The graphics board is a critical compo¬nent in our setup, since it will be taking over much of the high-def playback from the processor. Good news:
In just the past few months, these cards have made a giant leap forward in quality while prices have dropped.

An ultra-high-end option may not be the best one for your system, however, since they generate a lot of heat. But make sure that the card decodes Blu-ray Disc movies in addition to your own re¬corded shows. HDCP com¬pliance, which decrypts the digitally protected video sig¬nal, is critical; fortunately, it's common these days. The Asus EN8600 GT with HDMI.

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CPU cooler is one good option, fulfilling these needs easily. At press time, nVidia was readying its GeForce 8200 chip set for motherboards, too, bypass¬ing the need for a dedicated HD graphics board. For my system, I ultimately selected the ATI Radeon HD 3450 video card, because it meets my other needs and doesn't require a fan for cooling. Unlike the Asus model, this board lacks an HDMI port, but it works well with any DVI-equipped HDTV.