which laptop is best for htpc..

dasher85

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i want to purchase a laptop which m goin to use as htpc either.. so for that ati 4570 graphic card is ok.. m goin to purchase dell studio 15

Dell Studio Laptop 15 Details

please help me with da graphic card issue man.. and also 256mb graphic card will be sufficient or 512 is required for watching hd movies via laptop to my
pv8

pls comment
 
Unless you are going to use the laptop for personal use and/or other options like d/l etc. laptop is not really a good idea for HTPC. It cannot be upgraded long term either. A PC is a much better option and will be cheaper too. For the said cost of 43K you can assemble a killer rig which will not require any upgrades for at least 4-5 years.

Otherwise the best course is get WDTV and an external HDD or a 16-32GB USB stick.
 
this is not gonna b dedicated htpc.. i have to purchase laptop for my own use so i want to purchase it which i can use for watching movies through my pv8 either
 
this is not gonna b dedicated htpc.. i have to purchase laptop for my own use so i want to purchase it which i can use for watching movies through my pv8 either

okay a few points to note:

Maximum possible resolution with pv8 is 1024x768 through VGA (anything higher it blanks out).
Through HDMI it can accept HD resolutions(1080p) ie. 1920X1080 but (720p)1280x720 is preferred.
PV8 has a tendency to overscan/underscan (atleast with nvidia integrated mobos or graphics cards. Even ATI is known for these problems) - so use latest drivers to correct screen size and timings.
Additionally get MPC-HC or XBMC to display 720p or 1080p output - whatever suits best - stay with 720p for desktop use - at a distance of 6-8ft its okay.

See if any laptop passes HDMI signals that include video or audio - or you will end up using RCA cables for sound and VGA cable for video and will never experience great PQ (belive me i had been using a delld630 with 1024x768 via VGA and the day i fied up my HTPC via HDMI - what a difference it made).

Additionally thorough HDMI the pics, mvoies and desktop looks brilliant. So go have fun
 
i rally kno very lil in this.. thus pls tell me.. can i watch hd movies on my pv8 via dell studio 15 256mb ati4570 graphic card and 2.4g p8600 intel processor..

thrs option of 512mb graphic card also..

how is 4570 ati
 
The configuration is good. Will run HD rips. Soundcard specs are not given and it says "Integrated Stereo Sound with Subwoofer" meaning 2-channel? Either way make sure the soundcard has a digital out otherwise getting the audio in 5.1 will be tough especially if you are looking to connect to an AVR. Go with 512 MB graphics card if you can afford it as its a safer and better option for the future. Also, 320GB HDD is pretty limiting these days. Go for 500GB or even higher if available/affordable. Also, its listed at CD-ROM and DVD-ROM which is confusing as it means only reading? Is it with a DVD Writer? Make sure its a DVD Writer since you will need it to burn/backup data. Other specs are good.

Still if you can consider it do consider a PC instead of the laptop. PC will be much more powerful, cheaper, and much, much more upgradeable. Nothing wrong with this laptop, just that laptops age very rapidly like in 3-4 years and beyond that cannot keep pace with technology.

i rally kno very lil in this.. thus pls tell me.. can i watch hd movies on my pv8 via dell studio 15 256mb ati4570 graphic card and 2.4g p8600 intel processor..

thrs option of 512mb graphic card also..

how is 4570 ati
 
The configuration is good. Will run HD rips. Soundcard specs are not given and it says "Integrated Stereo Sound with Subwoofer" meaning 2-channel? Either way make sure the soundcard has a digital out otherwise getting the audio in 5.1 will be tough especially if you are looking to connect to an AVR. Go with 512 MB graphics card if you can afford it as its a safer and better option for the future. Also, 320GB HDD is pretty limiting these days. Go for 500GB or even higher if available/affordable. Also, its listed at CD-ROM and DVD-ROM which is confusing as it means only reading? Is it with a DVD Writer? Make sure its a DVD Writer since you will need it to burn/backup data. Other specs are good.

Still if you can consider it do consider a PC instead of the laptop. PC will be much more powerful, cheaper, and much, much more upgradeable. Nothing wrong with this laptop, just that laptops age very rapidly like in 3-4 years and beyond that cannot keep pace with technology.

+1 to what moser bhai said. My HTPC was setup for 12k.5 + 5.5 k (1 TB HDD which i already had) including traveling expenses.

Anyway the graphics card is fine and so is the processor for HD rips unless you start pushing the ante with ffdshow etc.

DVD writer is a must - a good one with error checking. A lot of rips will happen I am sure. The sound card is 2 channel for output via output jacks and though it has a HDMI slot and the board gm45 has the bandwidth to facilitate HD audio - i am not sure if intel has implemented that (intel is like that - want more features pay more).

At least you are covered on image quality with the pv8 and the lapotp. For SQ you can later add a external ubs SC that has optical out.

And if you are not playing games 512mb of graphics would be a overkill - the integrated 256 mb will do more than enough - i did not even bother upgradign to an external graphics card for my HTPC. The integrated 8330 nvidia does fine with all HD rips with FFDshow turned on for various parameters. Though my proccy amd 7750be plays its part too.

Have fun. Choose you system well.

PS: My take is a HTPC is better for these qualities - upgrade HDD at will - i have presently 1 TB will upgrade to 2 TB in the next 3-4 months with space running out. A netbook is a better combo - easy to carry, small and covers all aspects of our usage like office, surfing, a lil music etc - that is my friend the way forward note it. Some years (if not months) you will see the tech gurus talking my language.
 
suprateep

you got a HTPC in 12.5k!
mind mentioning the breakup?

all i can manage in 12.5 k is
7.5k(processor and MOB) 1k ( ram) 1.5k ( wireless keyboard and mouse) 2k ( decent dvd writer) = 12.5k
still no SC or a power supply and casing etc
 
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thanks moser bhai/brother :)

anyway that excludes a 1 TB HDD (that is 5.5k in pune, 4.9-5.2k in mumbai) which I was already in possession.

And yes though I wanted Liteon - no one in Pune had one and Prime too in mumbai said it was out of stock.

BTW the HTPC flies - takes 20 seconds to boot - a little more to shutdown (that is I have noticed with addition of a separate 2 GB of RAM - I plan to upgrade to Windows 7 directly if reviews are good later)
 
well arent those the exact same components ive posted
12.5 gets only that much
you still need a SC, an HTPC casing (just the 2 of theses set upi back another 10k easy!
 
well arent those the exact same components ive posted
12.5 gets only that much
you still need a SC, an HTPC casing (just the 2 of theses set upi back another 10k easy!

Depends. You can get both for 2K too. Soundcard Rs. 1000-1200 and case Rs. 800-1000.
 
Depends. You can get both for 2K too. Soundcard Rs. 1000-1200 and case Rs. 800-1000.

But for that kinda price, one would just get a plain jane cabinet and not a small form factor/ stylish htpc cabinet! As for soundcard, I guess the basic creative 5.1 soundblasters are available for this price.
 
But for that kinda price, one would just get a plain jane cabinet and not a small form factor/ stylish htpc cabinet! As for soundcard, I guess the basic creative 5.1 soundblasters are available for this price.

@iaudio & @magma - suprateep's combo already has the iBall cabinet included in the price of Rs. 12,500.

Soundcards that cost Rs. 1200 are not bad. They are good for providing digital out to an AVR/stereo amp. You need to spend more on a soundcard only if you want to use analog outs from it and want to use the souncard's DAC.

Coming to the cabinet, well I'm not much for looks. I'm happy as long as it performs. PC h/w these days are silent, don't dissipate much heat and work for years without any breakdown. Of course if you are taking a cabinet for WAF then yeah better be prepared to spend more, but no guarantee it will perform better than the local one.
 
@iaudio & @magma - suprateep's combo already has the iBall cabinet included in the price of Rs. 12,500.

Soundcards that cost Rs. 1200 are not bad. They are good for providing digital out to an AVR/stereo amp. You need to spend more on a soundcard only if you want to use analog outs from it and want to use the souncard's DAC.

Coming to the cabinet, well I'm not much for looks. I'm happy as long as it performs. PC h/w these days are silent, don't dissipate much heat and work for years without any breakdown. Of course if you are taking a cabinet for WAF then yeah better be prepared to spend more, but no guarantee it will perform better than the local one.

Honestly i was gung ho about HTPC cabinets earlier and spend 2 months and 2 visits to mumbai - ultimately gave up and decided the cabinet may come later. WRT to functionality and HDDs - nothing beats a budget Antec or even Zebronics. Since i use the HTPC more for movies - digital out from the integrated mobo is fine. I hardly have the time to listen to music with my workload so in time may get a soundcard with good analog out for stereo.

Even with a AMD 7750 which is notorious for its bad included proccy fan - it only is audible when i am rippign DVDs to HDD that takes around 30-35 mins per movie. (ASUS did sort out the bios problem of mobo overvolting X2/X3/X4 AMDs and now the proccy runs quiet and cool at normal conditions).

PS: Instead of speculating I decided to go out and set up my HTPC - why wait for a HTPC cabinet that is non-existent or costs as much as my entire HTPC
 
@suprateep,for a pc based solution ur setup seems damn good.am sure ur enjoyin it:eek:hyeah:
@moserw,you make a helluva case for pc based solutions really;).would go the same route given the option
cheers
 
Thanks and I'm flattered. But I do really want the best for all my brothers and sisters on HiFiVision hence I keep pushing/suggesting the PC.

@suprateep,for a pc based solution ur setup seems damn good.am sure ur enjoyin it:eek:hyeah:
@moserw,you make a helluva case for pc based solutions really;).would go the same route given the option
cheers
 
Thanks and I'm flattered. But I do really want the best for all my brothers and sisters on HiFiVision hence I keep pushing/suggesting the PC.

moserw,ur welcome.will be eventually goin in for one so need all the help i can get then!!esp fom u:eek:hyeah:.cheers,bro
 
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