Guys, ive just built a new PC which i think should be HD movie capable playing. I have tested a couple of HDs on it which run good on memory but absolutely hammer the CPU, using it at 100% constantly. If this continues will my CPU burn out? I am usinfg codecs to play the HDs. My spec is: Intel P4 2.0 Ghz CPU Nvidia 256MB 8500 GT 2 GB RAM etc

Can you motherboard support a better CPU? Good Luck : JiffyTech Services

Your cpu is a little weak for HD play back so you will max it out when playing HD. But cpu's are pretty well protected against burn out with internal thermal shut down devices and such (unless of course you've played with the BIOS settings, then all bets are off). But I wouldn't worry about burning it up. I do a lot of HDV editing (I have a Q6600 quad core) and my machine is at 100% load for days on end when I render sometimes. You should however make sure everything else is shut down before you play HD video. And it might be a good idea to download and install a cpu temp guage just to check it every now and then. (google for them... there are some good freeware ones) If you have plans on getting into HDV editing.... then you will have no choice but to get a better cpu.

Okay i see. My CPU is getting a bit old. Its a socket 478, heres the spec: http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.a... Im not sure how much it can handle, max. Any help?

What kind of HD are you playing? A 2GHz P4 *should* be able to play 720p WMV or Divx HD. However, 1080p requires at least 2.8GHz. Quicktime 1080p HD, however, pretty much requires a dual core CPU for smooth playback. Pentium III--Descendant of Intel Core. Pentium III-S 1400 @ 1.63GHz, 512K L2 X800XT AIW OC 580/600 2GB of RAM 250GB HD SB Audigy 2 QDI Advance 12 mobo Smugly running Vista

I am playing 720p mkv files. Pure HD. IOt seems to stutter slighlty when playing

When putting together a PC new or old, one of the main things to pay attention to is what the system is intended to be used for primarily. I don't know about anyone else but I do not honestly view an S478 (100MHz FSB) 2GHz P4 as the adequate machine for playing HD content. Heck, the S754 that I'm typing this response on runs circles around an identical 2GHz P4 that I use as a test bed & I do not even consider this system good enough for serious HD playback. http://www.cyberlink.com/english/su...