What's a good VIDEO card for Audio Production?

[MARK ANXIOUS]

It's been AGES since I upgraded my video card (Matrox G550) and I think it's time I did something about it. In fact I tried about 12 months ago with some all-singing all-dancing G-Force thing but the fan on it was so damn noisey I got totally pissed off and stuck a screw driver through it (yeah, it was one of those 'i thought that was on the track' moments grrrr!!!!!!!)....

Hehe

So really the question is, what do people reckon is the best video card to get for Audio Production (2 Monitors).. Surely I don't need one of these top-of-the-range gaming cards? But then again I want something good that's totally up to the job....

Thanks in advance for any help on this guys!!!

[loopdon]

I got myself a fan-less dual-dvi card from club3d or something. I shall have a look later in the cellar. Hated the fan noise on another one i tried.

[RDR]

Ive changed the thread title.

[loopdon]

I meant to tell him as soon as i saw 'matrox'

[tonyc2002]

Get a couple of these bad boys http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(17643)...PCIE-Dual.aspx :lol:

Seriously though, have a look on that site. I got myself an XFX GT 8500 (I think) for about £60 and its plenty powerful.

[tocsin]

Any 8000 series Nvidia card is probably overkill, since the only real advantage they have over the 7000 series is DirectX 10 support. If one isn't running Vista, it's pretty much pointless as the 7000 series is generally cheaper. Easiest bet is really just to surf through a joint like Newegg and take a look at the graphics cards in that area that don't use fans. For example, here's one for $57.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121021

Of course, I don't know the particular specs of your machine, but if you look around this section here, you can probably find something silent, affordable, and practical if not more than what you need. And, of course, read the user reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121064

[dan the acid man]

this would do you fine http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119720

that's if you're agp, if you're pci express just go for anything in the nvidia 7 or 8 series without a fan on.

[tocsin]

this would do you fine http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119720

that's if you're agp, if you're pci express just go for anything in the nvidia 7 or 8 series without a fan on.

The only reason I'd avoid the 6 series right now is because it's pretty much going obsolete. The last 6 series card I had before I upgraded to the series 7 (had it from about 2002) couldn't play a number of video demos and such because it didn't support all the routines that the programs called. Yeah, it's unlikely this would be an issue for someone just doing audio but, given there is the chance that the machine might be used for some game or other visually demanding app, I don't see any reason to not go with a series 7.

[MARK ANXIOUS]

wow, thanks everyone!

well it's been a while since i looked into cards like i said and it's all flooding back to me. for those that really don't know what to get, you have to check your motherboard to see what type of card it supports. agp and pci-e is preferable. pci graphics cards are old school ;)

ok so then you've got to check what your motherboard is capable of dealing with. mine's an asus p4p800 deluxe. quite old now, but after a quick google i can see it's capable of agp 3. therefore i can get an 8x agp card (.8V is the voltage requirement of 8x AGP cards utilizing AGP specification 3.0).

now, for me in the studio, fan noise is a really important consideration. thanks for the tips so far on silents with a heatsink, but they were pci so, after a quick google i've found

gigabyte geforce 7600 GS AGP

then i found:

Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ 512MB AGP Silent

ok there's dan's 6 series one, but i personally think these might be too old. plus i don't like reading bad review from tocsin ;) i didn't even consider 8 series cause i'm sure they're way too good for what i need the card for - oh and darn expensive!!!

what do you guys think - am i on the right track with these two???

[MARK ANXIOUS]

good god that bliss is £200!!!!!!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gainward-780...4070125&sr=1-2

do i really need that?

perhaps this one is a right sort of trade off on a 7 series for audio production £70???:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-GV-.../dp/B00104ZQCM

arrghhhhhh head hurts!!! need help!!!!!! :lol:

[MARK ANXIOUS]

i've just found a 512 mb version of the 7600 for £50. AND it's just down the road - ready for me to pick up and fit tomorrow!!!

what do you think????

http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...d=sfag76sdh-u2

[Loop]

Sparkle ain't known for build quality, in fact they have terrible rep with ma L337 buddies, go for something a wee bit more expensive, maybe this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=56&subcat=912
or try and find a BFG 7 series.

[tocsin]

ok so then you've got to check what your motherboard is capable of dealing with. mine's an asus p4p800 deluxe. quite old now, but after a quick google i can see it's capable of agp 3. therefore i can get an 8x agp card (.8V is the voltage requirement of 8x AGP cards utilizing AGP specification 3.0).

First off, if you're not planning on upgrading the CPU or anything, that motherboard is great. I had the exact same thing and would have been fine keeping it. Only reason I didn't was because I snagged a quadcore chip and the motherboard didn't support it. If you are not a hardcore gamer at this point, and just use your system for audio production and basic video, that motherboard is a powerhouse. PCIe doesn't really offer any advantage to anyone who isn't a gamer.

now, for me in the studio, fan noise is a really important consideration. thanks for the tips so far on silents with a heatsink, but they were pci so, after a quick google i've found

gigabyte geforce 7600 GS AGP

then i found:

Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ 512MB AGP Silent

ok there's dan's 6 series one, but i personally think these might be too old. plus i don't like reading bad review from tocsin ;) i didn't even consider 8 series cause i'm sure they're way too good for what i need the card for - oh and darn expensive!!!

Even PCI may not be an issue for you if you aren't a gamer. Truly, the only difference bwteen an AGP and a PCI video card is that the AGP has a faster and dedicated bus. That's it. While you'll definitely be getting a near Dodo Bird of a card if you go PCI at this point, it may work for you just fine. Before I did my most recent upgrade, I had a second video card in my machine that was PCI which powered the monitor I used for all my FX and VSTi windows.

Also, for Series 6, I don't want you to think I'm giving it a bad review. It's a solid chipset and I never encountered any compatability issue with it until just about a year ago. For a studio setup, if all you're doing is audio, it's likely fine. However, from what I've seen, you only save about $20-$30 USD if you go with a Series 6 instead of a Series 7 over here in the States. If it's not the same in the UK, it may be worth considering if you don't plan on gaming and don't generally view graphics demos.

As for Series 8, if you're not running Vista, don't bother. Only real difference between series 8 and series 7 for the most part is Direct X 10 support. Direct X 10 is barely even used by games at this point. If you're not a gaming enthusiast, you just won't need it which makes the price overkill. And if you aren't running Vista, then your machine doesn't have Direct X 10 at the moment.

what do you guys think - am i on the right track with these two???

Unfortunately, I know nothing of those cards. Before you pick anything up, try just browsing through newegg.com. You don't have to buy from them, but they are a great resource to browse because they encourage reviews from their customers. So, you have a reliable database of reviews there from actual customers, and not companies trying to pitch a product.

[loopdon]

Hi Mark,

i have had a look. I have the CLUB-3D X1300 Pro, which is dual-dvi and is cooled passively. Been happy ever since.