Best video card for Arcade monitor after recent CRT_Emudriver update

[ilgrank]

Hello everyone!
This is my first post, but I've read hundreds of message before registering and posting!
I'm venturing in the wonderful (at least, I hope so!) world of Arcade restoration, and I'd want to connect my pc to a 15KHz Arcade monitor.

I've read all there is to read in regards of Calamity's CRT Emudriver, and read and re-read his original Radeon HD 4xxx guide and the new Radeon HD 5xxx one.

In the past, everyone reccomended a radeon 4350 or 4550 for silent operation, or one of the most powerful brethrens for demanding games, since there were issues with later cards.

Recently tho, Calamity posted an updated guide (http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1052#p1052) praising Radeon HD 5xxx cards for having EDID emulation.

In the light of this new support.. is the HD 4000 series still the best card to to hook to a 15KHz monitor? (it lacks Edid emulation) or better to switch to the newer (5000 Series) cards for lower power consumption,faster operation, and EDID Emulation?

Many thanks to everyone!

[mourix]

I'll try to answer your question based on my experiences. Correct me if I'm wrong.

There's 2 versions of Calamity's CRT Emudriver as of 07/2016:

Version 1.2B: This is the one that works on AMD Radeons up to 4XXX series. It's for very dated hardware but the software is stable and very well documented. Pick this one with a 4XXX series card if you want everything to install easy and be stable, but don't care about cutting edge games or power consumption.

Version 2.0 beta 8: This is based on newer AMD drivers and works from Radeons 2XXX to 7XXX. The software can use more recent technology and would make for a more modern system. However with it being in beta stage you should expect for it to need more tweaking to work alright. With my HD5450 for example, some emulators will switch back to 31kHz when you select the wrong resolution. So pick this if you want a modern gaming rig but can live with using beta software. Of course it will mature over time.

Personally I've decided on a HD5450 card for my MAME rig and a more powerful HD7750 is on the way for my general emulation rig. Just make sure to test your emulators before you plug in into your expensive monitor and you’ll be gaming in no time!