Quick Video Quality question

G

greyghost

Geek Trainee
Hello,

I'm going to be building a new PC in the near future but i haven't specced anything out yet. I had one pressing question before i started looking though. I was wondering if the motherboard/processor or the graphics card was more responsible for the video playback. In particular i'm talking about 4-10gb files that are in .h624 format. Any and all input would be appreciated and if i'm in the wrong place please let me know! thanks!
 
The processor is most responsible for smooth playback of any video files. The graphics card is very responsible for smooth playback of HD video files. A good combination of CPU and GPU should yeild best results. AMD and ATi or Intel and nVidia. The CPU should have a strong core, regardless of how many cores it has. If it has four, you better make sure each one of them is fast. So multi-core processors are not trully necessary. More realistically, when deciding if to get a dual-core CPU or a quad-core CPU for the same price, it is generally better to buy the dual-core for video playback, this however, depends on the video codec or format that you are using. CPUs do not have to be super fast to play videos, any current day midrange CPU will do the job. Look for a $150 to $250 CPU. (or more of course)

1080p playback can be done successfully on any current date mid-range graphics card so look for one in a $80 - $160 price range. (or more of course)

Things to look for in a graphics card:
-256-bit or more: memory bus instead of 128-bit
-enough memory: no less than 256mb
-GDDR2; GDDR3; GDDR4 are good memory types, avoid standard DDR; GDDR

Otherwise, the motherboard just has to be good enough for other purpouses than video playback, like upgradeability. Performance wise, motherboards have one component that more or less has an impact on performance. It's chipset, or northbridge. Look for a new one, is all I can say. Generally, any nVidia nForce, Intel X38, X48, Q35, Q45, I don't know too much about chipsets so you will have to do some reading.
Good Luck!

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Post Count:
Post # - 72
 
Thanks so much for your reply. It was really informative and gave me a much better idea of what i'll be going for. I'll probably be posting on here once i have everything picked out, but no idea when that'll be. Thanks again for your reply!
 
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