Old busty laptop for video editing

Hey guys I just finished filming my short film. My powerful PC broke down and I had to get a repair man. Bcuz of deadlines I am forced to use my 7 year old Compaq Presario cq40 for the post production. Just a rough cut, but for the damn low specs will it work? Or should I call a friend for help?
Specs -1gb ram, windows vista32 bit, AMD turion x2 64bit (1.6ghz), ATI radeon graphics.
Will upgrading the ram help? Or should I save the 30 bucks and borrow a wealthy friends computer?
Desperately need replies, fast. I really want to salvage this short film..

 

Upgrading RAM will sort of help with general responsiveness but that's not nearly enough to make any difference in terms of video editing. So if you can, get a help from a friend - this machine is not suited for video editing and will not be whatever you do.

 

That 8 to 12 times weaker CPU (vs. anything remotely current), Vista x86 O/S (limited to 4GB RAM and arguably the most sluggish O/S of all time) and more than likely HDD based storage subsystem all scream 'do not attempt'.

Don't bother trying to do this on the ancient Compaq if you're on a deadline. Borrow a (much) more current platform based system to do this on.

Good luck.

 

Literally any public library computer will do what you need 10 times faster than that laptop. I would cry trying to do anything on it in 2016.

 

@Eijgner mil call a friend and borrow some powerful machine.

 

If it had 2-4GB RAM and a leaner OS (say, Windows 7), I'd definitely try it, hey at least it has ATi Mobility Radeon HD 3450 and not some Intel GMA nonsense, that way you wouldn't have to mess up other's computer. (I prefer using my own stuff if possible so don't judge me)

But 1GB RAM and Vista... you're asking for too much, and that's from someone who use a 10 year old ultraportable almost daily.

May as well upgrade the RAM and sell it, there are always people who want a cheap worker.

 

The short film is filmed in 720p in order to achieve the rough, organic, grainy feel, but it still becomes choppy when playback..anyways thanks for the replies guys and I already know who should I find to get the job done.

 

Unfortunately this is still my secondary PC since I can't afford a new laptop :'(

 

And you can't install your softwares on public computers!

If you insist on keeping it, here are some possible upgrades: (as stated in the maintenance guide)

RAM:

• 1GB -> 2GB (2 x 1GB DDR2, PC2-6400 preferred)
• 1GB -> 4GB (2 x 2GB DDR2, PC2-6400 preferred)

CPU:

• Turion Ultra ZM-86 (2.4-GHz, 2x1-MB L2 cache)
• Turion Ultra ZM-84 (2.3-GHz, 2x1-MB L2 cache) (not listed but should work)
  
• Turion Ultra ZM-82 (2.2-GHz, 2x1-MB L2 cache)
• Turion Ultra ZM-80 (2.1-GHz, 2x1-MB L2 cache)

At the very least, upgrade the RAM and ditch Vista, install Windows 7 (upgrade to Win 10 if you want).

Edit: Forget about CPU upgrade now, it seems earlier CQ40 uses S1g1 sockets so I'll need to know the full product code first.

 

OverTallman,

I would agree on upgrading the RAM (usually), but this platform is just too old.

See:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=490&cmp[]=458&cmp[]=494


While it will be a whopping ~33% to ~68% faster with the range of CPU's you suggest, it is still well below even modern 'netbook' levels of performance.

Even with 4GB RAM and an SSD powered by Win10Pro, this platform is not worth upgrading, imo, even for just browsing the 'net. (Why? Because it could browse the 'net just fine as-is).

I would just use it as long as it lasts. And in the meantime, save for a (much) newer platform secondary computer.

 

Too old? Nah, not when my even older D420 is still going strong (and with Windows 10, up to date), that CQ40 is at least 1-2 generation newer. Not to mention I also have an nx6125, nx8220 and nc8230, all over 11 years old and running Win 10 atm, originally just for giggles but it's surprising smooth to say the least.

True that you can buy a Carrizo-based netbook (don't throw those Atom crap to me, thanks) for not a lot of money, but then you have to deal with small screen and keyboard. Oh yeah another important thing, how come you can think of a new laptop when you don't have that much money to buy one in the first place? (See OP's reply)

Don't you hate that when 'no money no talk' strikes you huh...

Sorry if I sound defensive, but I simply hate people dissing stuff that works well.

 

Lol... 'a Core Duo Centrino' is 'still going strong'.

Thanks for the smiles...

See:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+Duo+U2500+@+1.20GHz


Just because something is possible, doesn't mean you should do it, huh.

I didn't suggest a new notebook. I suggested saving (in the meantime...) for a 'newer' platform instead.

I am not 'dissing' anything that works. But I do question the value of upgrading old platforms for no reason.

Even if it costs $50 to get RAM, a CPU, (and, with a miracle) an SSD and Win10 on that platform, it is still $50 'wasted'. Because even browsing the 'net will be jarring and stuttering. Much better to put the $$ towards a newer platform (even if it isn't the latest), instead.

It is not just the CPU that is holding everything back. It is the platform in general. Too much time has passed, with too many advances in every part of what makes a notebook tick, including getting 12x or more the performance for the same (or very close to it) TDP.

Don't be defensive. Like I said, I would normally agree.

But the optimum time to max out the RAM and storage subsystem is always when it's as close as possible to the 'bought' date.

Not when the platform has been surpassed and superseded even by 'smart' phones (at least hardware-wise).

 

@OverTallman Turions were mid-range at best even back then. DDR2 memory is still quite expensive. Small SSD is just too small, anything below 128GB - or I dare say 256GB - is a waste of money, because of high price per GB. Some more recent, at least Sandy Bridge high-end machine will be a far better investment than upgrading low-end laptop of such vintage.

 

With minimal budget in mind I wouldn't consider SSD anyway, and please don't tell me £12-15 for a pair of quality 2GB DDR2 sticks is expensive.

As for a Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge laptop, I know they're cheaper now (like about £130) so sure why not, but only if you have money, and as I heard from OP he doesn't even have that much to spare, so that's why I said 'no money no talk': If you don't have money you don't even have the right to complain.

Bottom line: If it's still not worth it to overhaul, up the RAM to 2GB and sell it for some money.

But hey let's get back to the topic, see how OP goes and if we can give help.

 

We've already helped the OP.

£12-15 for 2x 2GB DDR2 SoDimms isn't expensive (nobody said so...), but that doesn't mean it's worth doing either (on that platform).

I didn't here the amount of $$$ the OP has or has not? But saving towards £130 is far more value than saving £115 and still being stuck with an inadequate system.

If it's not worth to overhaul to keep, it's not worth to overhaul to sell either (i.e. sell 'as-is' instead).

 

Sigh... I was about to pull myself out of this debate, only to be dragged back

I never said upgrading to 4GB is a good idea, that really depends how much you want to keep it. I won't part with my D420 even it's a decade old now, it's my very first laptop that I've fixed and refurbished myself and it'll stay with me no matter what.

However, the extra 1GB RAM (1GB -> 2GB) does make a huge difference on responsiveness from Vista onwards. Trust me, I tried on a number of different machines (laptops, desktops, thin clients; Intel, AMD or even VIA) and they gave similar results.

And the last part... well I'm a student but I also fix and refurbish old laptops as a hobby (and to earn some extra cash of course), and from my experience upgrading a laptop to 2GB RAM (with Windows 7 / 10 installed) yields more profit to me.

I'm not gonna reveal my "trade secret" publicly, but feel free to PM me if you're interested

Now seriously, it has gone off-topic for too long...

 

"trade secret". Uhm, no. No trade secret, CPU+RAM=Work 'done'.

More CPU and/or More RAM? equals more work done. Known that for decades.

The problem is the CPU(s) possible in that platform. No significant additional 'work' will get done even if the RAM is maxed, the O/S is upgraded and the storage subsystem is upgraded exponentially (to an SSD). The CPU is the biggest bottleneck in that platform.

But when a 10x or more improvement (1000% +) can be had for less than 10 the price of RAM alone, that is the value proposition to go after. (The 'newer' SB platforms for £130 or so).

On an i7 QC notebook with Win7x64 or higher, maxing out the RAM (to 8GB, 16GB or more) will give you ~60% more productivity (if you can leverage additional multitasking workloads while your main workload churns away). That is worth (a lot).

On the machine we're talking about, even if we got that entire 60% more productivity out of it (not possible on Vista x86...), we still couldn't use it to browse the 'net without stuttering and gagging on itself. Not worth $0.01, let alone £15.

On Windows 10 x64 (Pro, recommended), 2GB RAM is a crime. At least with any modern processor/platform. Not because Win10 needs more RAM. It's because Win10 uses more RAM, better, than any previous O/S ever has.

Hang on to that D420 for as long as you need to. But for sentimental reasons, not performance ones.

 

Guess you power users will never understand how well Win 10 runs with an old machine, but to each his own, so far my trick does fairly well and results in many happy customers and that says something.

 

It runs much better than anything but 8.1, however due to other benefits, 10 is the way to go. (=

Anything below 4GB RAM should run Win10 Pro x86.

Normally, yes. But without SSD or at least SSHD, and more responsive OS, the experience will still be very subpar. Disabling pagefile would help a lot, of course - with a risk of running out of memory, given the small amount, but anyway. All in all, it will require time and effort from the OP to make experience bearable by modern standards - and putting that energy towards acquiring new machine is a much better idea, even in the short run.

 

OverTallman,

My first 'test' Win7/Win8/Win8.1/Win10 system is still running today (AMD E-350 based platform), so I know what I'm talking about. (btw, clean installs each time). And the E-350 platform as a whole is much, much more 'beefier' than what the OP currently has (Win10x64Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD OP'd by 33%). But, the E-350 is still firmly in the OP's platform range where productivity is concerned. As a matter of fact, almost exactly the same.

See:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=458&cmp[]=249

Yeah, it is almost unbelievable that it runs so well, tbh. But there is no 'trick' about getting a system running well. These forums (and a few others) are for exactly that purpose. You may think you have a secret, but you don't.

And while our entire conversation has been off topic, I still try to answer with a tilt towards the OP's situation.

That is why I keep saying, as much improvement as more RAM would add, it will not be enough (certainly not for a video editing workflow). And I know not enough to even browse the 'net as I'm accustomed to (multiple browser windows and each with multiple tabs).

You keep saying you have a secret 'trick' that results in many happy customers. Okay.

I say that if I delivered this level of platform to any of my clients, they would laugh me out of business.


Starlight5,

Agreed that Win10x86Pro will boot up with 1GB to 4GB of RAM. Whether it will 'run' or not isn't up to the O/S after that. It depends on the hardware it is installed on.

Win8.1x64Pro was great until July 29, 2015 (yeah; when Win10x64Pro became available). It is not even worth talking about it today.

There are many 'tweaks' that are done for the wrong reasons. Like disabling pagefile, for example.

I too would enable/disable it depending on the workflow, hardware and O/S I happened to have running at any certain time.

Today, with Win10x64Pro, an SSD (OP'd by 33% or more) and an i7 QC based platform with 16GB RAM (or more)? I leave the pagefile enabled. Why? Because it provides me with the smoothest and most lagfree experience on those platforms. I do limit the pagefile to between 1024MB and 4096MB (fixed), depending on the total RAM the system has, but I find that disabling it totally gives me a worse, not better, experience.

Nailed it; putting that energy into acquiring a new(er) machine is a much better idea, even in the short run.

 

Don't like handicapping 64-bit capable machines with 32-bit OS, even if it only has 2GB RAM.
The only time I did this was on my HP nx6125, as the single-core Turion 64 lacks certain instructions required in Win 10 64-bit. This also happens in Prescott Pentium 4 and Smithfield Pentium D.

Like I said, with minimal budget I wouldn't consider SSD, this is the first thing I'll rule out whenever the budget limits me.

This is why you won't be happy with 2GB RAM, I always keep running programs at a minimum (one browser window, not more than 5 tabs running constantly). Hell I even tried running foobar2000 + a VM + Opera with 2-3 tabs on my "laughable" D420 and it never went above 1.7GB RAM.

Looks like you have a lot of money to spend.
I'm always budget-constrained so I must make do with inferior stuff, and I won't buy anything unless I need it. My current desktop has an AMD FX-6300 (Turbo Core disabled), 8GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, and a low-end Quadro (needed it for Solidworks), packed in an all-in-one case I salvaged from scrap.

 

I too, am budget constrained. I don't know anyone that isn't.

My mantra here has always been buy what you need (but always buy for the longest term possible). Spending money for what you need 'today' (only) is a sure way to spend more money than necessary over a specific time period (let's say a few years) and with much less productivity and performance over that time period too.

Maybe I wasn't clear in my AMD E-350 example. That system has 8GB RAM installed and it still is laggy for how I prefer to browse...

But what I maybe did not make clear is that even with a single browser window and tab open, browsing is very, very laggy too.

It sounds like you have an excellent grasp of how to put together systems for particular purposes at the least possible cost. What I'm suggesting is to reach a little higher and reaping much better value though. Yeah; when possible (those pesky budgets...).

Putting together a system is always a matter of tradeoffs. The goal is to put together the most balanced system possible. Balanced so that not any one component (O/S, Platform, CPU, RAM, storage subsystem) is substantially holding back the rest.

Balanced so that there is greater value over the time of ownership than an insignificantly slightly cheaper solution may cost today. Balanced so that the performance and productivity of the system doesn't wear down the user each and every day the system is used. And finally, balanced with enough performance (for the tasks demanded of it) so that at the end of the assumed ownership period, a new system can be just as methodically purchased once more (without the need to rush to get a system, 'now', and ending up with a throw away setup that takes away, rather than benefits the owner, over the ownership lifecycle).

What I have quickly learned is that an arbitrary budget doesn't help me in the least.

Spending the minimum needed amount to achieve that ideal balance (above) is always better than sticking to an arbitrary budget and saving a few dollars. I have proved this to myself, time over time (many years ago now...) and my clients have come to see the truth of that themselves. There are many systems where I 'made' clients spend a few hundred more (with many complaints from them, initially). But the proof is that those same systems are still working 3, 5 and 8 years later without issues. The same cannot be said for the systems they had previously (they still paid through the nose for them, but they also got the worst possible components and setups too. Yeah; imo, they got 'duped').

And a note of the RAM usage on your D420; the Windows O/S is very dynamic with how it uses RAM (and of course, it can't ever use what it doesn't have). You can't use a low memory configuration as 'proof' of how little RAM is needed... Because it will change if you can double, triple or quadruple the memory on the same system with the same workloads.

A very long time ago I installed Win7x86Pro on a Core Duo with 1GB RAM to see how it would perform. I was impressed. That same system saw another test with Win10x86Pro and the same 1GB RAM configuration. Again, impressive that a decade old platform could run a modern O/S (at all).

What was not so impressive? Having to use it to do anything with it, afterwards.

 

You don't actually need a quadro for solidworks, just FYI. I'd definitely recommend a dGPU, but it doesn't really need to be ISV certified. I've seen more buggy behavior in solidworks on quadros than regular cards.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Strange... I'm the opposite, prior to using a Quadro I used a Fujitsu Lifebook LH772 with Nvidia GT640 LE (I know it's iGPU-level at best) and it wasn't a particularly smooth experience, no problem after switching to a desktop with a Quadro.

Alright... a new thread opened! Looking for a survivable-in-any-situation ultraportable
Hope you guys can help me find a good successor to my D420 (not totally replacing it, my D420 still has some good use).
A spoiler though, this time there's a "thou shall not pass" budget limit, and I put it for a good reason.

 

Thread title begins with 'old busty' and 3 pages went past, without a single GILF mention...

Ivy or Sandy Bridge CPU, SATA 2 (with SSD, obvs) HDD interface and at least 8GB of RAM would make quite a solid upgrade machine that would defy its age for a while still (Says the person who once upgraded a Lat D600 with better CPU, RAM and HDD).

 

Like I've said, I knew this would fit OP's need very well. One thing though, "Where's the money?"
From my assumption OP basically couldn't afford another laptop while he needed the solution ASAP (so saving money is pretty much irrelevant).
IMO I'd sincerely avoid using others' systems to do my own work, I've been burned by that a few times.

 

My mantra is "He or She who buys cheapest for the moment, pays highly for it in the long run". Sometimes, spending more up front sensibly on a PC is cheaper down the road, as that better planned machine costs less to own over it's lifespan. Think total cost of ownership.

 

It's not really about system lifespan or what, but it's like OP was in emergency, and in a really bad situation, so he needs a makeshift solution to make do with.

Think of like one of your car's tire is punched and it's just a few miles to the nearest tire shop, so it's either: use the tire repair glue and you can drive your car to the shop and replace the tires; do nothing and leave your car stranded; call a tow truck... except you can't because your phone can't receive a signal.

P.S. Would rather not to borrow or ask for money to buy stuff, that's a really bad habit.

 

Editing video on an inadequate platform won't cut it either. And risks damaging said machine by overheating it. And with AMD, it won't shut down to save the CPU in those days. In my world, I drive adapted vehicles (hand controls and a steering knob mandatory, and automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes necessary) and maintenance is necessity and not an option. Unlike most people, a rent a car I can drive is usually wheelchair vans (and many times more expensive to rent when available. Rental vehicles I can drive are not available locally in my rural town. My vehicle maintenance reflects that reality. And your car maintenance and mine are very different on priorities. I carry alternative means of communication in my car (two way on company frequencies, broadcast auxiliary service), a tool set, a spare tire, and spare belts and hoses if needed. I am prepared as I can be within reason.

 

But then there's no other viable choices, except borrowing others' machine which I highly don't recommend, I'd never go that way if I were him, even if I'd have to deal with an inadequate machine. Who knows if I'll get an angry comeback after returning the computer.

And the last part... you gotta be kidding, go Google "turion high temperature shutdown", or if you aren't bothered with searching, here's one example: Cannot cool Turion 64 x2 TL-60. WHY?

Come on man, AMD CPU suicides by heat are so 1999.

And from where I am, well good luck finding even a space-saving spare tire in your car
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But anyway, "please provide an immediate solution at minimal cost" is what OP asks for.

I seriously doubt OP is willing to spend on a more powerful laptop. Judging from OP's words, he's more like a desktop guy, spending most of the available cash on the tower. If he uses laptops frequently then I wonder why he'd have to be stuck on a 7 year old Compaq when his tower broke down, he should already have a better laptop to save himself. I mean from his perspective, why spend on something that most likely won't be used afterwards when fixing the tower is what's needed, especially considering the budget is tight? Spending big bucks on redundant stuff won't help his financial situation too.

 

Fix the desktop then. But overheat an older AMD CPU past the point of no return, dead AMD CPU. Which means dead PC. Past 1999 AMD did improve things in that capacity. And in the future, plan better. I am on a budget. I make do. But I also try to budget for keeping my tools adequate. My computers are tools. But I don't ask a AMD to do a Core i5 or higher workload either. I don't ask a Hyundai Elantra to haul what a big pickup does either. But also understand making do in a pinch.