AMD Radeon R7 250 and 4K TV

Greetings,

I am considering picking up a 4K TV to serve as my PC monitor, but I am currently working with an older AMD Radeon R7 250 card:

https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/R7.../Specification

The specs indicate that 4K @50Hz is supported, though apparently only via a DisplayPort connection. Given that the vast majority of TVs rely on HDMI, would it be feasible to run 4K at 50Hz using some sort of DisplayPort to HDMI adapter—for instance, something like this: Additionally, would a 50Hz refresh rate be sufficient for standard daily tasks? My work is primarily in audio production, so I won't be doing any heavy gaming. Thank you!

50Hz is fine. Even for gaming, you won't notice much of a difference compared to 60.

Regarding the signal—I doubt it'll work through a passive adapter.
The thing is, those adapters just convert the physical plug. The card detects that and sends an HDMI signal via the DP cable, but it won't magically upgrade the actual HDMI standard the card supports.

Still, you should get native 4K over HDMI at 30Hz, which is plenty for audio editing. It's even fine for video work, considering most footage—especially 4K—is shot at 30 or 24Hz anyway.

wiredotter14 said:A 50Hz refresh rate is perfectly fine—even for gaming, honestly. You aren't going to notice a massive difference compared to 60Hz.

Regarding the signal itself, I don't think you can bypass those limitations using a passive adapter.
Essentially, that kind of adapter just changes the physical connection type. The graphics card detects the change and then pushes an HDMI signal through the DP cable, but it won't magically upgrade the actual HDMI standard supported by the hardware.

That said, you should be able to run 4K natively via HDMI at 30Hz, which is still plenty smooth enough for audio editing—and even video editing, considering most footage, especially 4K, is shot at 24 or 30fps anyway.

Thanks for getting back to me. In that case, would something like this work better for achieving 50 Hz? https://www.amazon.com/adapter-delo...black-200300317

darkowl56 said:Thanks for the reply. Would something like this work better for 50 Hz: Check this out on the Webshop. It’s a Delock adapter—black, 200300317. Just a basic component you can grab if you need it.

I think so. If you're going to grab it, definitely order through the Webshop. Even if you plan on picking it up at a local Best Buy, you’ll still lock in that Webshop price. Plus, you get the whole 14-day return window if it turns out to be a dud.

Don't waste your money on adapters for $83. Just grab a used graphics card where the HDMI specs are actually listed... you can definitely find some decent ones for cheap...

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forum...card.18839351/

If I'm reading this right, the Nvidia GT 710, GT 730, and GT 1030 are all fine...

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads...utput.2362333/

Bryan Taylor6 said:https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forum...card.18839351/

If I’m reading this right, the Nvidia GT 710, GT 730, and GT 1030 are all fine choices...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/...

The GT 730 uses HDMI 1.4, so the GT 710 should be the same.

A GT 1030 would be the perfect card here—assuming I can snag one used for no more than $100.

Also, an RX 550 works too.

wiredotter14 said:[url]

The GT 1030 would honestly be the perfect card for this setup, though I really hope he can find a used one for under $100.

If it weren't such a sentimental piece of gear to me, I'd probably just sell him mine.[/url][/I]

Me (well, my younger brother) has an extra RX 550 here in Washington, D.C. that’s up for grabs for $67. Shoot me a DM if you want it.

I think this is the one:

https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/RX550-4G/
DVI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (DVI-D)
HDMI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (HDMI 2.0b)
Display Port : Yes x 1 (DisplayPort 1.4)
HDCP Support : Yes (2.2)

wiredotter14 said:Me (well, my younger brother) actually has an extra RX550 lying around here in Chicago that he could let go for $67. If you’re interested, just shoot me a DM

I believe this is the

https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/RX550-4G/
DVI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (DVI-D)
HDMI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (HDMI 2.0b)
Display Port : Yes x 1 (DisplayPort 1.4)
HDCP Support : Yes (2.2)

Thanks for the offer and thanks to everyone for all the replies—in the end, I decided to grab an RX580 through eBay just so I could have some peace of mind, and everything is working perfectly now 🙂