough for Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 down the road. ( I've got a Xbox 360 for everything else )

Lets hear it fanboys, pick me one card only for the task at hand. LOL

magibeg · Oct 17, 2008, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1

OK guys, let me be more specific, I'm looking for enough juice to play WoW and still be good enough for Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 down the road. ( I've got a Xbox 360 for everything else )

Lets hear it fanboys, pick me one card only for the task at hand. LOL

Would probably help if you gave us a budget as well, but yea, a 4850 is one hell of a card.

niko084 · Oct 17, 2008, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1

OK guys, let me be more specific, I'm looking for enough juice to play WoW and still be good enough for Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 down the road. ( I've got a Xbox 360 for everything else )

Lets hear it fanboys, pick me one card only for the task at hand. LOL

The 4850 is really the bang for your buck all around... Even Nvidia fanboys will admit, may not buy but will admit.

JrRacinFan · Oct 17, 2008, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niko084

The 4850 is really the bang for your buck all around... Even Nvidia fanboys will admit, may not buy but will admit.

IM still kinda learing towards the HD3870 for him because its half as much and not too much of a decrease in performance.

Kwod · Oct 17, 2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1

Thanks for the advice....ok, does it matter if I use RGB or HDMI? Any advantages to one or the other?

Will HDMI do 768....I thought it would only do 720 and 1080

Kwod · Oct 17, 2008, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD1

Thanks everyone for the advice...just one thing...I plan on picking a graphics card for a microATX build/case. I'm afraid of overheating issues. Will I be safe?

I bought the HIS Ice cooler to avoid any heat concerns, and I've to have a problem with heat in my mid sized NZXT Hush case.

Only probs is that the HIS is more expensive and is dual slot.

Why don't you get a 4670 and then replace it when the other more demanding games come out....?

niko084 · Oct 17, 2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

IM still kinda learing towards the HD3870 for him because its half as much and not too much of a decrease in performance.

Well the 3870 is another option IMO also, its not quite 1/2 as much its more like 2/3 but I do see your point being the games are not very heavy, but that's why I included the 8800GT/GS and 3870/4670 in my op.

Eternal · Oct 20, 2008, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwod

Will HDMI do 768....I thought it would only do 720 and 1080

768 is high def 720p. It sorta just doesnt utilize the other pixels. High def is only 720p, 1080i or 1080p. n above of course.

spearman914 · Oct 20, 2008, 08:37 PM

8800 GT or 4850.

m4gicfour · Oct 20, 2008, 09:07 PM

Right now I've got a HD4850 in my Silverstone Lascala LC-13 HTPC case. I've had the same issues as everyone else with the fan set too low stock, but with a quick tweak that's fixed. Even though I did have to tweak the fan setting, i'd still say the HD4850 is the way to go; its the sweet spot for bag-for-buck, and a hell of a good performing card as well. If you do decide on a 4850 and have heat issues the fix is as simple as using Ati Tray tools to setup a custom fan table, or a BIOS tweak if you're adventurous. IMHO the heat isn't the problem here, in my case the card hit the Floppy/HDD cage, so I had to use it in my secondary PCIe x16 slot. You said you are going mATX so you might have similar problems, just make sure to check the specs before you buy, you might have to go for the shorter (anybody got a link to it

) powercolor version.

EDIT
Sorry its a Palit not a Powercolor (oops)
Here's a couple north american links:
Newegg US
Newegg.ca
NCIX (Canada)

JC316 · Oct 20, 2008, 10:00 PM

4850, 8800GTS 512MB, HD3870, or 9800GTX will do fine. Take your pick.

Oct 17, 2008, 04:14 PM	#1
MD1 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 12 (0.01/day) Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Best card for PC gaming on 720p HDTV? Hello everyone, Need some advice on which graphics card to pick for my HDTV. Its a 60hz 720p 37" LCD. Max rez is 1366x768 so im looking for a card, something mid to high range, to do some PC gaming on it. ( mostly mmo's and stuff...nothing hardcore like crysis ) One other question...would it be better to go RGB or HDMI as this is the only options for PC hookup on this tv? Thanks in advance for your help.

Processor:	Intel i7 3770K @ 3.5ghz
Motherboard:	Asus P8P67 Pro
Cooling:	CoolIt Eco120 (Push/Pull A.C. 120mm)
Memory:	4x4GB Gskill Sniper @ 9-9-9-24 1600mhz
Video Card:	HD7850 1150/1200
Hard Disk:	240GB Hyper-X 3k SSD, 2x WD Black 640 Raid 1
Optical Drive:	Sony/NEC AD-7241S
CRT/LCD Model:	Asus VE228H 21.5 1920x1080
Case:	Antec 300
Sound Card:	Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 -> Mackie MR8 Monitors
PSU:	Seasonic SS520-GB 520W
Software:	Windows 7 Pro x64

Oct 17, 2008, 04:52 PM	#6
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.14/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	I used to play on a 37" 720p. Never had any fps lag issues with an HD3870. Go with HDMI if you can with a HD4850 Toxic Be able to max pretty much 99% of your game library. As for nvidia, 9600GT over Component. __________________ Graphics Artists United™ Request Thread Low Cache CPU Club Solaris Utility DVD 3.0 DanishDevil's Logitech Soundroom TPU Video Gallery Sciencemark Revisited

System Name:	Mine; Hers; Our HTPC; NAS Box
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Cooling:	CM 212+ w/ scythe jyuni : Stock : Stock :Stock
Memory:	2x4GB Ripjawx 1866 cl9 : 2x2GB Corsair 1600 cl9 : 2x2GB Ridgebacks 1066 cl5 : 768MB PC3200
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Processor:	Intel i7 3770K @ 3.5ghz
Motherboard:	Asus P8P67 Pro
Cooling:	CoolIt Eco120 (Push/Pull A.C. 120mm)
Memory:	4x4GB Gskill Sniper @ 9-9-9-24 1600mhz
Video Card:	HD7850 1150/1200
Hard Disk:	240GB Hyper-X 3k SSD, 2x WD Black 640 Raid 1
Optical Drive:	Sony/NEC AD-7241S
CRT/LCD Model:	Asus VE228H 21.5 1920x1080
Case:	Antec 300
Sound Card:	Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 -> Mackie MR8 Monitors
PSU:	Seasonic SS520-GB 520W
Software:	Windows 7 Pro x64

Oct 17, 2008, 04:17 PM	#2
PennySavre Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 246 (0.14/day) Thanks: 35 Thanked 28 Times in 28 Posts	If the rest of your system is pretty decently-powerful, you could get a 4850... that might be overkill though, depending on how much gaming you want to do.

Oct 17, 2008, 04:40 PM	#3
MD1 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 12 (0.01/day) Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	OK, so 4850 on ATI....how bout NVIDIA?

Oct 17, 2008, 04:47 PM	#5
MD1 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 12 (0.01/day) Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Thanks for the advice....ok, does it matter if I use RGB or HDMI? Any advantages to one or the other?

Oct 17, 2008, 04:57 PM	#8
MD1 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 12 (0.01/day) Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Thanks everyone for the advice...just one thing...I plan on picking a graphics card for a microATX build/case. I'm afraid of overheating issues. Will I be safe?

Oct 17, 2008, 04:59 PM	#9
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.14/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	I SAID 99% NIKO!!!!! LOL .... that other 1% is Crysis EDIT: Now were talking mATX, need a 3rd party cooler now on the vid card and cpu, with a few high cfm 80MM fans. Best person to ask is MKmods. __________________ Graphics Artists United™ Request Thread Low Cache CPU Club Solaris Utility DVD 3.0 DanishDevil's Logitech Soundroom TPU Video Gallery Sciencemark Revisited

Oct 17, 2008, 05:15 PM	#11
MD1 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 12 (0.01/day) Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	OK guys, let me be more specific, I'm looking for enough juice to play WoW and still be good enough for Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 down the road. ( I've got a Xbox 360 for everything else ) Lets hear it fanboys, pick me one card only for the task at hand. LOL

System Name:	Not named
Processor:	Q6600 @ 3.65ghz 1.4375v w/Ultra 120 Extreme
Motherboard:	Asus P5K-E/WIFI-AP P35 (Pencil Mod)
Cooling:	4x 120mm 1x 200mm fans
Memory:	8GB DDR2 G.Skill @511mhz (5-5-5-15)
Video Card:	Asus 7870
Hard Disk:	Hitachi Deskstar 7K500 500GB SATA2
Optical Drive:	Samsung 20X DVD Burner
CRT/LCD Model:	22Inch Samsung 2220WM
Case:	Antec 900
Sound Card:	AuzenTech HDA X-PLOSION 7.1 DTS / Z-5500 logitech
PSU:	Corsair Tx750 watt

System Name:	Crysis 3
Processor:	i3570+CM 212
Motherboard:	ASUS P8Z77 V
Cooling:	Antec 1100+3 fans
Memory:	2x8gig 1600 Corsair
Video Card:	Saphire 7950 Vapour X
Hard Disk:	Samsung 250g 840
Optical Drive:	LG Sata
CRT/LCD Model:	26in LCD 1920x1200 8 bit+37in 1080p HDTV
Case:	Antec 1100
Sound Card:	Xonar DG+Z5500D
PSU:	Antec 650 Hi current
Software:	W7 64

Oct 20, 2008, 08:37 PM	#19
spearman914 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Brooklyn, New York 11223 Posts: 3,000 (1.61/day) Thanks: 339 Thanked 510 Times in 482 Posts System Specs	8800 GT or 4850. __________________ .................................................. .. “Originally Posted by mlee49 So pain level on a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being having a wart removed on your butthole with pliers.”

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Memory:	G.Skill Pi Black 2x2GB 1.02GHz CL5 \| OCZ Reaper 2x2GB 1.05GHz CL5
Video Card:	Sapphire 4870X2 2GB 820/1020MHz \| Sapphire 4850 1GB 700/1100MHz
Hard Disk:	WD VR 150GB 10K RPM + WD 500GB 7.2K RPM \| WD 200GB 7.2K RPM
Optical Drive:	Samsung Black DVD Burner \| Lite-On Black DVD Burner w/ Lightscribe
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Sound Card:	Fatal1ty Xtreme Gamer w/ Z-5500 5.1 \| On-Board Audio w/ S-220 2.1
PSU:	PC Power and Cooling 750W Non-Modular \| Corsair HX-520W Modular
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Benchmarks:	Not Wasting Time!

Oct 20, 2008, 09:07 PM	#20
m4gicfour Join Date: May 2008 Location: Swift Current, SK, Canada Posts: 788 (0.43/day) Thanks: 38 Thanked 294 Times in 225 Posts System Specs	Right now I've got a HD4850 in my Silverstone Lascala LC-13 HTPC case. I've had the same issues as everyone else with the fan set too low stock, but with a quick tweak that's fixed. Even though I did have to tweak the fan setting, i'd still say the HD4850 is the way to go; its the sweet spot for bag-for-buck, and a hell of a good performing card as well. If you do decide on a 4850 and have heat issues the fix is as simple as using Ati Tray tools to setup a custom fan table, or a BIOS tweak if you're adventurous. IMHO the heat isn't the problem here, in my case the card hit the Floppy/HDD cage, so I had to use it in my secondary PCIe x16 slot. You said you are going mATX so you might have similar problems, just make sure to check the specs before you buy, you might have to go for the shorter (anybody got a link to it ) powercolor version. EDIT Sorry its a Palit not a Powercolor (oops) Here's a couple north american links: Newegg US Newegg.ca NCIX (Canada) __________________ “Yes, but you are comparing Bethesda to EA. That's like comparing a fine dining experience at a gourmet restaurant to eating a turd out of a dumpster.” -Kreij E-Mail me? Please use with courtesy. Heatware Last edited by m4gicfour; Oct 20, 2008 at 09:22 PM. Reason: add links, fix error

System Name:	Why did I put WC in an Antec 900?
Processor:	Phenom II X6 1100T @ Stock
Motherboard:	Asus M4A79 Deluxe
Cooling:	Swiftech ApogeeXT + EK-VGASupremeHF(x2) + EK-NB/SB + EK-VRM + 2x120MM Rad + 1x120mm Rad + 3xDDC1T
Memory:	8GB Gskill DDR2 1066
Video Card:	Gigabyte Radeon 5850 1GB OC 925MHz + Sapphire RHD 5870 1GB OC 920Mhz
Hard Disk:	Corsair ForceGT 120GB + 1TB WDC Black + MediaSonic Raid array (4x Hitachi 1TB Deskstar 7200.c)
Optical Drive:	Samsung SATA Lightscribe CD/DVD Burner
CRT/LCD Model:	55" Olevia 1080P 255TFHD 10ms(it rules)
Case:	Modified Antec Nine Hundred
Sound Card:	Radeon Realtek HDMI 7.1 Audio -> Onkyo TX-SR876 + 7.1 Polk Audio
PSU:	Corsair HX850
Software:	Win 7 Pro 64-bit

Oct 20, 2008, 10:00 PM	#21
JC316 Knows what makes you tick Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: DFW/ Texas Posts: 6,047 (2.26/day) Thanks: 714 Thanked 912 Times in 696 Posts System Specs	4850, 8800GTS 512MB, HD3870, or 9800GTX will do fine. Take your pick. __________________ Core 2 Duo Overclocking guide Athlon 64 overclocking guide “If I were to do this, it'd be my luck that the door would rip off the hinges, burst into flames, and rape my face with fiery hot death.” -El Fiendo

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