Suggestions for a Non-gamer's Card??

Hello,

I'm a newbie to this. I'm building myself a system for the first time.
It's a hobbist machine. The main power instensive uses will be 2D graphics,
video capture (probably using my digital camcorder for converting my anolog
tapes to digital format) and video editing, watching movies--but I'm not
into games.

I looked around in some forums for relevant info and it seems to me that
mostly people (and the latest great cards) are oriented toward gaming
concerns. And so my question is: what is the most appropriate card for my
purposes? For below $250?

Also relatedly, Is the video capture quality of an All-in-Wonder card, or a
separate TV tuner/capture card (such as by Leadtek or Asus) or a standalone
converter such as the Datatvideo's DAC-100 better than that of my digital
camcorder?

Thanks a lot in advance for any advice and suggestion!

My system:

ASUS P4P deluxe mobo
Intel P4 2.4C processor
Mushkin 1 GB DDR PC 3500 DIMM
Western digital 120 GB HDD 7400 rps
Antec PSU True Blue 480
DVD Burner (not decided yet)

Hi Xanadu,

The best cards in 2D are from Matrox. At least, those are the ones that are
usually advised for officework, because the have very sharp images.
And, except for the parphelia, they aren't expensive at all and one of them,
I believe the 450 or the 500 (if the latter exists at all), has no fan which
makes it noiseless. It could have been the 550 as well, but I think that one
is designed a bit more for 3D so it'll probably have a fan. But I am not
sure. You see that the best thing You can do if You consider buying a
Matrox, is visiting their website and google a little bit, I am no expert.
However, I do know that they will be very good for Your purposes.
Otherwise, I would advise You to buy an ATI 9100 or a Geforce 4 Ti4200.

Good luck!
René

Thanks very much for the info and suggestions. I have heard similar advice
re Matrox and will definitely go find out more about their cards...

"Jef" wrote in message
...
Hi Xanadu,

The best cards in 2D are from Matrox. At least, those are the ones that
are
usually advised for officework, because the have very sharp images.
And, except for the parphelia, they aren't expensive at all and one of
them,
I believe the 450 or the 500 (if the latter exists at all), has no fan
which
makes it noiseless. It could have been the 550 as well, but I think that
one
is designed a bit more for 3D so it'll probably have a fan. But I am not
sure. You see that the best thing You can do if You consider buying a
Matrox, is visiting their website and google a little bit, I am no expert.
However, I do know that they will be very good for Your purposes.
Otherwise, I would advise You to buy an ATI 9100 or a Geforce 4 Ti4200.

Good luck!
Ren?