[mythtv-users] 8400GS -> GT 430 -> ?? (60Hz, VDPAU High Quality)

[Andre]

On 21 Jun 2012, at 06:50, Christopher Kerr wrote:

> On 6/21/12, Gary Buhrmaster <gary.buhrmaster at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 4:24 PM, Christopher Kerr <mythtv at theseekerr.com>
>> wrote:
>> ....
>>> GT640's are just starting to become available as desktop cards - they're
>>> based on chips intended for laptop usage, so I expect a low-profile
>>> version
>>> will be along shortly. They should be ~40% faster than GT440's (which are
>>> basically just factory overclocked GT430's) which would make them strong
>>> contenders as HTPC cards if a fanless version shows up.
>> 
>> There is "faster" and there is "faster".  For many applications, the
>> GT430 is "faster" than a GT220, but not for running the de-interlacer
>> code (the improvements are elsewhere).  Any recent nVidia card
>> can do decoding of the usual codecs (mpeg/h264) via dedicated
>> hardware.  The code that does the deinterlacing runs in the
>> stream processors, and how many are needed, at what clock
>> speed, is highly dependent on not only your content type but the
>> nVidia stream processor architecture.
> 
> As you note, comparison is difficult. The GT430 has 96 Fermi-type
> shader cores clocked around 1.4GHz. The GT640 has 384 Keplar-type
> shader cores, which are substantially different and don't use an
> independent clock (but for reference, they're clocked, along with the
> core, at 900MHz).
> 
> Both have a 128-bit memory bus supporting DDR3 at 1.8GHz effective data rate.
> 
> So I'm optimistic, but right now I have no proof.

I'm getting interested in this card too, there was an interesting (but not conclusive) review of one on Anandtech just now:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5969/zotac-geforce-gt-640-review-

It's useful that they compare some benchmarks to the GT240 (640 beats it, just) which has shader performance massively beyond what 60hz countries require.

The reviewed card is single slot but with a noisy fan but I'd replace that with a big slow quiet top down fan, I'm sure there will be other cards along soon.

I think I may just get a GT240, I'm getting a 3D monitor soon and it will be native 120hz capable, a GT240 should be able to adv 2x de-interlace & IVTC 1080i60 into a 120hz frame buffer, if VDPAU makes this possible? Is that really advanced 4x or more likely advanced 2x x2 :-P


> 
>> I have seen no
>> evaluation of the GT640M (the M is important) in regards to
>> its capability
> 
> The M is less important for this particular card than you'd expect, as
> the 640 uses the same (GK107) chip - the 640M just complicates matters
> by throwing in a slower base clock with "Turbo" modes.
> 
> (To further complicate matters, there's also the GT630, which is an
> OEM part which is basically the GT640M on a desktop card. Even more
> confusingly, it used to be called the GT640, until nVidia renamed it
> when they introduced the current GT640....)
> 
>> The nVidia triad for Linux HTPC:  Low-profile, fan-less, able to
>> perform Advanced 2X de-interlacing for all content in 60Hz
>> countries.  Pick any two (well, that is slightly unfair, since
>> there is other criteria such as HDMI audio, and the presumption
>> that fan-less does not include cooling solutions such as
>> water heat transfer, and you are not going to do SMT rework
>> to change the card layout, etc.)
> 
> I think this chip MIGHT be capable of hitting all of those points
> provided you don't mind having a rather large passive cooler. Whether
> anyone will build such a card remains to be seen.
> 
> - Chris
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