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.
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.
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