[mythtv-users] Biting the bullet...new frontend recommendations

[Tom Dexter]

On Mon, May 7, 2018 at 9:47 AM, Stephen Worthington
<stephen_agent at jsw.gen.nz> wrote:
> On Mon, 7 May 2018 09:17:24 -0400, you wrote:
>
>>On Sun, May 6, 2018 at 9:13 PM, Stephen Worthington
>><stephen_agent at jsw.gen.nz> wrote:
>>> On Sun, 6 May 2018 14:55:05 -0400, you wrote:
>>>
>>>>4. I'd like an nVidia card using HDMI at least capable of advanced 2x
>>>>deinterlacing as I'm currently getting. The GT 430 I have however has
>>>>a limit on the output resolution and can't play 4K video for example.
>>>>I currently have an LG OLED TV so I'd like to be able to play 4K if
>>>>possible.
>>>
>>> The only good option for an Nvidia card that does 4K is the 1030
>>> models.  The others draw far too much power - they are set up for
>>> gaming.  A fanless 1030 would likely be the best idea.  Fans are a
>>> component that die earlier than anything else, unless you do annual
>>> maintenance on them, which is a pain.  I think all of them on sale
>>> should be PCI 3.0 models.  You want a motherboard that is PCI 3.0 if
>>> you buy now, as that will last longer into the future.
>>
>>Interesting. Thanks for the info. The 4K support was sort of a
>>like-to-have...sounds like it's asking more than I realized. I'll
>>definitely keep the 1030s in mind.
>>
>>Yea, I've actually changed fans on that PNY GT 430 several times. I
>>actually have a GPU temporature monitor script I wrote in perl (that
>>uses nvidia-smi) running all the time in the background to alert me
>>with mythtv notifications if the temp gets unexpectedly high. I tend
>>to trust the ones with fans more, but do the fanless models really
>>cool sufficiently? It would be nice to not have to screw with those
>>anymore.
>
> I have used only two fanless Nvidia cards, but that is because they
> have lasted so long and are still going.  I think they last much
> longer than the fan variety, as the fan stopping, even for a moment,
> usually kills the chip.  The Asus Bravo 220 in my main MythTV box was
> bought on 20-Sep-2010 and has been in 24/7 use since then.  The Asus
> EN8400GS SILENT/HTP/512M in my Windows 7 box was bought on 22-May-2009
> and is still going just fine, running 24/7 since then.
>
> There is no need for a card with a fan for MythTV - you only need a
> higher power card for gaming or 3D graphics.  The fanless ones are a
> much better idea if you do not need the extra GPU power.

That makes sense. I think I'll go that route for sure. My choices were
a bit limited when I got the card I have in my existing frontend in
part because it needed a small form factor / low profile card which is
generally not big enough for a suitable heatsink I think.

Thanks!
Tom