The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    minimal/recommended cpu speed for mpeg2/dvd playback

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by ieh4f, Mar 29, 2010.

  1. ieh4f

    ieh4f Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    l want to buy a second handed laptop with a dvd drive to watch dvd/mpeg-2 movies, any suggestion?
     
    ieh4f, Mar 29, 2010
    #1
  2. Duct Tape Dude

    Duct Tape Dude Duct Tape Dude

    Reputations:
    568
    Messages:
    1,822
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Not an expert but here's my guess:

    Any laptop with a DVD drive will be able to play a DVD movie. The DVD standard was made first for movies, and later used for other types of data. So, even an older laptop with a DVD drive should be able to play back a DVD movie at the very least--else what benefit is there in adding the DVD drive? In terms of CPUs, I would venture and say anything with a mobile Pentium 4 or later would be more than acceptable.

    Another note I'm pulling out of whoknowswhere is that the modern day Intel Atom is approximately equivalent to earlier variants of the Pentium 4 in terms of processing power. Even the first Atoms could usually just barely play a 720p movie, and DVDs are much lower resolution than that (480p).
     
    Duct Tape Dude, Mar 29, 2010
    #2
  3. naton

    naton Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    806
    Messages:
    2,044
    Likes Received:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Stay away from laptops with a pentium 3 (too old) or pentium 4 (too hot). Go with a Pentium M. If on a tight budget go for a Celeron M or an AMD Mobile Sempron.
     
    naton, Mar 29, 2010
    #3
  4. H.A.L. 9000

    H.A.L. 9000 Occam's Chainsaw

    Reputations:
    6,415
    Messages:
    5,296
    Likes Received:
    552
    Trophy Points:
    281
    My vote too!
     
    H.A.L. 9000, Mar 29, 2010
    #4
  5. Pitabred

    Pitabred Linux geek con rat flail!

    Reputations:
    3,300
    Messages:
    7,115
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    206
    It may be cheaper to buy new, especially given that many second hand laptops will end up needing a new battery in the near future, if not when you buy it.
     
    Pitabred, Mar 29, 2010
    #5