Laptop and DVD-RB

[nwg]

My main PC which I use Shrink and DVD-RB has screwed up for the second time in six months. It now won't boot up.

Anyway, does anyone use a laptop to encode with DVD-RB. I already done some with Shrink but, I am concerned about encoding for hours at at time and heat being an issue.

The encoding with HC on my other computer was like six hours. CCE and Quenc was three hours and more.

I don' think it is worth repairing the computer and maybe looking at using the laptop full time. I just want to know if the laptopn can take the encoding . I would also need to install TMPGEnc DVD Author as well.

The laptop is a Pentium M 1.6ghz with, 512MB RAM (may put another 512MB in).

[blutach]

I've done an encode on Firey's laptop nwg and it didn't stop due to heat. But it is definitely something to worry about - it needs plenty of air.

Regards

[nwg]

For reasons I can't explain. My main PC is now working. It wasn't booting up and suddenly it is now. I will leave it on for now and won't turn it off.

I do wonder if these fans do work (which I have posted about before).

USB Laptop fan

[blutach]

I've actually found if you elevate the laptop with one of those plastic stands (which is ergonomically better, too), you get better airflow. Sit it down on glass and you run a risk.

Regards

[megamachine]

I've used nothing but a laptop (Pentium M 1.6, 512) for about three years, and never had a problem with it heating up. I prefer the portability, and use an external monitor sometimes when my eyes need a rest. I do tons of ripping, encoding, editing, you name it, and have been happy with how it works. I have noticed, however, that some of my friends laptops get really hot when doing encoding and other heavy tasks, so it might depend on model.

[nwg]

My laptop isn't that old. It is a Acer Aspire 1691. It does get a bit warm. I have also seen a laptop get so hot, that it cannot be touched.

[megamachine]

Mine's a ThinkPad, and actually I've had two, a T-30 and now a T-42. They are similar, except the T-30 had 256, which I upgraded to 512 before getting the T-42, and both of them worked well. But I agree, on some machines you can nearly fry an egg! Not sure how to tell that before buying one, though, because most reviews of laptops don't put them through the kind of testing needed for doing video rendering.

[Chewy]

@nwg
did you get the 1, 2, or 3 yr warranty?

nice laptop, but I would hesitate to use it for anything heavy duty much
unless I had the 3yr warranty.
After 3 yrs they aren't worth much, before then they are very expensive to
repair.

[nwg]

I just have the normal 1 year warranty. The laptop cost £580 and they wanted £180 for a 3 year warranty.

This is the laptop (mine has smaller hard disk and shared graphics).

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2495

[Chewy]

I would fix the old desktop and baby the laptop.

[megamachine]

I agree, rbrtpl, laptops have a shorter lifespan. The HDDs often go first, and sometimes the DVD drive, too. Most of the time they are not worth repairing. But I'm sold on their portability, and have been generally satisfied with the ones I have had, so I keep on using them anyway, despite short lifespans.

[Chewy]

I advise all my clients and friends to get the 3 yr warranty, especially since
I can't work on the hardware, one guy got burnt real bad with an HP and a
1 yr warranty, another got about $1500 in repairs done on his 3 yr warranty.
YMMV

at least the prices have come way down

[nwg]

I would fix the old desktop and baby the laptop.

The PC is still working at the moment. I didn't switch it off last night and put it in hibernation instead.

When it was playing up, it recognised the CPU then hanged. On startup from hibernation, I noticed there was a CPUID number briefly onscreen under teh words Athlon XP 2000. This number was not on the screen when it played up.

[nwg]

at least the prices have come way down

My first laptop was a Compaq. It was 486DX33 with 16MB of RAM. It was the first time TFT screens were out. The laptop cost £3000 (£1000 of it was for the screen on its own)!!

[Chewy]

The desktop's
getting a little old, but faster than the laptop, probably power/heat and/or
dirt/dust issues. Wouldn't believe what dirty fan blades will do?
I had put an 486 cpu fan on a vid card heat sink and after several
months it wouldn't finish loading windows, took days to isolate.