Video card suggestions for old HP

[Bishop8]

Hi there -- hoping the brain-trust here can help me with this problem.

I've got an old (7+yr) HP Pavilion 7955 desktop (P4 1.5, 512MB RAM, etc. etc.). I want to use it as a HTPC (rather than recycle it) for web-surfing, playing MAME, etc. -- nothing taxing. It apparently has an AGP 4x slot, but I also understand that the PSU is probably already maxed running the existing OEM equipment.

My questions:
- Is there such a thing as a AGP card that doesn't need to tap into the PSU (I understand some PCIe cards do, some don't).
- Would the video look passable with a S-video output, or do I need to go DVI?
- If yes above, any suggestions? Cheap as possible, of course.
- If this is a waste of time, do I just go get a cheap desktop and throw a video card in there (though I might run into the same PSU issue).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[willy]

What kinds of inputs does your TV has ?

[Bishop8]

It's going into my receiver (Yamaha HTR-6090), so HDMI, component, s-video, composite; no VGA. Unfortunately, it only has 2 HDMI ports, and both are currently used. If I go DVI>HDMI, I'll have to get a switcher.

[Bishop8]

bump

Anyone???

[SinCron]

You can probably find a $30 PSU that will allow you to use a decent card.

[ppl4golf]

Don't waste any money on it...you can make it do standard definition ok but that's about it.

Use it for torrent like others.

[loybond]

I couldn't fit enough >'s to express DVI >>> S-video. I'd say get an HDMI switcher, a DVI-to-HDMI cable, and use that. Then, when you get a real HTPC, you already have most of what you need.

You could also go DVI-HDMI to your TV, and coax/optical to your receiver, eliminating the need for an HDMI switcher.

[Bishop8]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I did a bit more research and it looks like someone else has used an old AGP 9250 card on the same machine as mine and it worked without a PSU upgrade. For $65 at Tigerdirect.ca, I might just try it. If it doesn't fly ......... meh.

[loybond]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I did a bit more research and it looks like someone else has used an old AGP 9250 card on the same machine as mine and it worked without a PSU upgrade. For $65 at Tigerdirect.ca, I might just try it. If it doesn't fly ......... meh.

$65!!!! Whoa. I found an AGP card for a friend on Craigslist, it was brand new and a 7600GS for $30.

I wouldn't spend $65 on an AGP video card alone, because for $72 you can a decent HDMI motherboard (no need for a video card), $60 will buy you an E2200 (which can decode 1080p by itself if need be), and 2GB RAM can be had for like $25. That starts to make more sense to me!