Windows 7: Blu Ray vs Standard DVD

9 should be better optimized for 7, I wouldn't try Blu-Ray on a processor slower than 2.6GHz.

Well, that blows that idea out of the water. I guess that I will go the cheaper route and forget about Blu Ray.

After checking the minimum requirements here:

What are the recommended CPU requirements to play Blu-ray Disc titles on my computer?-Search resource for your product

Which said:

I'm wondering about the basis of your statement...is it founded on actual experience with similar hardware?

I have the LG Bluray/HD-DVD on my HTPC machine and it is a Pentium Dual core 2.5ghz and onboard video and plays perfect.

I also installed a Lite On BD Drive on my friends Core2Duo 2.16Ghz machine and it works great as well.
His machine has 9600GT and is using a DVI to VGA adapter since his Sony FW900 only has analog inputs.

Both machines run Power DVD 8 Ultra 2Ch, which came with the drives.

I can't speak from personal experience, but you may be letting a hardware enthusiast discourage you a little too easily. (No offense meant, Frostmourne.)

Hardware requirements for BluRay under Cyberlink PowerDVD9:

PowerDVD 9 DVD Player Software ? Watch DVDs and Blu-ray Discs on your PC | CyberLink

And for WinDVD 2010:

DVD Player Software ? Corel WinDVD 2010

It appears that an Athlon 64 X2 3800+ ought to be adequate, if not excessive.

On the other hand, after owning a BluRay combo drive for a few months, I ask: who wants to watch BluRay movies on a desktop PC? Not me.

Some of us must do with what we have. To get a HDTV of any size and quality, cost more than I can afford. I'm doing good to have two PCs, one of which will end up in the bedroom, when I finish getting it setup.

That's reasonable. I doubt that you could get a mediocre 32" LCD TV for less than about $300, and the BluRay player would add another $200. $500 altogether, in the US. A BluRay combo drive costs about $100. (And you can burn DVDs with it.)

You may want to look for more testimonials about BDs on CPUs comparable to your own, but I have the impression that you'd be satified with what you have.

BluRay disks are still more expensive than DVDs, on average, but their prices seem to be coming down.

(Considering what I paid for audio CDs in 1984, adjusted for inflation, both DVDs and BDs are relative bargains.)

Actually, there are a couple of Blu Ray Combo players less than $100, but I don't know how good that they are. I've been shopping for a player for a while now, but have postponed making a decision, because I thought that they might get cheaper after the holidays, but that hasn't turned out to be the case. There are fewer choices in the cheap category now than a few months back.

As I said, 2.6GHz at a minimum.

2.6GHz is not given as a minimum. The lowest in the minimums set is 1.6GHz. My CPUs are the Athlon 64 X2 4400+ @2.2GHz (Recommended set) & the Athlon X2 3800+ @2.0GHz (minimum set). The ones that you highlighted are not the only ones listed.