OT: Deciding on a new graphics card

[Kana]

The only problem with the get another vid card and do the SLI thing in a couple of years, is dependent on finding an exact match for your same card that you already have. In a couple of years whatever 8800GTS you may have, may not be the 8800GTS they are building. If your are going to do the SLI thing either do it from the start, or within 6 months or so.

[luke_slovakian]

True. WoW i'm stumped with that, i don't know if the new series would be capable or not. I think they should be BUT would not trust myself on that one. I can ask my friend and let you know.

[Fyron]

SLI is a bad investment all around. Really expensive, for just a few percent performance gains.. Plus its still problematic with most (all?) games.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Has anyone heard something about problems with new nvidia cards? Was a short topic of conversation on the IRC.

Also, does anyone know where NVidia keeps their forums?

Thanks.

[PvK]

Yes, I was talking about the low to mid range products. The articles I have read have pointed at Microsoft as the culprit with DRM sabotage hardware, and Vista (and recently, the next XP service pack) as the means to try to force it onto the market. Paying for hardware that supports this "feature" is paying extra for a sabotage feature, it seems to me, and supporting the idea that people don't have the right to own and fully control computer hardware, which is an idea that seems clearly wrong and counterproductive to me. The 7xxx series doesn't have it, and the 8xxx series does, as well as other features designed for DX10 which is Vista only, and I dislike Vista for many reasons and never intend to own it, so for at least the present and near future, higher-end 7xxx series looks better to me than the 8xxx series.

[Atrocities]

I have a GForce 8800GT and its ok. I run it on my new XP box. Say does any one have a problem with windows XP crashing after you reactivate it from sleep mode on a duo core system?

[Fyron]

PvK:
None of the articles you've linked to in the past on this issue have been worth much; they were filled with misguided alarmism and flawed analysis. HDCP was created by Intel, and only added to Windows after the movie industry forced it into Blu-ray and HD-DVD, and thus any high definition movie content (along with demands of DRM for any digital distribution of their content). It wouldn't do well for MS to not support the latest movie standards in their media center software..

Boycotting the content is what needs to be done, not video cards. If the content mafias didn't demand the encryption support et all, it wouldn't exist. Video card manufacturers have little choice in the matter, since they need to support industry standards for content playback. And besides, if you don't buy any HDCP-protected content, you won't be affected by the chip in the cards anyways. Probably lose a few machine instruction cycles for some conditional statements when you first open your media, but that's it.

Paying for hardware that supports this "feature" is paying extra for a sabotage feature, it seems to me...

Luckily there is not a single piece of hardware that is just a 7xxx card + HDCP chip, labeled as a 8xxx card.

Unless you can't afford an extra $50 or so, you are best off with a 8800GT 512MB even with XP and DX9. It's much better hardware than anything in the 7xxx line. If you can't afford the extra cost of the 8800GT, the next best option appears to now be the 9600GT.

[Kana]

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nvidia_zones.html

Maybe in there somewhere, or under support.

[PvK]

So Fyron, do you have any link(s) to offer that give what you consider relatively accurate summaries of what's been going on with built-in digital copy protection?

[Fyron]

I don't care to do an exhaustive search, but here are a few:

On Windows Vista, DRM, and new monitors - August 21, 2005

Talks about AACS protections dealing with "old" monitors and such.

"Any device—whether it be a PC or consumer electronic device—will need to ensure compliance with the specified policies otherwise they risk being unable to access the next-gen DVD content. Clearly we think that offering next-gen DVD content on the PC is much preferable to having the PC excluded from accessing this premium content.." (Marcus Matthias, product manager of Windows Digital Media at Microsoft)

The truth behind HDCP and video card support - February 14, 2006

References to problems with the ever-changing AACS spec while companies trying to make products to support it were coming out.

Blu-ray and HD DVD support in Vista out of Microsoft's hands - August 24, 2006

"The companies backing both HD DVD and Blu-ray are insistent on iron-clad copy protection. That means Microsoft, Apple, and anyone else that wants to be able to play high-definition Blu-ray or HD DVD video will need to support the kind of copy protection mandated by the studios: AACS+ and HDCP."

AACS DRM tentacles reach far into operating systems - August 12, 2007

"So, when thinking about this issue, we have to ask ourselves: is a company like Microsoft or Apple likely to tell Hollywood to jump off a cliff? No, because both companies know that users will want to play HD DVD or Blu-ray discs on their computers. Microsoft didn't tell AACS LA to stuff it, and Apple won't tell them to, either."