Radeon 9250?

[wcombs]

Is the radeon 9250 a pretty good card for BTV? Also will it do Halflife 2 or similar games at 1024x768 pretty good? I have a projector that I use with BTV and thats the highest res it will go to.

My setup right now is
Athlon 2600+
512MB Ram
GeForce FX 5200 (Moving this card to a BTV Link computer)
1 WinTV GO
1 PVR 250
1 MCE 500
About 400 GB of space.

I have Beyond Media + Firefly + BTV
I also have a media MVP for a small TV.

Also does anyone use the Spotlight feature in BM? I always get a javascript error when I try to go to one of the options in spotlight.

Thanks.

[RiderFan]

The 9250 will work but it is not ideal. You need a direct x9 compliant card, at least a 9550 or higher.


For gaming, You should look at an x800 or better.

[tim_d_wagner]

Originally Posted by wcombs

Is the radeon 9250 a pretty good card for BTV? Also will it do Halflife 2 or similar games at 1024x768 pretty good? I have a projector that I use with BTV and thats the highest res it will go to.

I was using the 9250 and had no issues with it, it is comparable to the 5200 you are using now. I swapped up to a 9550 when my friend needed a new card. Since it has built in MPEG decoding it lowered has lowered my CPU usage when viewing shows. I bought the Power Color 128MB SE model which is fanless. The other 9550's are better for gaming, but the lower card I have is fine for BTV and the odd game. Avid gamers will probably want the non SE card. I mainly output to a 32" TV, and occasionally my projector. My projector can display 1024x768, but I normally use 800x600 with BTV to better match my recording size so I get less pixel stretch. You may want to try both on your projector. Unless you are getting a great deal I would get a 9550 since it is a newer card and has several beneficial features, but if you do choose the 9250 it should serve you well.

[DallasTejas54]

For Half-life2 at 1024, you will need at least a 9600XT I am using a 9800 Pro and playing at 1024. Runs pretty smooth until you get to a really "busy" screen (several ememies at once out doors).

For newer games such as F.E.A.R. my 9800Pro is not powerful enough. Had to crank it down to 800x600.

If you are a gamer, get the most card you can afford. For BTV, the 9250 should be fine.

[tbil99]

Originally Posted by DallasTejas54

For BTV, the 9250 should be fine.

Is that for analogue only or HDTV too?

[tim_d_wagner]

For HD you will want 9550 or better and a DVI to HDTV adapter or some such widget. I think ATI supports HDTV for AIW 8500 Series, RADEON 9500 Series, RADEON 9600 Series, RADEON 9700 Series, RADEON 9800 Series, and a bunch of the RADEON X cards.

Originally Posted by tbil99

Is that for analogue only or HDTV too?

[Edgarmoon]

Ok, minimum specs for hdtv are 9550, however, I just installed my A180 HD capture card onto my system with an AIW 7500 and I can playback Live hdtv channels fine, no skipping, no problems. On the other hand I've seen postings of people with fx5200 cards, which also meet the specs and they can't play HD Livetv or recordings. Am I getting real HDTV or something less? THe quality is better but I think that is strictly signal quality.

Anyway, I don't recommend you get the lower card, you can pick up a 9550 for about $50 at either pcdirect or newegg (128mb version), and from what I understand these are overkill for tv but still light for gaming.

[tim_d_wagner]

Are you outputting to an HDTV or veiwing on your monitor? On your monitor you might be OK, but in general you can't output HDTV sgnal from thouse cards. There are work arounds but....

Originally Posted by Edgarmoon

an AIW 7500 and I can playback Live hdtv channels fine, no skipping, no problems.

[Edgarmoon]

I am outputting to a projection tv that isn't hdtv, as well as through a dvi to vga adaptor to my monitor. So far I see smooth playback, are you saying I am not outputting hdtv quality through my s-video? I suppose that's no big deal since my tv doesn't support hdtv. Now when I buy an hdtv lcd tv, I plan on using the dvi to output, I assume at that point I would get the same hdtv quality my monitor gets.

Ultimately I plan to upgrade MB, drives to SATA and video card to PCIe, this lets me use my existing equipment without throwing $50 at an AGP card.

[RiderFan]

Originally Posted by Edgarmoon

are you saying I am not outputting hdtv quality through my s-video?

No, you can't output hd video through s-video. It must be DVI, or component. RGB I think as well.