Plea for expert help

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#1301952 11-May-2015 13:55

Pity you couldnt find some temporary way of cooling it down to see if its an overheating issue.

Sadly it seems that there are quite a few people that are experiencing similar issues to you - often it seems that its an overheating problem.
As soon as the processor gets to a certain temp it throttles right back and the playback starts failing.

While its worth trying to get your money back - I would say you might not have a lot of luck.

Have you considered trying to mod it yourself?
There is a video on youtube if you want to see what one person has done.
I gather installing a fan maybe a bit too far - but installing some heatsinks looks pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aRzfzqlZP4

Not sure exactly what dimension the heatsinks have to be - but they are pretty cheap:
https://nicegear.co.nz/electronics-gear/aluminium-heat-sink-30x30mm/

There is this thread too
http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player-support/intel-based-tv-players/pipo-x7-tv-player/23219-heatsink-modding

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Rikkitic

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#1302009 11-May-2015 15:12

Yes I have considered that and may end up doing it. That is something I could handle. Will wait and see how the rest plays out first, though. What makes this so difficult for me is that I have some technical knowledge but not enough to make sense of the symptoms I am seeing. At different times completely different things seem to be causing similar results and I can't get a clear picture of what is actually going on. I'm sure someone who knows more than I do could make sense of this. When I first set the computer up I installed the HD PVR 2 recorder. When the problems occurred I tried disabling it with Task Manager at different stages but I never completely uninstalled it. Today it finally occurred to me to do that and I got rid of everything that was running in the background. Now the streaming seems to be working better but I don't know if this really solves anything. I thought I was already having problems before the recorder was installed, but I can no longer remember for certain. At other times I have thought I had found the answer but it turned out not to be the case. I don't know if this will be any different. If it is just a software issue, why does Intel Diagnostic say the CPU is failing? And why does it slow down so drastically? Colour me thoroughly confused.

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#1302062 11-May-2015 16:11

What have you got running in the background

Rikkitic

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#1302249 11-May-2015 20:22

Practically nothing except Windows processes. I cleared everything I could in the beginning except the HD PVR 2 software. Now that is also gone and so far streaming seems almost normal.

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#1303096 12-May-2015 19:56

I want to bring this thread to a close. I finally have managed to obtain the definite, unequivocal information I needed. I installed some different diagnostics and ran some tests that told me what I needed to know in terms I could understand.

It all comes back to the Pipo. It is indeed running too hot. There may also be memory issues. When the Hauppauge recording software is installed, even if it is not running, the background processes create havoc. If it is completely uninstalled, the Pipo is capable of streaming to a reasonable degree, but it is running at the edge of its capabilities.

I obtained a new laptop today. It works perfectly, except the the HDMI output doesn't fill all the TV display area, but that is another matter. Streaming and recording ran smoothly all day, with no sign of jittering or dropped frames. It is a world of difference. The Pipo is clearly barely able to handle the processing required for streaming, let alone anything else. I would have realised this sooner except for ambiguous results from diagnostic software coupled with my own limited understanding.

The Pipo is probably okay as long as it isn't worked too hard but I would not recommend it for anything. It is just too limited.

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#1303099 12-May-2015 20:02

HDMI output can be adjusted to fit entire TV area.
1) download latest Intel graphics driver
2) adjust :D

richms

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#1303149 12-May-2015 20:32

What software did you use to look at the temperature that gave you the results you needed?

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#1303162 12-May-2015 21:24

joker97: HDMI output can be adjusted to fit entire TV area.
1) download latest Intel graphics driver
2) adjust :D

Intel says this is a proprietary driver that can only be updated by Acer, which doesn't have anything.

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#1303164 12-May-2015 21:30

richms: What software did you use to look at the temperature that gave you the results you needed?

Realtemp, together with cpuid. It actually warns you when the processors are getting too hot and tells you other stuff as well.

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#1304829 13-May-2015 21:24

I can’t resist adding a postscript to this thread. Although I still haven’t solved my problem, at least I now understand more or less what it is.

The Pipo actually works pretty well as a streaming computer. But it won’t work at all with the Hauppauge HDMI recorder. As soon as that is installed, temperatures go up and the video starts shuddering. Pretty soon everything in RAM more or less collapses.

Today I decided to see what I could do about the temperatures. I don’t have all the bits and pieces and there are no shops nearby so I improvised. I found a suitable heat sink on an old motherboard and I cut it down to fit the metal plate over the processors. I removed the cooling film and added the heat sink after applying some thermal paste. I did not have adhesive so I used a piece of wood to jam the heat sink against the plate.

This worked pretty well. When I booted the Pipo temperatures remained in the 60s. When I installed the HD PVR2 they immediately went up, but remained a little below previous levels, though a maximum of 85 degrees was briefly reached (just 5 degrees under TJ max). Unlike previous times, the RealTemp diagnostic did not issue any warnings but the video still slowed and stuttered. Temperature remained under critical limit but the cpu load was 100%. Something (else) I don’t understand is ‘clock modulation’, which popped up at 12.5%. I set it to 75% and the streaming smoothed right out, though it was still garbled on the recording when I checked that later.

The Pipo will work as a streaming computer but it is hopeless for recording. I still don’t know if the problem is heat, memory, or just insufficient processor capability, but it Does Not Work. I am now going to buy the computer I should have bought in the first place. I am leaning towards the NUC but would be happy to hear any other suggestions.

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#1304967 14-May-2015 10:14

Rikkitic: I can’t resist adding a postscript to this thread. Although I still haven’t solved my problem, at least I now understand more or less what it is.

Thanks for the postscript - I wish more people did this. It is much more useful to others who may read this thread or have the same sort of issue.

[Edit to correct typo]

littleheaven

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#1305311 14-May-2015 17:12

Sounds like the Hauppage running alongside other processes is just too much for the CPU, resulting in the overheating. It will probably do the trick as a no-frills streamer on a bedroom TV or something, but you'll definitely get more joy from a better-specced NUC.

The Alienware Alpha might be worth a look. Designed for gaming, so has good graphics and processor support for a sub $800 price tag and reasonably small form factor.

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Rikkitic

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#1305319 14-May-2015 17:24

littleheaven: Sounds like the Hauppage running alongside other processes is just too much for the CPU, resulting in the overheating. It will probably do the trick as a no-frills streamer on a bedroom TV or something, but you'll definitely get more joy from a better-specced NUC.

The Alienware Alpha might be worth a look. Designed for gaming, so has good graphics and processor support for a sub $800 price tag and reasonably small form factor.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not in a hurry because I now have a notebook and everything works fine on that. I don't want to tie it up this way forever but it is a good temporary solution. In the meantime I am going to do a professional job on the heatsinking and see how much difference that makes. Who knows? This thing may end up working after all.

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robjg63

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#1305324 14-May-2015 17:34

Yep. Thanks for updating the post with your findings - its amazing how many people don't bother and its always interesting to find answers.

Basically you have found the pipo to be OK if you don't overtax it and it possibly needs some cooling mods to be on the safe side. Not bad value for a cheapie....

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

littleheaven

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#1305325 14-May-2015 17:37

Rikkitic:Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not in a hurry because I now have a notebook and everything works fine on that. I don't want to tie it up this way forever but it is a good temporary solution. In the meantime I am going to do a professional job on the heatsinking and see how much difference that makes. Who knows? This thing may end up working after all.

That would be great if it did. Let us know how it goes!

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

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