HDMI Graphics Card with integrated Sound

Cionn

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of building my first HTPC (after a recently cleared credit card and a business trip to the states) I think I have got almost everything that I need however I think i made a mistake with the graphics card I bought.
Quick summary of what I got:
Intel Motherboard: (DG33TL)
CPU: Quad Core Q6600 CPU
GPU: XFX 8500gt
Plus I got an antec case and a blu ray drive

I think my main mistake is the graphics card. I want a passive cooled graphics card that will output to HDMI (preferably not via an adapter) that will also send audio down the HDMI cable too. The motherboard and graphics card both have DVI sockets but to the best of my knoweledge DVI does not handle audio.

I knew this process wasn't going to be straightforward but I'm tearing my hair out (whats left of it) trying to get this right. I have even gone to the extreme of taking a day off work tomorrow to get time to work on it.

I can't seem to find the graphics card I want anywhere can anyone point me in the right direction.


Thanks for reading this far and if you have any pearls of wisdom I really would appreciate advice.

Cionn

mathias

You want an ATI then , they are ( as far as I know ) the only ones with onboard decoders for sound.

They still dont do the new HD sound formats though , no one does that yet on a PC card , you will be limited to DD 5.1.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=346539

That is the cheapest silent solution I could find , most of the rest have very noisy fans onboard.

Cionn

Thanks I will see if I can get one in Dublin city this morning I presume that the places to check are
Peats, Maplins, PC World.
I don't mind paying a little more just to get it today.

Thanks for the reply


Cionn

Rsaeire

I'm not sure whether you found a new graphics card yet, but if you're still looking for a native HDMI port on a graphics card then the only one I could find was the Diamond Radeon HD 3650. It also has a dual-link DVI-D and VGA port too.

Stoner

Rsaeire wrote: »

I'm not sure whether you found a new graphics card yet, but if you're still looking for a native HDMI port on a graphics card then the only one I could find was the Diamond Radeon HD 3650. It also has a dual-link DVI-D and VGA port too.

I dont think it handles the sound though , like the other option, or am i reading it wrong?

mathias

Both links are for ATI radeon 3650's , both have onboard 5.1 decoders so both handle sound , the komplett link is a silent solution though , no fan , which means its way better for a HTPC.

Rsaeire

mathias wrote: »

Both links are for ATI radeon 3650's , both have onboard 5.1 decoders so both handle sound , the komplett link is a silent solution though , no fan , which means its way better for a HTPC.

I agree, a silent solution would be better for a HTPC, but I suppose the OP will have to decide between a silent graphics card and a one cable solution; it all depends on which they want more.

mathias

They are both the same card , one just has a fan , one doesnt ........... they both do sound ! Read the specs ... !!

Rsaeire

How exactly do you imagine the Powercolor with no HDMI out is going to transfer sound when the only digital outs available are both DVI?

mediacentre.ie

you can actually send sound via DVI - HDMI now. the new nvidia 9xxx series send internal spdif via DVI.

can be problematic with some TV's. It tends to disable analog sound.

Rsaeire

mediacentre.ie wrote: »

you can actually send sound via DVI - HDMI now. the new nvidia 9xxx series send internal spdif via DVI.

can be problematic with some TV's. It tends to disable analog sound.

Isn’t it that the Nvidia 9xxx series don't have onboard sound decoders so they need to use a S/PDIF dongle that connects the S/PDIF out on a PC's MOBO/soundcard to the graphics card's S/PDIF in, which then allows for the sound to be transmitted over native HDMI?

mediacentre.ie

correct but it transmits over DVI as well. One really annoying thing is that they don't supply this cable in the box. I had to make one out of old cd-rom sdpif. never though I'd use that again.

Rsaeire

I don't understand how DVI can carry audio though even if it's a DVI => HDMI cable/adaptor. There is no provision for audio in the DVI connection's specifications. Do you happen to know how it's possible mediacentre.ie?

mediacentre.ie

I was scratching my head when I recieved my new 9600gt as well. I always was under the inpression that DVI does not have any audio pins.

so if you use a DVI- HDMI connector how can it send audio?

well to my amazement when I connected the internal spdif I now have sound on my TV with only DVI- HDMI cable. no analog audio.

To be honest I have no idea how they send spdif over DVI and make the TV beleive it is receiving 5.1 surround but they do.

maybe it's magic?

Rsaeire

hehe Maybe! Given the information available on the DVI spec and what is, mostly, common knowledge about its limitations, it boggles the mind how it can pretty much do something previously thought to be impossible.

Luckily this does give the OP the choice of a fanless card and also the ability of a one cable solution if deciding to use a Radeon HD 3650.

mathias

How exactly do you imagine the Powercolor with no HDMI out is going to transfer sound when the only digital outs available are both DVI?

Dont be so hasty to post and follow the damn thread man ! Both cards recommended after the initial post are 3650's with HDMI , only the OP had the XFX and he changed his mind in post 3 , where are you getting powercolor from ? ..........pay attention !!

Rsaeire

mathias wrote: »

Dont be so hasty to post and follow the damn thread man ! Both cards recommended after the initial post are 3650's with HDMI , only the OP had the powercolor and he changed his mind in post 3 ..........pay attention !!

It's not a point of paying attention "man"; it's a simple case of information not being as clear as you obviously think it is. And honestly, there is a way in which to address and handle situations when people don't necessarily agree with your opinion, and how you handled this situation leaves a lot to be desired.

mathias

Its one thing to be wrong , but to be wrong and to be arrogant about it , thats something else entirely ...........

krpc

Mathias, are you generally rude, impatient and intolerable or do you make special effort just for boards.ie? You know, be nice or are you just having a bad day?

user: Rsaeire wasn't being arrogant - he clearly said "I don't understand" and requested clarification from user: mediacentre.ie. The fact someone admits that they don't understand makes them arrogant? I don't think so. He was clearly looking for more information so that he could understand the points being made. I could pick you up on your arrogance throughout this entire thread. It is as if someone made a comment that you didn't like and you acted in a manner that resembled some competition or general intruder walking onto, as an example, a prostitute's patch. I could also pick you up for your wrong or ambiguous information such as "They are both the same card , one just has a fan , one doesnt". How can something be the same, and yet in the exact same sentence you state the difference? Hrm. Hrm.

Also, who are you to be telling people not to be hasty to post and 'follow the damn thread'? Members of boards.ie can post as they see fit once it's within the regulations and general moderatorship and whether this is news to your or not, mathias, you're not a moderator: wannabe moderator doesn't count as an actual moderator, just so you know.

Anyway. Thanks to user: Rsaeire and user: mediacentre.ie for the information - it's been quite helpful and actually pleasant to read and I look forward to any further comments you can add.

Rsaeire

Cheers Telefunktastik. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong, but when users make it out as if simply "paying attention" would have saved me from being wrong, then that's when I have an issue. As mediacentre.ie also mentioned, it makes no sense as to how a DVI connection can carry audio when it has never done so before.

krpc

Don't worry about it - just ignore him. No one likes insufferable little know it alls, especially one's with a bad attitude.