[mythtv-users] Is the GT220 the new chip of choice? (Idle power?)

[Andre Newman]

On 22 Oct 2009, at 20:29, Brad Templeton wrote:

>
> Doing some research, it appears a likely new chip of choice for a myth
> box might be the nvidia gt220.

I did the same research last week, came to the same conclusion, so  
bought one.

>
> about $70, and a new fanless card has been announced by ECS but is
> not for sale.

I was annoyed seeing that the day I'd ordered mine but I can't see  
anywhere selling it yet.


>
> The things that look pretty attractive are:
>
>    a) Enough VDPAU juice to do 1080p or 1080i with advanced 2x  
> deinterlace

Definitely, runs very smoothly at 1080i advanced 2x HW, much smoother  
than any VDPAU cards I've used before, (9400GT, ION, 9400M).
Picture quality approaching Play Station 3 level, pretty seriously  
good, I work in broadcast TV and find there's little to best the PS3  
as a benchmark, this is coming close.

>    b) Decent 3d graphics (between a 9500GT and a 9600gso)

Haven't tried that yet but on paper yes.

>    c) 40nm process and new idle power conservation giving it a much  
> lower
>       idle power than the 9600s and similar

Seems warmer than I'd hoped but cooler than my old passive 9400GT.


>    d) Lower power needs meaning no power connector needed on the card,
>       and the possibility of slower fans or no fan.
>    e) VDPAU level "c" which supports more advanced codecs (though I
>        don't know how much software support there is of yet.)

Supposed to be there in the 190 drivers, also higher quality scaling,  
not sure if that's working in the drivers yet, I don't watch much SD  
any more. As most HD I watch is 1440x1080 I guess it's doing it's bit  
already.



>
> The cheaper version, the gt210, does not seem to have enough vdpau
> ability to do advanced 2x at 1080i according to some spec reports I
> have seen.  Just barely, though, in that it can probably do 50fps

My 9500GT manages 50fps by qvdpautest results, in reality it doesn't  
quite so it might as well be 5 fps for all the good that is!
Maybe a subtle overclock would make it the must have card, in Europe  
anyway.


> but not 60fps.   It has much poorer 3d performance but is even lower
> power and cooler and cheaper, so if people find it can do the vdpau
> it might be the winner.
>
> So who's running these chips now?  Do your reports match what
> the specs say?

I am, I'd say that there's more difference in the new chip than the  
specs give away, visually it's a big step up, well mine is, YMMV ;-)

>
> The idle power is a big deal for those who leave their front
> end on.

Having to turn off cpu speed changes to keep VDPAU fed at full  
bandwidth negates any other benefits for me right now, I need to find  
where in MythTV to change the CPU speed profile when playback starts  
and then revert it at the end.

>
>
> What I am curious to know is, are these idle power numbers for
> a system that is on and displaying 2D graphics, and what happens
> to the numbers when the video is in power-saving blank mode, which
> is in fact what my card is doing 90% of the day.

Due to turning off CPU power saving it's whirring it's ball bearings  
off all day, so can't really answer this one yet.

Andre