recommended streaming client specification using laptop

[knight_pjc]

Hi,

I'm very interested in the Steam In-Home Streaming facility (seems to be ideal for my situation where I can't easily move my main PC to living room TV area).

To get this to work I'm considering getting a laptop purely as the steam client to connect to the TV, however I'm not certain of the specification I need to realistically get this to work well, my main PC is Full HD (1920x1080) resolution, the same as my TV so my requirement is to stream to that resolution as well.

So I'd appreciate suggestions please on:

• minimum CPU (an i3?)
  
• GPU (does the laptop specifically need an Nvidia Geforce or AMD Radeon chip, in which case what types?)
  
• minimum RAM (2 or 4GB?)
  
• windows version (presume at least windows 7?)
  
• storage (presume could get away with 128gb ssd as I'd only want o/s + steam installed?)
  
• laptop screen resolution, although I'll always want to play the game via the TV I presume I need a laptop with 1920x1080 native screen resolution or will steam just adjust to the HDMI output I would use (I ask this specifically as I obviously don't want the game resolution to downscale at any point from my main PC to the TV screen)

My main (gaming) PC that steam would encode the streaming on is an i7 2.9GHz, 8GB RAM with AMD 7970 card running on windows 8.1 64bit.

Any help appreciated.

[Chris ';--]

Get a laptop that has a good CPU, as the gaming pc will be handling graphics. My laptop cannot handle big picture mode for some reason, so get one that can handle that and a bit more. An SSD would make boot times speedy. You could get this running on Ubuntu 14.04 which is FREE and can run some of your games. If your laptop has an HDMI port you can connect it to your TV as primary monitor and get it working on there. Also most importantly is to get a good ethernet connection, as wireless isn't good enough for in home streaming.

[Midnight Dark]

Originally posted by knight_pjc:

Hi,

I'm very interested in the Steam In-Home Streaming facility (seems to be ideal for my situation where I can't easily move my main PC to living room TV area).

To get this to work I'm considering getting a laptop purely as the steam client to connect to the TV, however I'm not certain of the specification I need to realistically get this to work well, my main PC is Full HD (1920x1080) resolution, the same as my TV so my requirement is to stream to that resolution as well.

So I'd appreciate suggestions please on:

• minimum CPU (an i3?)
  
• GPU (does the laptop specifically need an Nvidia Geforce or AMD Radeon chip, in which case what types?)
  
• minimum RAM (2 or 4GB?)
  
• windows version (presume at least windows 7?)
  
• storage (presume could get away with 128gb ssd as I'd only want o/s + steam installed?)
  
• laptop screen resolution, although I'll always want to play the game via the TV I presume I need a laptop with 1920x1080 native screen resolution or will steam just adjust to the HDMI output I would use (I ask this specifically as I obviously don't want the game resolution to downscale at any point from my main PC to the TV screen)

My main (gaming) PC that steam would encode the streaming on is an i7 2.9GHz, 8GB RAM with AMD 7970 card running on windows 8.1 64bit.

Any help appreciated.

If your purpose for this laptop really is strictly for use as a remote pc to receive streaming from your gaming rig, you don't need much in specs. You would only need integrated graphics, such as the Intel HD 4000, and a mid-range CPU such as the I3 or pentium. Windows 8 sux so I would stick with Windows 7. I suggest an inexpensive Dell Inspiron, as they still offer Windows 7, and are pretty cheap. (Available on Dell.com only).

But if you ever see yourself wanting to use this laptop for more than just steam streaming, I would seriously consider getting a much better model now, rather than being disappointed later. In this case, get an Intel I5 with at least 8GB ram, and even a dedicated GPU from nVidia if you can find such a laptop. (Such as Alienware)

Hope this helps!

[knight_pjc]

Thanks for the replies, looks like I can try to get a laptop with i3 with intel HD 4000, with HDMI port (and maybe 128gb ssd so fast boot).

The is literally only going to be for steam streaming client to TV so good to know what specs I can realistically use.

[Berserk Slayer]

From what you say... is this to run as just a streaming box, with the lid down?

Personally I would be careful getting a laptop as a full time streaming client/media PC, laptops which are extremely close to the edge in terms of heat tolerances anyway are not generally spec'd to run with their lids down for extended periods while they're kicking up heat - you might find it doesn't last very long or worse starts performing badly before you'd expect.

If you truly are getting a TV box, I'd be looking for a small quiet PC if I were you.

[knight_pjc]

Yes small quiet PC is the other option, I'll probably look into that as well (I'm in no particular rush) although laptops maybe are cheaper (especially when you take ebay items into account).

[oak_aged]

"laptops maybe are cheaper (especially when you take ebay items into account)."
Huh? Laptops always cost more than equivalent desktops. You're paying for miniaturized components, and a built-in keyboard and monitor (that you won't even be using). Compare "apples to apples" (same performance specs) and dextop = same power for less money. Or if you don't mind spending a few bucks, you can get a pretty sweet case (maybe even with fanless cooling) and have a quiet, nice-looking system. Look into HTPC hardware, mini PCs, etc.

[Midnight Dark]

Originally posted by oak_aged:

"laptops maybe are cheaper (especially when you take ebay items into account)."
Huh? Laptops always cost more than equivalent desktops. You're paying for miniaturized components, and a built-in keyboard and monitor (that you won't even be using). Compare "apples to apples" (same performance specs) and dextop = same power for less money. Or if you don't mind spending a few bucks, you can get a pretty sweet case (maybe even with fanless cooling) and have a quiet, nice-looking system. Look into HTPC hardware, mini PCs, etc.

Agreed. You would be better off getting a small desktop because they are cheaper and have a much lower failure rate than laptops. You could get a business grade desktop which is ultra cheap and has exactly the specs you want. (As long as it has the HDMI port). I don't think an SSD is really going to benefit you here. All you are doing is using it to stream media. You could save more money with a traditional drive.

Also it's important to mention that network connectivity is everything. This box must be wired, or if it's wireless it needs to be a high performance router with excellent signal, and all devices involved must be gigabit capable.

[Grth]

Here's what I'm running on:

Intel Pentium 2020M (Dual Core @ 2.4Ghz, no hyperthreading)
Intel HD Graphics (doesn't even get a number) @ 1366x768
4GB of DDR3-1333 RAM
Intel 7260AC (usually at around 144Mbps, well below "proper" AC speeds)
Client set to "Beautiful" with Hardware Decoding enabled
Server is hanging off a wireless-N bridge

Very modest specs in a low end <$400 laptop, and I've been able to run most games with minimal input latency and no slow decoding with incoming bitrates of up to 30Mbps and an estimated bandwidth of ~70Mbps. Most games seem to stream incoming bitrates around 10-20Mbps, so plenty of spare bandwidth

For 1080p, you'd theoretically be doubling your encoding/bandwidth/decoding requirements - but I found the stats were about the same when streaming @ 1080p to a different machine. I'd guess it just compresses it harder and you get a slightly lesser image quality.

In any case, I think an i3 with half decent wireless N should keep you out of trouble.

[knight_pjc]

Thanks for the details of that you are running, yes i3 I think would be minimum I'd look for.

[TheGuyWho]

There is a small formfactor pc that might be a bit cheaper / better if you are connecting it to soley to a TV. I have a friend who has a Gigabyte Brix that he uses as a htpc that is very small, pretty fast and i think would be great for what you want. If you do a google search on them you can get more info, they come in a i3 range can fit a standard hard drive (the newer ones can) and have hdmi out on them. Only downfall is that they do not have a cd rom drive on them at all so installation of a operating system can be a bit more difficult if you dont now how.