Is this notebook enough to play AVI/MKV output to TV via HDMI

[isekii]

Will this notebook be able to play videos without much effort?

http://www.kmart.com/dell-inspiron-1...&mktRedirect=y

Need to recommend a notebook to parents friend, but I don't want to recommend a total POS. Was gonna recommend a used one but don't want to play tech support either.


What do you guys think?

 

[Ketchup]

From what I am reading, the HD graphics in these chips are comparable to HD 4000 in the Ivy Bridge chips. It even supports basic virtualization, not that they would care, but just to say for the usage you describe, I think it would be an adequate dual-core chip.

More info:
http://ark.intel.com/products/81071/Intel-Celeron-Processor-N2830-1M-Cache-up-to-2_41-GHz
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Celeron-N2830-Notebook-Processor.112086.0.html

 

[isekii]

hm.. alright i guess we'll give the $200 notebook a shot.

 

[Ketchup]

hm.. alright i guess we'll give the $200 notebook a shot.

Keep us posted. I am sure a lot of people would be interested in a notebook like that, since it is cheap, mobile, and can do all basic functions without issue.

That is a really good buy. I have a Lenovo we bought three years with a Sandy Bridge Pentium and it was a decent buy at the time for $400.

 

[Fardringle]

It should work OK, but you should be aware that the computer in your link is limited to a max of 720p resolution (specifically 1366 x 768) even on the HDMI connection, so you're not going to get 1080p on the TV even if the original video is higher than 720p resolution.

 

[isekii]

It should work OK, but you should be aware that the computer in your link is limited to a max of 720p resolution (specifically 1366 x 768) even on the HDMI connection, so you're not going to get 1080p on the TV even if the original video is higher than 720p resolution.

really? So it can't output 1080P ?

Also would this output 1080p ? How would this compare vs the notebook?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.aspx?sku=292334

 

[Fardringle]

That one can produce a 1920x1080 resolution, but I honestly don't know if the Celeron CPU and it's "Intel HD Graphics" would be enough to be able to properly display 1080P movies.

 

[isekii]

hm.. okie thanks for the info. I'll end up grabbing either one of the two.
The guy wanted something cheap and something to be able to plug into a TV.

if one doesn't work i'll swap it for him.

 

[Fardringle]

I should clarify that I think the Inspiron 3646 will work OK, I just don't know for sure.

 

[Comdrpopnfresh]

I wouldn't count on it. I recently got a similarly spec'd laptop [N2815, 4gb RAM]:
The dual core Celeron chips are anemic, at best. They are for casual internet surfing, listening to music, editing documents, and light video playing. The N2830, at least, has a clock speed that the N2815 in my laptop maxes on burst. I don't feel that ~300MHz extra would matter though.

The manufacturers do nothing to compensate for the CPUs either:
Even if you can swap the HDD for a SSD; it's SATA-II, and the benefits are minimized because of it. I put a Samsung 840 EVO in my laptop, and it feels wasted.

All the manufacturer's horrible specification listings verges on deceptive:
Dell states 1600MHz DDR3 in that model... which is well and good and all, except Intel seems to indicate current Bay Trail systems top out at 1333MHz. On top of that, many models only operate at 1066MHz- the $$ customers are charged for performance that is only on paper would be better allocated toward equipping the laptops with 8GB of adequately spec'd RAM that runs on less voltage (it's all part of the mainboard, so no upgrades there). My laptop has an 11.6" screen, and with the graphics memory 'sharing' the system RAM, I would expect much worse video performance with a screen larger than 11-13". Again, 8GB of 1333MHz RAM would improve the graphics performance, aiding to counter the CPU deficit. It makes you wonder who designs these systems, or why no one talks about over-segmentation of similar products is a losing situation for consumers.

If the model you referenced and my own laptop had the N2940 (twice the cores, twice the cache, SAME price of $107/tray from Intel), and 8GB of LV RAM that actually ran at 1333MHz, the motherboard was equipped with SATA-III + Intel RST, and there were a few more PCIE lanes for 802.11ac w/ the latest BT-4.0... that would be a nice little laptop worth paying around $340 for.

I only got the ASUS K200ma I am using now, because my 4yr old i5-450m laptop has issues not worth repairing (it can't run win8.1, and is largely incompatible with 8.0). I needed a basic machine with good battery life to get me through until the new 14nm Intel mobile chips and laptops built on them with an i5 arrive... so long as I can yank the HDD and RAM that comes in them, which to me is analogous to the paper stuffed in pairs of new shoes.