choppy video

abbyying

Solid State Member
Messages
6
fyi, i am very much a novice when it comes to computers.

i was looking for a cheap computer mostly for internet and office applications. i bought a used computer off of craigslist (great idea, eh?). it was a custom built machine ($150). i tested it out at the dude's house all seemed fine. i soon realized the fan on the power supply was super loud, so replaced it, along with the other fans ($80). what i have now realized is that when i stream any video (hulu, youtube, PBS kids videos ect..) it is very choppy. unwatchable. this may have been an issue before i opened the tower and i just didn't notice, but now it is terrible. DVDs play fine. the videos will 'load' quickly, but even if the entire video is downloaded (cache is full) the video will be choppy.

my connection is fine. i did a speed test and it was 15-20mbps (depending on site.. websites load very quickly.

so, i am annoyed. i start researching and start trying everything anyone suggests on any website (did i mention i don't know anything?).. i update drivers, download new version of flash.. test all browser types.. download coedecs (sp?).. change computer priorities.. uh, other stuff. nothing. same choppy video.

soo, ideas? i was told it was a 'gamers' computer. there are a bunch of games i don't care about loaded. (combat arms, league of legends.. battlefield something.. others..one is a microsoft flight simulator.. seems pretty fancy. all pretty big files. still lots of memory left.

stats as i understand below..

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name FLYER
System Manufacturer FUJITSU SIEMENS
System Model MS-7125
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 55 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~2412 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 1/16/2006
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"
User Name FLYER\User
Time Zone Pacific Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 3,072.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 1.96 GB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 4.84 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

sound device: Name Realtek AC'97 Audio
video card(?) Name ATI FireGL V3300
 
no offense, but that's quite an old build you've got there :p the problem could be that your GPU is only 128 MB. You might be able to allocate more memory to the process that;s playing your video, but that takes time and often fails. as for the "gamer's computer" part, i dont see how the former user could have even used those games without lagging like mad. my suggestion? scrap it. invest in something that can evolve, with at least an AM3+ motherboard. You might get some help from my build below, but realize that i invested $1300+ on it, so it might be a bit out of your reach, and i play BF3 on Ultra settings at 90 fps. Good Luck!
 
thanks for the response. ya, may have been a mistake. "gamer computer" was his description, not mine. good advice on the scrap it.. but that is not going to happen anytime soon.

how do i allocate more memory to where i would need it to possibly help with the streaming video?
 
awesome. i will give that a shot. any chance it is my graphic's card? not sure i want to invest any more $$, but could that be a solution?
 
it could be, but your GPU is 128 mb, so you really shouldnt have anytrouble with video, as long as you're not planning on doing any hardcore rendering at the same time XD, but if you do want a better GPU, you might have some trouble finding one compatible with your motherboard. oh, and just curious, could you please post a picture of the inside of your case? thanks.
 
maybe?

is it possible that i bumped something putting my fans in? everything works fine.. it is just the choppy video. like i said, it may have been happening previous.
 
if you did bump something and it affected the performance, it would have been the HDD. and if you did bump your HDD, you wouldn't be able to use your computer at all right now. as for the pictures, do a close-up of your motherboard and a general overview of all the components
 
another thought.. if i tested out a couple of these games, should they also be choppy if the issues is with my GPU?
 
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