Min requirements for HP Tuners
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,277
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From: Truck Heaven
Min requirements for HP Tuners I am planning on gettig a used laptop exclusively for tuning. I know ls1 edit runs with a 133mhz or faster and about 32 megs of ram. Anybody know the min req for HP tuners?
I can tell you that 100MHz will barely work, with some
badly degraded performance on the VCM_Flash high
bandwidth reads and dropped frames on the logger.
I use an IBM 266MHz Thinkpad and it works with no
problems. However, it wanted maxed memory to get
Win2K to not be dragging ***.
You really want to set your sights a bit above the
"barely working minimum". Another hundred bucks
into an eBay refurb will get you another 100MHz or
more, more base memory, more hard drive space
and so on. Also you would like USB native which
really didn't come around until about the 266MHz
generation, just so you can easily transfer bulk
data (USB memory sticks, etc.). But you really
would be well off to not use USB-serial for the
data stream, you want hardware serial port.
I believe HPTuners is recommending a minimum of
a P166 machine, they did put that info somewhere on
the info pages.
But I'd say shop for something in the 300-400MHz
range that still has hardware serial and is tough enough
in construction (ThinkPad are nice, Toughbooks are
great garage computers but usually overpriced for the
performance, TooCheapas and Compaqs I think are too
fragile but you might find exceptions; lighter weight
sells notebooks but is not your buddy when you are
beating on it).
You should be able to get something like a 380MHz
laptop for $400 or less if you shop patiently.
badly degraded performance on the VCM_Flash high
bandwidth reads and dropped frames on the logger.
I use an IBM 266MHz Thinkpad and it works with no
problems. However, it wanted maxed memory to get
Win2K to not be dragging ***.
You really want to set your sights a bit above the
"barely working minimum". Another hundred bucks
into an eBay refurb will get you another 100MHz or
more, more base memory, more hard drive space
and so on. Also you would like USB native which
really didn't come around until about the 266MHz
generation, just so you can easily transfer bulk
data (USB memory sticks, etc.). But you really
would be well off to not use USB-serial for the
data stream, you want hardware serial port.
I believe HPTuners is recommending a minimum of
a P166 machine, they did put that info somewhere on
the info pages.
But I'd say shop for something in the 300-400MHz
range that still has hardware serial and is tough enough
in construction (ThinkPad are nice, Toughbooks are
great garage computers but usually overpriced for the
performance, TooCheapas and Compaqs I think are too
fragile but you might find exceptions; lighter weight
sells notebooks but is not your buddy when you are
beating on it).
You should be able to get something like a 380MHz
laptop for $400 or less if you shop patiently.
11 Second Club
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 226
Likes: 0
From: Va. beach,Va
Jimmyblue, can you elaborate more on this??? 'for the I can tell you that 100MHz will barely work, with some
badly degraded performance on the VCM_Flash high
bandwidth reads and dropped frames on the logger.
I use an IBM 266MHz Thinkpad and it works with no
problems. However, it wanted maxed memory to get
Win2K to not be dragging ***. I use an old laptop exclusively for ls1edit
and it takes about 4 mins. from start to finish which I think is very slow but works. Badly degraded performance!!!???
badly degraded performance on the VCM_Flash high
bandwidth reads and dropped frames on the logger.
I use an IBM 266MHz Thinkpad and it works with no
problems. However, it wanted maxed memory to get
Win2K to not be dragging ***. I use an old laptop exclusively for ls1edit
and it takes about 4 mins. from start to finish which I think is very slow but works. Badly degraded performance!!!???
100MHz Toshiba could not keep up with the high bandwidth
transfers when reading the PCM, kept on barfing up messages
about falling back to low speed mode. It eventually got the
whole thing down, but took something like 18 minutes rather
than the usual 28 seconds. I also would find "skips" in the
log files at random.
This was all back on the 1.0 release of HPTuners, I just
gave up on the lame hardware and went up to something
I figured would hang with the data rate.
With the native 32K memory the 266MHz would take like
5 mintes just to boot Win2K. I put in 256K extra, and
it acts like a modern computer. Win2K is kind of a memory
pig. I could not get Win98 to install on this laptop as it
came with WinMe (ptui!) already on it and Win98 balked
at installing over it.
The 266 machine has been trouble-free.
transfers when reading the PCM, kept on barfing up messages
about falling back to low speed mode. It eventually got the
whole thing down, but took something like 18 minutes rather
than the usual 28 seconds. I also would find "skips" in the
log files at random.
This was all back on the 1.0 release of HPTuners, I just
gave up on the lame hardware and went up to something
I figured would hang with the data rate.
With the native 32K memory the 266MHz would take like
5 mintes just to boot Win2K. I put in 256K extra, and
it acts like a modern computer. Win2K is kind of a memory
pig. I could not get Win98 to install on this laptop as it
came with WinMe (ptui!) already on it and Win98 balked
at installing over it.
The 266 machine has been trouble-free.
