To lighten the load on cpu when viewing videos, the video card (graphics accelerator) needs to actually be used when the video is playing.
This requires compatibility/drivers, i.e., your OS, drivers, screen, accelerator card, etc., have to all be there and be set up as required.
I have a suspicion that many people have PCs that have a video accelerator but it’s not being used.
I don’t know how to verify whether it’s being used in M$ operating systems, but I imagine if you search for answers enough you’ll get them.
Obviously it would as a matter of standard practice be best to ascertain the situation prior to purchasing a machine, i.e., verify what graphics accelerator and monitor it comes with and what they need for drivers, etc., therefore making sure that drivers are available and all the pieces support the GE.
Another hint, if you’re stuck using CPU...
To minimize cpu usage, select the smallest video viewing size (definitely not full screen)...
and view the video at the lowest possible resolution.
You should be able to get your cpu down to 20% or less usage.
For a laptop, I’d be shooting to keep it at 10% cpu usage.
Also, some CPUs support Frequency scaling... that is, they can change the clock speed they are running at while the OS is running. So your cpu may be able to run at, for example, anything from 1.60GHz to 2.93GHz.
And, you usually set the “governor” to On Demand.
So if there’s not a lot going on, the cpu will slow down to 1.60GHz, and only if it’s real busy does it speed up to what it has to.
Slower is generally cooler.
For a laptop that runs cool, one does not want to be on the “bleeding edge” of technology.
There are also all kinds of laptop cooling devices for sale on the web.
Plastic pads filled with some kind of heat transfer goo, aluminum frames with holes in them that have fans inside that you sit your laptop on top of. The power comes from your laptops usb port.
I’ve tried these... believe me, it’s best to not push the CPU fast and not have a hotrod CPU.
Due to the size constraints, laptops are a lot of electronics crammed in close without an optimal cooling situation.
I also would not buy a cpu that was not dual core, since they are so much more responsive when one runs “ill-behaved” software that hogs cpu. But I’d stay with the more modest performance levels.
IMHO.
Thanks again for your insight.
I know over heating is an issue with laptops, and It is the primary reason I try to avoid them.
This laptop, however, never seemed to run as hot as other machines I’ve owned. I’ve always placed it on a raised surface.
I do think this machine has serious issues with its battery.
My keyboard and touchpad failed some time ago, and the solution (according to HP’S Forum) was to remove the battery and re-insert it. That actually worked until it became so common that I got a USD keyboard and mouse. Thankfully, HP err, Vista, had an screen keyboard which was the only way I could log into my system.\
Interestingly enough, I have monitored both my CPU and memory usage while watching those videos and as the thing just shut down.
I never hit a limit on my processor or memory.
It just shuts off.
I’ve turned the thing on when I made this comment.
I’ll let it sit all night and into tomorrow.
It’s not actually trying to boot up. It’s just dead with all the power lights on. There’s nothing I can do to change the state that it is in. But, I’ve been here before, and like I said, out of nowhere, it just booted up.
Wish me luck