min spec for video playback

RobTi

RobTi

RobTi

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23 Jan 2005
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Hi nephew has the following and is having trouble playing video files using vlc player, so would appreciate any help on what the minimum specs are for playing different types of videos.

His specs are on an acer aspire sa85: P4 @3.2GHz, 2gb memory, win xp,SiS 661FX on board Graphics.

So at the moment the video stutters, would upgrading the graphics make any difference to what he can play?

Thanks

Robert
 
Hi there,

Yes, if he uses a modern graphics card and a GPU-accelerated video player (like MPC-HC) then he should be able to play video files (even 1080p ones) smoothly on a PC with a relatively old CPU.

That system seems to use an AGP graphics card, so his best bet is to get a half-decent AGP graphics card second-hand that will do the job. Does he have a budget in mind?
 
no budget at the moment he has just been given a 43" 3d set and is trying to get files to play smoothly.

Can you recommend some card to try for

Thanks

Robert
 
erm, for 3d, youd need at least a radeon hd3xxx series card afaik. if he only plays videos, just get something like a geforce gt520/radeon hd5450 for like 25 pounds. this of course does depend on whether the board supports pci-express.
 
If you can pickup a cheap AGP Radeon X1650 series card it can play 720p, but no idea if it can do 1080p and there is also the Radeon 3650, 3850, 4650 but probably expensive for an old system now.
 
RobTi said:
no budget at the moment he has just been given a 43" 3d set and is trying to get files to play smoothly.

Can you recommend some card to try for

Thanks

Robert
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, because the system is so old it can't use any modern graphics cards which use a PCI-Express graphics card slot (as that computer's motherboard doesn't have any). Therefore, he will need a graphics card uses either a PCI or AGP slot.

For ~£30 you can buy a HD 3650 (AGP version) graphics card (as suggested by AtaRo) which will decode 1080p video smoothly (including blu-rays and 3D blu rays). These cards usually have a DVI video output, so you will need to get a DVI to HDMI adapter like this and most likely route the sound to the TV using a separate cable (as these adapters often don't work with the sound, though an "ATI" branded one is likely to).

May I ask what the PSU capacity in watts is and what are the maximum current levels available on the 12V rail(s)? You can find this out by opening up the case and looking for the sticker attached to the PSU. The HD 3650 isn't a particularly power-hungry card, but it will need a half-decent PSU (300W+) to run.
 
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