"Peter" wrote in message
...
I'm about to build a new PC and I need recommendations on a video card.
These are my applications and requirements:

I do a lot of photo editing and a lot of video editing. I want to be able
to play Blu-Ray DVDs and work with HiDef video. I do NOT do any gaming at
all. All of my other applications are low video usage.

I will be using a high-end ASUS motherboard. Windows XP. Maybe Vista or
more lilely Win 7 in the future. I have a 24" LCD monitor.

The card must be PCIe 2.0. It must support two DVI monitors. I would
like an HDMI output too but that's not a requirement.

Quality, performance and compatibility are the most important factors.
Price is secondary. I am willing to spend a little more to get something
better for my applications but I don't want to waste money on features or
capabilities I will not use.

Given all of that what cands/manufacturers do you recommend?

You need a card with HDMI decoding ability which means any of the 8XXX, 9XXX
or 200 series.What you don't need for HD video, photo or video editing is a
video card with a vast amount of video memory and a high powered GPU
designed for 3D gaming or rendering. What you do need is lots of CPU
processing power, memory and HDD space. There's lots of fairly powerful
inexpensive cards out there that fit your needs.....any of the 512Mb 256 bit
9600GT cards or 8800GT cards are more than adequate. You don't need anywhere
near this horsepower for you needs but for $100 or so it's hard to go wrong.
Driving a 24" LCD at native resolution is not an issue for HD video or
photo/video editing. The card is using it's 2D ability for this. ATI/AMD
also has similar cards at similar prices with similar
abilities....personally I don't like the Catalyst driver suite that goes
along with the card, but hey, that's just me.