I think what Dkeyguy1 is

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June 19, 2012 at 3:40 pm #7260
Aaron Ledger

    I think what Dkeyguy1 is seeing is similar to my experience in that there are configurations where particular cards perform better/worse depending on the circumstance. A card (and particular driver version) may handle some content types better/worse and it may also behave differently with displays, AVRs, HDMI repeaters, etc (HDMI handshaking issues).  Unfortunately, this essentially means, you just have to give something a try that *should* be good and see if it works adequately with your equipment and content types.

    In my primary viewing environment, I have my HTPC connected to a Samsung C8000 plasma via a Denon AVR-2112CI. I have used Intel HD Graphics, NVIDIA GT 430, GTX 560Ti and AMD 6570. Out of those selections, I prefer the 6570 for the following reasons:

    1. 6570 behaves best with respect to HDMI handshaking (e.g. it never comes up in an incorrect resolution or some other anomaly) whereas Intel and NVIDIA both have occasional issues in this setup though connecting directly to the display seems to alleviate most issues.

    2. Full-range RGB color space is easiest to achieve in my configuration with 6570. NVIDIA requires messing with the installation or creating custom resolution to get full-range out of HDMI. Intel will only output limited-range to my display (though this is purportedly fixed in IVB).

    3. 6570 has the most accurate pixel clock for 24p content. Basically, I can watch a feature-length film via 6570 without a drop/repeat whereas the Intel/NVIDIA solutions will have at least a few. NVIDIA will allow getting even closer if you set a custom resolution, but I personally find this to be a pain.

    4. 6570 (and Intel) are more seamless when dealing with 3D Blu-ray content and refresh rate switching.

    I do not prefer the 6570 in the following circumstances:

    1. There is the issue of certain types of recorded TV content that switch between hard and soft telecine modes (aka 29/59 frame rate issue). I find that the GT 430 performs best in this regard. 6570 will have a bit more judder with this content and Intel will have a bit more artifacts.

    2. When stopping content playback in WMC, there is a momentary white distortion that displays in the top of the screen on some pixels. This actually isn’t a big deal at all, but I wish it did not do that.

    Again, these are my preferences and observations in this particular configuration. I am also a “videophile” sort and things that I notice are not always noticeable by more casual viewers such as my lovely wife.