AIW-9600 vs AIW-9600 Pro or XT

[garyc]

I'm building a dedicated HTPC, and plan on using an AIW-9600 series AGP card. I'll probably also add a Hauppage PVR-250 when BTV provides multiple tuner support - but for now, my question is more basic. The AIW-9600 uses passive cooling, while it's bigger brothers (Pro & XT versions) have fans. I'm going to some pains to keep the system as quiet as possible (Zalman 7000 CPU cooler, Seasonic power supply, etc.). Do the fan-cooled AIW's add any noticeable noise? I've read that they're very quiet UNLESS you're stressing the 3D capabilities -- something the HTPC won't be doing. The only real reason to get the XT version is "just because" (it's faster) and for the FM radio capabilities (Nice to have, but not critical).

Could someone who has an ATI AIW-9600XT (or Pro) comment on the noise it generates?

Thanks,
Gary

[Eric3a]

I've got an 9800 AIW Pro. the original fan was too noisy, but I changed it to an Artic Cooler
http://www.hwhell.com/articles/artic..._vga_silencer/
Which is very quiet, and it's hard to tell if it's running or not.

Eric

[garyc]

Since I really don't need the higher graphics speed, I've decided to just use a 9600SE with passive cooling rather than swap out the heatsink (which voids the warranty). I'm not a gamer anyhow -- my main concern is to get a card with as good a TV output as possible, and the ATIs seem to get better marks than nVidia-based cards on most of the forums I've read.

Anyone have any experience with the Sapphire 9600 cards? The Sapphire 9600 (128-bit) is actually less then the ATI 9600SE (64-bit) -- and comes with 256mb vs the ATI's 128mb. Sounds like this is the way to go. I've already ordered everything for my system except the video card (initial build will use an old video card w/out TV-out -- but I want to order a new video card sometime next week.

Appreciate any thoughts/opinions that contribute to the "best" video card.

Gary

__________________________
System "on the way" (building this weekend): Intel D875PBZ, P-IV 3.2ghz, 1gb Crucial ECC memory, Video TBD, PVR-250, WinXP Pro, WD Raptor 74gb 10k, 2 x WD 250gb, Audigy 2 ZS, Seasonic PSU, Zalman 7000A-Cu CPU cooler, 19" LCD + 60" Sony XBR

[garyc]

Another thought -- anyone know when dual tuner support will be available? My plan is to try the trials of both BTV and Sage TV before buying -- and it would be nice to be able to try both with multiple tuners. From what I've read, I think BTV has a nicer feature set (especially if the commercial-skipping feature works nicely -- we've had Commercial Advance on our VCRs for 7-8 years and love it), but multiple tuner support is absolutely necessary IMHO, since our current DVR (SA-8000) has this and we often record simultaneous programs. My plan is to have 4 or 5 tuners.

Gary

[btvfreak]

If you haven't already, then you may want to look at the "Proven Hardware List" from HTPCnews. There's some good info about all the major components, including video/capture cards.

ATI Based cards: For standard TV a ATI Radeon 9000 or higher is recommended for the better TV output quality; especially the 9000/9200 or 9600 non-pro versions as they are fanless, or Sapphire Radeon Ultimate Edition cards which use a fanless “heatpipe� style cooler.
For beginners or those tight on space an ATI All-in-Wonder VE for PCI systems or 9000Pro/9600Pro/9700/9700Pro/9800 recommended for AGP systems can be a decent option for basic capture duties.

I would recommend getting a PVR-250 for capture and an ATI card for strictly video out. I had both an AIW and AIW VE (PCI card) and the PVR-250 has outdone them in video quality while using much less CPU.

The SmartSkip (commercial advance) works most of the time, but is not perfect. Also, it only works if you record as mpeg2. I really love this feature too!

If you're interested in dual-tuner support, then version 3.5 will have this capability. If you'd like to try it out, then sign up for the beta program.

[garyc]

Thanks for the info. I had already read the HTPC link (that's why I was focusing on ATI cards), and have already ordered a PVR-250 (this and other forums have convinced me the hardware encoders are the only way to go). I was going to order an AIW "just because" -- get the ATI TV output and have the additional AIW features just in case I ever wanted to try them. I've basically concluded that's unnecessary -- and besides the non-AIW cards have a DVI output that I can use with my LCD (19"). Appreciate your comments -- they confirm my thought that the AIW isn't necessary, and the comments on SmartSkip are appreciated as well.

I'll also sign up for the beta program so I can try the multiple tuner support. IMHO that's the most important & useful feature that's currently missing from BTV. (the link you provided doesn't work at the moment -- I'll keep trying, however)

My goal by year-end is to have a 4-tuner system with at least a terabyte of storage ....

Gary