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So I'm in the process of trying to choose a new graphics card. I'm getting a new monitor that has HDMI input and I'd like my computer to be able to get the most out of it.

Here's the information about my current hardware: http://imgur.com/a/mcTdC#1

More RAM is on it's way...

This is the new screen: http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/UM.HT2AA.001

I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something that allows me to watch videos on my new screen how they're meant to be viewed. I won't be doing any serious 3D gaming etc.

If I could get something in the $50/60 range that would be great, I've seen a bunch but I don't know if they're good quality even if the specs seem okay. If spending a little more would be advisable that's alright too. Thanks for any advice!

I was looking at this one earlier today, again though, I don't really know much about them to know if it's any good. It just seemed to have decent reviews: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIAMOND-AMD-Radeon-HD-6670-PCIE-2GB-GDDR3-Video-Graphics-Card-/321070374078?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item4ac1491cbe

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closed as off topic by terdon, Dennis, David Schwartz, DragonLord, Journeyman Geek Feb 11 '13 at 5:48


The faq explicitly classifies buying recommendations as off topic. –  Dennis Feb 11 '13 at 2:56

1 Answer 1

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Any graphics card that supports PCIE 1.0 will do the job. You should be able to find something for $30 range or less really.

In fact, what outputs does your GeForce 6500 have? And does the monitor also have speakers? (i.e. will it need the audio component of the HDMI connector?) And what monitor is it?

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It has a DVI/S-Video/VGA, The monitor does have speakers but I use a surround sound system so I won't be hooking them up. I updated the question with a link to the new monitor. –  Blake Feb 11 '13 at 2:50
Would this be decent? ebay.com/itm/… –  Blake Feb 11 '13 at 2:52
I would also be willing to spend a little more if it made the difference in a quieter fan... –  Blake Feb 11 '13 at 2:52
You should be able to get a silent one (i.e. no fan) if you are just using it for non-gaming purposes. DVI and HDMI use essentially the same signals for video, so even a $2 DVI->HDMI adapter will get you exactly the same video quality, so long as you don't use the VGA or S-video it will look fine. eBay is usually not the cheapest of places for graphics cards. I'm not sure for wherever you are, but something like a GT210 should be ~$30 and comes with a fanless option depending on the manufacturer. i.e. umart.com.au/pro/… –  Justin Feb 11 '13 at 3:15
Hahaha, PEBCAK errors. Sound will usually default to the latest installed device in windows; so that if you plug in USB headsets for example it will be defaulted since you probably want to use it after plugging it in. That seems good and $30 is about the right price for it. In terms of running graphics cards without fans; that only goes for ones that are sold without fans, and that is only the low end cards. –  Justin Feb 11 '13 at 3:59
