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MSI rolls out R4600 HDMI GPU series for HTPC builders

by Darren Murph posted Mar 21st 2009 at 9:23AM


We won't say the homegrown HTPC is making a comeback or anything, but shortly after Lian-Li laid out a new pair of cases, in flies MSI with a new duo of media PC-centric video cards. The R4600 series is comprised of the R4650 and R4670 (ATI), both of which are available in 512MB of 1GB flavors. Aside from boasting an all-too-useful HDMI port, these cards also support 7.1-channel audio output for use with internal Blu-ray drives, and the design is such that they won't infringe on any other nearby PCIe cards. Per usual, MSI left us hanging with respect to pricing and availability, but we're going out on a limb and expecting these to be totally reasonable.

Ask Engadget HD: What's the best graphics card for my HTPC?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 10th 2008 at 12:00PM Featured Story


So, you've decided to build yourself an HTPC, huh? Splendid! Now, what GPU are you going to toss in there? That's the gist of Marcus' question:

"I'm looking to assemble a living room PC to play back Blu-ray Discs, internet video, streamed HD clips, etc. I'm stuck when it comes to selecting a graphics card powerful enough to handle all of that. I haven't decided whether or not to get a full-sized tower or just a mini-tower, so I'd appreciate suggestions for both setups. Cheaper is better, but I'll pay to make sure all playback is buttery smooth."

So, dearest readers, what's the GPU to get these days for handling multimedia content? Is ATI's new All-in-Wonder HD worth a look? Drop your advice in comments below.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

AMD's ATI All-in-Wonder HD gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Aug 19th 2008 at 8:41AM


Loyal All-in-Wonder users from years past have probably been watching the progression of AMD's revised version of the card with extreme interest. After such an absence, however, we understand the need to be cautious before snapping this up for your upcoming HTPC. HotHardware recently received one of these units for testing, and while it was only deemed "entry level" in the gaming department, the multimedia performance was smiled upon. To quote, "the [card] did an excellent job presenting digital video content in a quality manner without creating excessive power consumption in order to do so." As expected, the unit wasn't recommend for everyone (read: non-TV buffs), but those who'd utilize the built-in ClearQAM support probably can't go wrong for $199. Hit the read link for a whole gaggle of test results.

Asus rolls out HDMI-enabled EAX1600PRO / EN7600GT graphics cards

by Darren Murph posted Mar 13th 2007 at 11:02PM


Asus is no stranger to kicking out curious motherboards and other peripherals that we geeks just can't help but love, and following up on its undertaking of auxiliary displays and the AquaTank PCI card is a couple of swank new video cards that tout an HDCP-friendly HDMI port. The half-height ATI Radeon X1600 EAX1600PRO was apparently crafted with the common HTPC builder in mind, as its diminutive size lends itself to becoming a perfect fit for those tight spaces within AV-like media center PC cases. But before you gamers get too excited, you should probably know that in-game performance is likely to be less than stellar, but HotHardware did note that its model wasn't shy when overclocked. Interestingly, this HTPC-centric card comes bundled sans a true HDMI-to-HDMI cable, which leaves us all a bit miffed considering the niche it's trying to appease. The EN7600GT ups the ante by delivering the frame rate luxuries as only an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 can, but its full-height design will definitely cause problems in slimmer enclosures. Other extras found on this device are its SLI-capabilities, DVI / S-video outputs, and optical audio jack, but considering it packs just 256MB of GDDR3 RAM, the hardcore gamers in the crowd are still not likely to find themselves impressed. Still, with the EAX1600PRO ringing up at just around a cool hundred, and the more powerful EN7600GT asking just about twice that, these here cards look to be solid options if you're just getting around to creating your own HTPC.

[Via Slashdot]




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