ethaneverst
10-24-2009, 11:45 AM
Hey all,
I recently purchased a used Dell Optiplex gx240 (pentium 4 1.5 ghz from a friend for next to nothing in hopes of using it to stream mostly sports content on my Samsung 46" 1080p tv. I originally had it plugged in through the VGA cables but the computer wouldn't smoothly stream internet content. Not even You tube. So I went and purchased a Sapphire Radeon x1650 pro 512 mb AGP. and hooked it up using dvi-hdmi. It still isn't capable of streaming internet video. Is this my computer or the card or what? I can still exchange the card within 7 days. and would be willing to spend a little more on another card as long as it works. any suggestions?
Loves2Watch
10-24-2009, 01:48 PM
You will need at least a dual core processor and 3 to 4 Gb of RAM to do what you want.
ethaneverst
10-24-2009, 09:47 PM
Really? I don't mean HD streams. Is it because of the 1920x1080 res of the TV?
ethaneverst
10-24-2009, 09:51 PM
Also, The computer plays avi files just fine on the TV. Why is the streaming a problem?
Loves2Watch
10-25-2009, 01:16 AM
What kind of internet connection do you have (speed).
ethaneverst
10-25-2009, 02:59 AM
Using a USB wireless ethernet stick. I was a little suspect of it when I bought it. Although the progress bar (red bar) on youtube seems to be well ahead of the playback. My service is Bell DSL (up to 12 Mbps) DL speed.
Loves2Watch
10-25-2009, 11:05 AM
Using a USB wireless ethernet stick. I was a little suspect of it when I bought it. Although the progress bar (red bar) on youtube seems to be well ahead of the playback. My service is Bell DSL (up to 12 Mbps) DL speed.
Go to speedtest.net then come back and tell us what your download speed is...
Loves2Watch
10-25-2009, 11:35 PM
4.18mbps
That should be fast enough to fill the cache so as I stated before, your computer needs more horsepower and a good video card to play smoothly.
ethaneverst
10-26-2009, 12:17 PM
Any ideas on parts that I should buy. I'd probably just put together a computer from scratch.
oblioman
10-27-2009, 09:20 PM
Any ideas on parts that I should buy. I'd probably just put together a computer from scratch.
Whats your budget? And do you plan on doing anything else with the computer? Gaming? editing?
lsilvest
10-28-2009, 08:08 AM
Also, The computer plays avi files just fine on the TV. Why is the streaming a problem?
Your problem has to be related to your internet connection. I stream video (mainly Hulu) with no problem on a 5 yr old laptop with AMD 1.6 CPU and onboard video. I just switched from Qwest DSL to Comcast and in my area the fastest I can get is 2.5mps with either, but have no trouble streaming even over g wireless at 54mbs.
Nothing against upgrading, but if you don't need to spend money to accomplish what you want, I'd check out the internet connection first. If that's the source, then upgrading isn't going to solve your problem.
