Laptop suggestions for home theater setup

[Hybris5112]

Not 100% sure where I should be posting this but considering my use case this seemed to be the best place.

 

Right now I have a low end Toshiba Satellite B-55 laptop hooked up to my TV via HDMI with a external hard drive for storage. When I built this thing I had no budget and the bulk of my content was 480p or the odd 720p movie, any thing beyond that and I get horrible stuttering.

 

My content has mostly moved on to 1080p so I want to look for a new rig and while I know if I dump $800+ I can guarantee smooth playback but considering that this computer will only ever sit by the tv unless I need it for maintenance or emergencies I want to know if anyone has a suggestion for something cheaper that can still run 1080p.

 

The main reason I am using a laptop and not a mini pc is because I want to be able to work on the system without hogging the TV from the rest of the family and have a last ditch back up computer for work.

[The Sloth]

an old OEM pc( any 2nd or 3rd gen i5 or i7 with IGPU can handle it), look on ebay. a laptop suggesting would be older thinkpad or a dell Inspiron 7000. 

[GDRRiley]

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

an old OEM pc( any 2nd or 3rd gen i5 or i7 with IGPU can handle it), look on ebay. 

a core 2 quad with a d gpu could also do it. 

[The Sloth]

Just now, GDRRiley said:

a core 2 quad with a d gpu could also do it. 

just a bit of extra power, you can easily pick one for 150 to 200$, also can throw in a cheap gpu for a gaming rig. 

[That_PC_Kid]

Dell Inspiron 15 5000 or Dell Inspiron 15 7000 would be good picks for this.

[GDRRiley]

9 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

just a bit of extra power, you can easily pick one for 150 to 200$, also can throw in a cheap gpu for a gaming rig. 

on ebay dam. I can grab them for 60$ from an e recycler 

[desertcomputer]

Do you have more power PC? And use a plex media player on your laptop or use plex media server on another computer or buy plex pass for plex cloud. 

[Himommies]

JUst buy like a chromecast or a roku 

[Hybris5112]

46 minutes ago, MrUnknownEMC said:

Do you have more power PC? And use a plex media player on your laptop or use plex media server on another computer or buy plex pass for plex cloud. 

I don't have a reliable Internet connection where the computer is placed so streaming anything is not possible.

21 minutes ago, Himommies said:

JUst buy like a chromecast or a roku 

Don't have Internet access where the computer will be and none of those services have content that I am interested in let alone willing to pay for.

[desertcomputer]

2 hours ago, Hybris5112 said:

I don't have a reliable Internet connection where the computer is placed so streaming anything is not possible.

Don't have Internet access where the computer will be and none of those services have content that I am interested in let alone willing to pay for.

Well than a local NAS and run plex? but will require another computer. 

 

My current is just an old gaming rig without a video card running FREENAS and Plex Jail, really easy to setup but require large investment upfront. You don't need to worry about your internet connection as it within your own network. Just put all your data on that FREENAS and plex will trans code if needed to player for smoother playback. 

[Hybris5112]

9 hours ago, MrUnknownEMC said:

Well than a local NAS and run plex? but will require another computer. 

 

My current is just an old gaming rig without a video card running FREENAS and Plex Jail, really easy to setup but require large investment upfront. You don't need to worry about your internet connection as it within your own network. Just put all your data on that FREENAS and plex will trans code if needed to player for smoother playback. 

I failed to clarify I don't have network coverage be it wifi or wired so any solution that requires network/Internet just isn't workable.

[desertcomputer]

7 hours ago, Hybris5112 said:

I failed to clarify I don't have network coverage be it wifi or wired so any solution that requires network/Internet just isn't workable.

Oh, You should just said, no stable Network as Internet implies your internet connection. Have you tried powerline adapters? 

[Hybris5112]

13 hours ago, MrUnknownEMC said:

Oh, You should just said, no stable Network as Internet implies your internet connection. Have you tried powerline adapters? 

Yep no luck, whoever built and wired my house managed to create a highly compartmentalized bunker that so far has beaten every solution I've tried. At this point I'm probably going to sit tight with my current setup and wait and see what the Black Friday sales bring this year in terms of laptops. Thanks for all the input.