This is a question that comes up frequently in discussions of SongShow Plus and one that has no simple answer.
SongShow Plus is a full featured program that will make use of what ever video processing power you give it. The more powerful a card you have, the more effects you will be able to combine with good results.
For SongShow Plus version 5.3 and earlier, any dual monitor video card back to the Matrox G450 is recommended.
For SongShow Plus 5.5 and 7.0 the lowest end cards supported are the nVidia TI4200 and the ATI Radeon 9000. Be aware that these are the lowest cards supported and that many features will not be available on them. No Matrox cards are supported. We recommend the nVidia 6600GT or ATI X700 Pro video cards or better for the best results using advanced SongShow Plus features.
We do not recommend using the lowest model video cards from any product line as these cards may not provide enough performance. The ATI X300 and X550 cards are not supported at all.
SongShow Plus does not support ANY on-board video cards at this time.
A lower end video card may work well for displaying the basics of SongShow Plus but will simply not work when motion backgrounds, motion background effects and transitions are used. Again, the more powerful the video card is, the better it will be able to display the various visual effects SongShow Plus has to offer.
Most people focus on the cost of a video card. While that is understandable it is not the best way to select a card for purchase. Instead, a better approach is to determine a price range and then buy the best card within that price range. For between $150 and $200 there are a number of video cards that will perform quite well. Obviously with more money comes even nicer cards.
Video card prices can be found online at places like http://www.newegg.com/ and http://www.zipzoomfly.com/ Both are reputable online dealers and tend to carry a wide array of video card selections.
Given the information above and the fact that you can certainly select and purchase whatever video card will work for you, we have tired to simplify the choice by adding a KB article listing some cards we have tested. Please refer to KB article DI009 - Recommended Professional Level Video Cards for some direction.
(DI001)