In Use : HP m7580n: Athlon Dual-Core Dorm-Room HTPC Powerhouse

Pavilion m7580n Desktop (2.2GHz...
Shop at	Price	Stock	Seller Rating
See More Products...

In Use

By Michael Baggaley, published on September 11, 2006
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: hp, m7580n

Contents

6. In Use

I tested various audio and video file types to see which ones would function on the m7580n right out of the box.

Standard Definition Video
File Type	Functional	Functional w/ extra Codecs / software
MPEG2	X
Quicktime		Quicktime software
WMV	X
DivX		DivX codec
AVI	X
VOB	X
MPEG1	X
Xvid		Xvid or DivX codec
OGM		OGG Codec
Real (RM)	X

High Definition Video
File Type	Functional	Functional w/ extra Codecs / software
MPEG2	X
WMV-HD 720P-1080P	X
DivX-HD 720P-1080P		DivX Codec
Quicktime HD 720P-1080P		Quicktime Software
TS/TP Trasport stream 1080i	X

Audio
File Type	Functional	Functional w/ extra Codecs / software
WAV	X
WMA	X
MP3	X
OGG		OGG codec
AIFF		Quicktime software
MP4		Quicktime Software

TV Recording And Playback Performance Tests

I ran several performance tests focused on media multitasking.

Test #1	Results
Recording an SDTV program and watching a previously recorded SD program. (Highest quality mode)	Average CPU Usage = 20% No significant anomalies in the recording or the file being played.
Test #2	Results
Recording an HDTV program and watching a previously recorded HD program. (Highest quality mode)	Average CPU Usage = 23% No significant anomalies in the recording or the file being played.
Stress Test	Results
Simultaneously: Record an HD program (1080i) Record an SD program View a Pre-recorded HD program (1080i) Compress MPEG2 recording to WMV (SD) using D-Cut	Average CPU Usage = 95% No compression artifacts No playback anomalies (Jitters, artifacts) User interface responsiveness- Crisp and smooth no noticeable reduction in UI responsiveness throughout the test Time to encode file: 30 minutes. (2 minutes of SD WMV video produced for every minute spent encoding)
PC Performance Test #1	Results
PCMark	3591 marks

I ran PCMark 2005 to provide an idea of how the m7580n compares to other computers. The full results can be found here.

PC Performance Test #2	Results
Intel Digital Home Capabilities Assessment Tool V1.5	94 points without ADS HD card installed 127 points With ADS HD card installed

I ran the DHCAT 1.5 (Digital Home Capabilities Assessment Tool) twice. First I ran it with the stock configuration, and then I installed the ADS InstantHDTV tuner card and ran it again. There was a 33-point difference (26% improvement in score with the HD card) The DHCAT performs a series of intense multitasking tests designed to bring your computer to its knees using multimedia related tasks.

See below for the results of the test that included the ADS HDTV tuner.