Video card vs onboard video

[jfm]

The motherboard I purchased for the HTPC is a MSI P6NG Neo-Digital which has onboard Nvidia Geforce 7100 / nForce 630i video with HDMI out. I also have an EVGA Geforce 8600 GT w/512mb card which takes up the PCI express slot and a PCi slot. I guess the main problem with the onboard video is that it uses part of the 2 gb system ram.

Should I use the onboard video or the 8600 GT card? If the 8600, then how connect it to the TV? The S-video is, I guess, analog. Should I get a DVI to HDMI adapter, or what?

I will appreciate any and all advice.

[stustunz]

depends if you need the extra pci slot that cant be used
if you dont need it then use the 8600
and yes use a hdmi to dvi cable or adapter

[jfm]

depends if you need the extra pci slot that cant be used
if you dont need it then use the 8600
and yes use a hdmi to dvi cable or adapter

Is there any reason other than the onboard memory?

[stustunz]

picture quality
better gpu
i would say you will get tearing from the 7100
less chance of stutter when recordings or comskip is running or something else in the background

you never do know till you try them both though so dont take my word for it

[erik]

I like to hear you experience with the NEO Digital on-board graphics as I was planning to buy one.

[jfm]

I like to hear you experience with the NEO Digital on-board graphics as I was planning to buy one.

I have some nuisance issues which may be more due to the cramped ATX form factor and may be common to other boards. I don't know:

1. One of the reasons I chose this board was 4 - PCI slots. Three is just not enough, IMHO, but the PCI express slot is pretty close to the first PCI slot, so most any video card is going to block that slot, too.

2. There is some kind of connector toward the outside of the PCI slot #3 which will not allow the Hauppauge PVR500 to seat. A narrower card should seat okay, but not this one.

3. The SATA connectors are between PCI slots 3 and 4, making things tight there, too.

The board seems to work fine, but these kinds of things are aggravating. I would hope that there is a better designed board out there which may not have these issues.

I do like the HDMI out connector, though, and the PCI x1 slot in which I hope to put a Hauppauge 2250 digital tuner. One thing about the HDMI out, though: In order to use it, you must use the onboard video. If you use a separate video card, then you may as well not have the HDMI out on the MB.

Hope that helps.

More info:
I see that you were asking more about the graphics than about the board in general. As far as that goes, I have decided, based partly upon advice here, to go back to my EVGA Geforce 8600 GT card. Also was seeing what I believe to be tearing, but I'm still learning and tweaking, and I'm not quite sure what issues are caused by what. Anyway, that's the plan as of right now.

[erik]

Anyone out there that is successfully using a cheap mATX card (with 2 PCI slots) and onboard graphics with HDMI output and a socket 775?
I like to build such a machine that will double as PVR and file server.

[vskatusa]

I have not used it!

But this mobo has ON BOARD graphics card and is the way to go.

What is important is this card's HDMI does output VIDEO and 7.1 AUDIO (Important! because most of the cards the AUDIO thru HDMI is 2 channel stereo).

PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE NOT USED THIS CARD!