old computer video

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kmkrreeves1

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I have an old dell optiplex gx110 running win xp (originally 2000) with 512MB ram and a whopping 800MHz processor (sarcasm) with onboard video and sound. All video I play whether dvd on hdd or streamed from any website is extremely choppy. When you play video the processor stays at 100% until you stop it. My question is what is the first thing i should upgrade to help the video. would adding a video card help with the 100% processor or would that still be completely separate? And I read someone else had this problem (didn't specify computer or anything though) and fixed it by adding a separate sound card but I wouldn't think this would help much correct me if i'm wrong. :)

The reason this computer isn't in the trash is I was wanting to leave it hooked up the the T.V. all the time (because it is my only semi-desktop) to watch any thing streamed or on the hdd. (No it is not my primary computer so don't yell at me for still wanting to use it.) :):confused::)
 
Seriously, trash it and get a better computer. It won't support any more memory and you would just be wasting your money for anything else. Save your money and build a cheap system.
 
i already did upgrade the mem for like 10$ on amazon so :P (and I don't need more ram because with 2 webpages and a word doc open it still only running a 300mb page file) and like i said i don't really need this system it is just keeping me from having to plug in a wire when i want to view computer on tv. (I do have 2 laptops i could do this with instead if I need extra power)

can you maybe answer this question for me since it technically wouldn't be giving me advice? would onboard video go through the processor?
 
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It depends on what processor it is exactly. Most 800MHz processors would not play video through the processor. However, your iGPU is probably just as outdated as the processor and thus would still suck at video now a days anyway.

Your pagefile size is setup at install, and on XP is by default 1.5x the amount of RAM your system has. That would make me assume you had a 256MB stick, and 56 MB was being used by the system (video and such).

on such an old system, you could try a midrange PCI video card and try it. Worst case scenario, you get a little better performance in video situations and still need an upgrade.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133364 would be a good choice. Seems PCI is getting expensive again though. They do have a GT520 for like $60 in PCI form.
 
i looked them up on amazon and there were a few for around 20$ and i found a processor upgrade for around 20$, im not in a hurry so i guess I'll slowly upgrade it. And I wasn't planning on any gaming just dvd and netflix.

and i was talking about the page file usage in task manager, not the size of the HDD page file (i should have clarified)

and i did find that a 240p youtube video plays perfectly...
 
you will need a 1.4GHz processor at a minimum, most likely more for a good streaming experience. Also, you need 1GB of RAM at a minumum. Any less and it will shutter while playing.
 
I just bought a 1.4 ghz processor from amazon for less than 20$ (I would have liked to go faster but that was the max a PIII was ever made and this computer only supports PIII processors).

And my xp laptop originally had 512mb ram and played all video fine (advertised as media center PC)

I also bought a 20$ vid card with DVI, VGA, and s-vid ports.

(so much for slowly upgrading)
 
Well I am going from the Netfix requirements since that is what you said you were using.

I know for sure that a p4 @ 2400MHz and 768 MB of RAM will shutter bad. That is from experience.
 
...buy a cheap little book sized system if you want to do it...electricity alone your going to shoot yourself in the foot running that old thing 24/7.
 
For that $40 Youve spent you could have probably added like 50 more and got a used pc off ebay or craigslist better than what youve upgraded so far. Im with john on this one, any money into a p3 system is wasted. Even for what your doing its going to struggle.

I am confused as to why your adament on upgrading it?
 
kmkrreeves1 said:
I don't know how reliable this source is either and it would be the minimum again but...
http://www.ehow.com/list_7548868_netflix-system-requirements.html
Click to expand...
https://www.netflix.com/Help?faqtrkid=4&p_search_text=system+requirements&srch=Search

FAQ@netflix said:
Q;What are the system requirements to watch movies instantly on my PC or Mac?
A:
To watch instantly, you'll need a computer that meets the following minimum requirements:
Windows
Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Vista or Windows 7
Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher; or Firefox 3 or higher; or Chrome 7 or higher
1.2 GHz processor
512 MB RAM
Macintosh
An Intel-based Mac with OS 10.4.11 or later
Safari 3 or higher; or Firefox 3 or higher
1 GB RAM
You will also need an active broadband connection to the Internet
Click to expand...

again, less than 1 GB and it will skip. on vista and 7, I would be wary at 1Gb even alone, but it may work.
 
ran 7 enterprise on a pentium 4 3.06 with a gig ram...it was a dog...would pass on that...buy some decent hardware if your going to be going that route...
 
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