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  1. Member
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    Hello, I was thinking about getting an HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition and I was wondering if my computer could record the gameplay? I don't really care for any fancy stuff, just recording. I don't have to see the playback nor record in 1080p. I am looking for it to record in 480p - 720p until I get a new computer. Here are my specs, any help and or advice would really be appreciated.

    While playing WOW and League I can get a decent 20 - 30 FPS while in skype calls with my team. I've removed all these programs and put them on an external 1TB HDD and put almost all my files on it as well, I have over 50GB of free space, and I would really like to know if I could at least record some gameplay.

    Specs:
    Intel(r) Core(tm)2 Duo CPU T5250 @ 1.50Ghz
    2.00 GB ram
    32 bit
    80 Gigs HDD (External - 1TB)
    Windows 7
    -
    Computer:
    HP Pavillion Dv6000 Entertainment PC

    What I manage to do on this computer:
    Play games such as:
    - League of Legends
    - World of Warcraft
    - Skyrim *On 15 - 20 FPS*
    - South Park
    - Fable
    - Minecraft

    I used to record Minecraft gameplay and edit it with sony vegas 10 without any problems along with some COD gameplay for my friends. So I really don't see how I couldn't use the PVR, but I wanted a second opinion before I did this because I hear you need certain requirements or it will not work.
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    The HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition device itself consumes few system resources since it supplies an already encoded H.264 transport stream and does not rely on the CPU for encoding. The system requirements for the HD PVR 2 Gaming edition include a 2 GHz dual core, but that is for running the included ArcSoft ShowBiz software for HD video capture. You only have a 1.5 GHz dual core, so your laptop may not work well for recording 720p video with the included ArcSoft ShowBiz software, but probably would work for recording 480p H.264 video.

    720p video files will use up 50GB in no time. You had better have another hard drive available to store them after capturing.

    Personally I would wait until I got a better computer rather than try to use the device and its software with an 8-year-old under-powered laptop.
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    Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    The HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition device itself consumes few system resources since it supplies an already encoded H.264 transport stream and does not rely on the CPU for encoding. The system requirements for the HD PVR 2 Gaming edition include a 2 GHz dual core, but that is for running the included ArcSoft ShowBiz software for HD video capture. You only have a 1.5 GHz dual core, so your laptop may not work well for recording 720p video with the included ArcSoft ShowBiz software, but probably would work for recording 480p H.264 video.

    720p video files will use up 50GB in no time. You had better have another hard drive available to store them after capturing.

    Personally I would wait until I got a better computer rather than try to use the device and its software with an 8-year-old under-powered laptop.
    I have a 1TB external hard drive to save the videos too, but thank you for the reply. I am going to buy it and then save for a better computer.
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  4. Member ranchhand's Avatar
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    Why don't you build your own? You will get a lot more bang for the buck, plus you will get an in-depth knowledge of your machine that can't be matched.
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    Originally Posted by ranchhand View Post
    Why don't you build your own? You will get a lot more bang for the buck, plus you will get an in-depth knowledge of your machine that can't be matched.
    No, you won't get more bang for the buck. An individual cannot build a comparable system to what Dell. HP, etc. offer for less money than theirs sell for at retail. What you will get (if you are willing to pay a bit more money for the privilege) is the opportunity choose all the parts yourself, install a better motherboard and PSU, plus use a case with more room for expansion.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 18th May 2014 at 21:40. Reason: fix typo
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  6. Member ranchhand's Avatar
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    If a person wants total bottom priced unit as cheap as he can get off a shelf and screw the quality, you are right, I can't compete. But if you want a serious unit mid to upper performance range, I can build rings around what Dell can offer. Give me $900 to build a unit (not including monitor), and go buy one from HP for the same money, then come back in 3 years and want the HP worked on because of a failed motherboard with popped caps. Good luck with that. Man I work on these every week, and I have seen some of the damndest crap I can imagine when opening a retail box.
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    Originally Posted by ranchhand View Post
    If a person wants total bottom priced unit as cheap as he can get off a shelf and screw the quality, you are right, I can't compete. But if you want a serious unit mid to upper performance range, I can build rings around what Dell can offer. Give me $900 to build a unit (not including monitor), and go buy one from HP for the same money, then come back in 3 years and want the HP worked on because of a failed motherboard with popped caps. Good luck with that. Man I work on these every week, and I have seen some of the damndest crap I can imagine when opening a retail box.
    Wishful thinking there buddy. Relatively few people are willing to spend $900 on a new PC with no monitor these days, and the OP sounds to me like another guy who needs to watch his pennies.

    My sister recently bought a new HP Haswell i3 (no monitor) for $529 and I know that I could not build a comparable complete system for less, since I just finished upgrading my own system and know what is available and how much it costs. I looked at the Pegatron motherboard online. It could be better, but there are no cheap comparable H87 motherboards (same connections and expansion slots) selling online at newegg and similar and I couldn't re-use anything other than the newish PSU, the hard drive and the optical drive from her Dell BTX system bought in 2005, to bring down the cost.

    You see plenty of failures being in the repair business. You don't see all the pre-built systems that are still working fine after 7 or more years.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 22nd May 2014 at 10:36. Reason: grammar
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  8. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by ranchhand View Post
    If a person wants total bottom priced unit as cheap as he can get off a shelf and screw the quality, you are right, I can't compete. But if you want a serious unit mid to upper performance range, I can build rings around what Dell can offer. Give me $900 to build a unit (not including monitor), and go buy one from HP for the same money, then come back in 3 years and want the HP worked on because of a failed motherboard with popped caps. Good luck with that. Man I work on these every week, and I have seen some of the damndest crap I can imagine when opening a retail box.
    Damn your ego is IMMENSE.
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  9. Member ranchhand's Avatar
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    @Hech.... you bet, pardner. I got a ton of experience and ability, plus Microsoft Certification and 20 years doing it to go along with it. What you got? One big mouth that shoots off all the time and usually misses the target. Usually has a right to his opinion, and I have a right to mine.
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  10. Originally Posted by ranchhand View Post
    @Hech.... you bet, pardner. I got a ton of experience and ability, plus Microsoft Certification and 20 years doing it to go along with it. What you got? One big mouth that shoots off all the time and usually misses the target. Usually has a right to his opinion, and I have a right to mine.
    What is your warranty like?
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    If you build a PC yourself, the only warranty is on the individual parts.Sometimes it is possible to buy extended coverage on individual parts as well, but that varies. Typically, there is a 3 year limited warranty on the CPU, a 3 year limited warranty on the motherboard, a limited lifetime warranty on the RAM, a 2 year limited warranty on the hard drive, a 1 year limited warranty on the case, and a 2 year (or longer) limited warranty on the PSU.

    You usually get a 1-year warranty if you purchase a new pre-built PC from one of the big names in the industry, but can often buy extended coverage from them.

    I have no idea what small-time custom builders do regarding warranties.
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  12. Member ranchhand's Avatar
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    Thank you for your inquiry, but I don't build for sale. I build for folks who want one and I charge no profit, parts only. I purchase mainly when quality name parts are on sale, and I use only AMD processors which overclock nicely. I like Asrock and Gigabyte boards, occasionally an Asus board but that's about all. If I need a CPU cooling fan I use only liquid cooling and never had a problem. I have units running that are pushing 7 years old and only have had an occasional hard drive, optical drive or power supply go bad. Only one blown CPU that I can remember. The warranty with reputable parts manufacturers is usually solid, but with retail box manufacturers you are on iffy ground. Most of my work is repairing older HPs, Dells, and Compaqs, and when I say that I have seen such junk I really meant it. Lately on some low-end units (notoriously Acer products) they are using 12 pin power supplies, which effectively means that power supply or motherboard replacement after a few years is in question. Plus these are low-output PSs which could interfere with adequate power for upgrading or adding components.
    I also get units that folks are disposing, clean them up & replace bad components then I donate them to a local school organization that supplies free computers to kids from families that cannot afford computers. This includes older laptops. At least the kids can do some homework on them. Many times the families can't afford printers so I supply 2-4 gig thumb drives so the kids can save essays to the drive, take it to school and print it out. I also do a ton of virus/adware removal, that is really increasing lately. In fact, I got two units coming in this week-end for virus removal and I just finished two during this week. I suspect it is mostly spyware and ad-ware infections, but who knows?
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  13. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by ranchhand View Post
    @Hech.... you bet, pardner. I got a ton of experience and ability, plus Microsoft Certification and 20 years doing it to go along with it. What you got?
    Two ancient Dells right here in this room (one laptop, one mid tower PC) that still work perfectly, plus a lifetime of store-bought computers that never bought the farm (pardner). I've also NEVER had a HDD failure.....EVER. My first "real" PC had a 1GB HDD. My birthday is Monday....I'll be 50. My first "computer" was one of those Tandy ones that stored data on audio cassettes. My dad ran "The Cray" in Monroeville(Pittsburgh), Pa. He wrote programs and allocated computing time for Westinghouse WRD (Water Reactor Division) testing models.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvLlfXZMBXg
    I grew up around computers thanks to my dad. I'm not an expert but I'm not an arrogant blowhard either. If I need help I ask, or do what millions of other people do...Google it.
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    If someone wants a laptop, building your own is not a realistic option and building a desktop PC is not a realistic option for everyone either. Number one, some people are intimidated by the mere idea of putting things together, and frankly not everyone has good mechanical skills. Number two, it takes a certain amount of studying to get to the point where you know enough to pick out parts on your own or recognize when a collection of parts being offered for sale at newegg (or similar) as a kit is a good choice, and many people do not want to spend time on it.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 24th May 2014 at 16:33. Reason: grammar
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  15. Member ranchhand's Avatar
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    Yeah, it seems that the future of the desktop PC as a general in-home computer are dwindling. Except for the comparative few people that need superior power for certain tasks, the general public is happy with pads. I hope I'm wrong.
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