Conclusion

So, the question is if you can spend an evening playing on a HTPC equipped with a rather low-performance entry-level or bottom-mainstream graphics card? Our test session doesn’t give a definite answer. Take a look at the summary diagrams that provide a full picture of performance:

The answer is positive when it comes to graphics cards like ATI Radeon HD 4670 GDDR3 or Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT, especially if you have a HD-ready panel only (it supports 720p mode which corresponds to a computer’s resolution of 1360/1366x768 or 1280x720 pixels). Of course, resource-consuming games as Crysis Warhead or S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will be slow on such hardware, but the overall picture is quite optimistic: the average and bottom speeds are comfortable enough in most applications.

The same goes for 1080p mode and the GeForce 9600 GT card. The Radeon HD 4670 is more or less good in this mode, too. You can play at 1920x1080 on these cards in most of the tested games, but the Radeon HD 4670 cannot provide a comfortable bottom speed in such titles as Call of Duty: World at War, Prince of Persia and Fallout 3.

The entry-level solutions like the PowerColor SCS3 HD4650 512MB DDR2 are rather disappointing in 1080p mode even if you turn 4x FSAA off. On the other hand, these cards can deliver comfortable performance in such games as Call of Duty: World at War, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Left 4 Dead, Dead Space, Devil May Cry 4, Race Driver: GRID and X³: Terran Conflict. Not bad for entry-level products!

PowerColor SCS3 HD4650 512MB DDR2 Summary

The specific graphics card we have tested today – PowerColor SCS3 HD4650 512MB DDR2 – can boast a number of multimedia-related advantages over Nvidia’s inexpensive solutions. Particularly, it offers hardware acceleration for VC-1 video, delivers excellent post-processing quality (as is indicated by the high results of the HQV and HQV HD tests), and features an integrated HDMI-compatible audio core that helps get rid of extra cables. Besides, the PowerColor SCS3 HD4650 512MB DDR2 is absolutely silent, which is an important property for a HTPC system that is meant mainly for watching movies and listening to music. The only limitation is that this card should not be installed into low-profile cases with poor ventilation, but a roomy model like Antec Fusion, Zalman HD or Chieftec Hi-Fi will make a good home for it.

Highs:

• Comparatively good performance in 720? (1360x768) mode;
• 512MB of local video memory onboard;
• 320 ALU and 32 texture processors;
• DirectX 10.1 and Shader Model 4.1 support;
• Fully-fledged hardware HD video decoding;
• High-quality HD video post-processing with scalability;
• Low CPU utilization during HD video playback;
• Built-in 8-channel audio controller with HD support;
• Sound over HDMI;
• Zero noise;
• Low price.

 Lows:

• Scanty accessories;
• Not quite fit for gaming;
• Not fit for compact HTPC cases.