New PC Requirements for BBC Iplayer HD

japsybapsy

Hi,

I'm hoping to build a new pc to put in the living room which will primarily be used for bbc iplayer hd. I've tried searching the bbc website for min pc specs but all it says and I quote "A modern computer with a graphics card and processor than can handle the graphics, otherwise playback will be choppy" (here). What does that mean???

So, do any of you know what a modern computer with a decent graphics card is? I was thinking along the lines of using INTEL Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.66GHz with a motherboard with an integrated graphics (Asus P5KPL-AM, comes with intel GMA 3100). This motherboard only has VGA output, does anyone know which come with HDMI?

Many thanks,



.

kwikbreaks

Assuming you have tried and were disappointed with the result are you sure that the problem isn't with..

An internet connection fast enough to allow 3.2Mbps playback. Check your speed at our diagnostics page.

.. rather than the PC?

Which ISP are you with and what download limit do you have? Regular usage of that sort of download rate over extended periods is going to upset some. 3.2Mbps will use close to 1.5GB per hour.

===

I've just tried one on my low end laptop T5500 1.6GHz core 2 duo processor and onboard graphics Vista rating 3.1 and it plays just fine for me.

japsybapsy

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Assuming you have tried and were disappointed with the result are you sure that the problem isn't with..

An internet connection fast enough to allow 3.2Mbps playback. Check your speed at our diagnostics page.

.. rather than the PC?

Which ISP are you with and what download limit do you have? Regular usage of that sort of download rate over extended periods is going to upset some. 3.2Mbps will use close to 1.5GB per hour.

===

I've just tried one on my low end laptop T5500 1.6GHz core 2 duo processor and onboard graphics Vista rating 3.1 and it plays just fine for me.

Thanks for feedback, I have downloaded the file and saved locally so do not think it is a bandwidth issue. I tried on a P4 2.6GHz with ATI radeon 9800 pro @ 1600 x 1050 and was unwatcheable. Virus, soft firewall off.

jamespir

i have a laptop with a 2.4 ghz processer 1gb of ram and my graphics card is built in and i can watch hd content fine

amcluesent

Mobo graphics are never the best, you should be able to get a Radeon HD 4350 with HDMI for about £30.

japsybapsy

amcluesent wrote: »

Mobo graphics are never the best, you should be able to get a Radeon HD 4350 with HDMI for about £30.

Ok, thanks. How would that compare with a nvidia 9400gt? I've seen one for £48 which has HDMI but is also fanless.

Humphrey10

amcluesent wrote: »

Mobo graphics are never the best

My laptop with a GeForce GTX 280 feels sad now

I don't know if I can link directly to other forums, but there's a thread on the desktopreview forums with a basic comparison chart of graphics cards, it says radeon 4350 and 9400gt are very similar. If noise is an issue, get the fanless one.

Re: BBC website, I suspect what it means by 'decent graphics' for iplayer is a graphics card, rather than integrated graphics.

Also a note if you are building it, get a power supply with modular pre-wrapped cables like the Antec 'Advanced Cable Management System' ones, they are so much easier to install. Possibly they are all made like that now though.

AHAR

My laptop has GMA X3100 graphics (which are a bit more advanced than the GMA 3100 in the board you mention) and a 1.6GHz Pentium Dual-Core. The iPlayer HD content plays with a bit of stuttering and tearing. Perhaps with a faster CPU it'd manage better.

The Asus P5G41-M has HDMI and more advanced built-in graphics. You can always add a better PCI-Express graphics card later if needed.