Server CPU Recommendation For Transcoding

[mbc0 61]

Hi Guys,

 

Just wondering if it's possible for some advice please?

 

I know the transcoding is improving all the time but I wonder if anyone is in a position to recommend my future hardware?

 

I currently run mediabrowser server on my WHS2011 build which has 26TB of SATA Drives, 8GB RAM on an ASROCK H77-PRO4/MVP Mainboard with an I3 2110 3.1Ghz Sandybridge CPU

 

Currently if I watch a video on an android device the FFMPEG Process peaks at about 82% 

 

I would like to be in a position to have 3-4 clients running without problems (kids!) can you recommend what CPU I should go for & is 8GB RAM enough?

 

Many Thanks For Such A Great Product!

[wraslor 70]

I wouldn't worry so much about the cpu utilization as it tries to take up as much usage as it can when transcoding.  That said however for multiple devices I would throw in a quad core I5 or I7 if you can afford it.  In the meantime test it out and try transcoding multiple streams with your current setup and see how many you can do before it chokes.

[w84no1 27]

I have all my android devices using the android client and set it to use an external player so that it will not transcode.  My wifi(802.11G) chokes on 3 1080p streams, but not the server  I only have a core 2 quad cpu, so I can only run 1 HD transcoding stream.

[mbc0 61]

Hi, thanks for your reply... the streams to my Android devices is set to 2mb so hopefully shouldn't be a problem! I will find out on the weekend ;-)

[Swynol 375]

I have the same mobo as you but use a i3 3240, 16GB ram and 12TB storage. The server is also my main HTPC running MBT. i can run MBT with madvr and transcode to 2 roku's at the same time with no issues never tried 3x 1080p, but i have done 2x 1080p and one 480p and that was fine.

 

if i was going to change something i would go for an i5 if it came up at the right price

[Scott750 29]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but also have a question about a server CPU.

 

So I built a WHS2011 server out of an old gaming pc I had lying around. Here are the specs:

 

Motherboard - Asus M4A78BLT-M - AMD 760G/SB710 - Micro-ATX

Case - NZXT Source 210

CPU - AMD Phenom II X6 1035T 6-core Thuban

PSU - SeaSonic S12II 520w Bronze

RAM - 8GB [2 x 4GB] G.SKILL Ripjaws Series DDR3-1600

HDD - 2x WD Black 640GB

4x WD Red 3TB

 

Everything was working perfectly for about 6 months. Then one day while I was ripping a movie to the server and streaming a movie that the streaming movie would stutter a lot. I found that the NIC on the server was now running at 100 Mbps instead of 1Gbps. It had been at 1 Gbps the entire 6 months. I've tried different Cat6 cables, different ports on the router, verified all, router and server settings are correct. My HTPC connected in another room runs at 1 Gbps so it's not the router.

 

Aside from dealing with the slow NIC on the server, the onboard video has never worked. It has HD3000 graphics and when i connect my monitor to either the DVI-D or HDMI ports I get no video. So i have to leave in the old HD5450 graphics card if i ever want to work locally on the server (It's currently setup to be headless).

 

This motherboard sucks for bios settings, lack of fan headers, etc. I'm not at all pleased with it. I prefer Gigabyte boards and Intel Cpus for all of my builds.

 

So I was thinking of just getting a new motherboard. But should I stick with the AMD 1035 cpu and just a gigabyte motherboard? Or should I just get a more modern Intel cpu and motherboard? I want to make sure I have enough horsepower for transcoding. I don't mind spending the extra money for new parts. Just getting really tired of dealing with this motherboards issues.

[JeremyFr79 228]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but also have a question about a server CPU.

 

So I built a WHS2011 server out of an old gaming pc I had lying around. Here are the specs:

 

Motherboard - Asus M4A78BLT-M - AMD 760G/SB710 - Micro-ATX

Case - NZXT Source 210

CPU - AMD Phenom II X6 1035T 6-core Thuban

PSU - SeaSonic S12II 520w Bronze

RAM - 8GB [2 x 4GB] G.SKILL Ripjaws Series DDR3-1600

HDD - 2x WD Black 640GB

4x WD Red 3TB

 

Everything was working perfectly for about 6 months. Then one day while I was ripping a movie to the server and streaming a movie that the streaming movie would stutter a lot. I found that the NIC on the server was now running at 100 Mbps instead of 1Gbps. It had been at 1 Gbps the entire 6 months. I've tried different Cat6 cables, different ports on the router, verified all, router and server settings are correct. My HTPC connected in another room runs at 1 Gbps so it's not the router.

 

Aside from dealing with the slow NIC on the server, the onboard video has never worked. It has HD3000 graphics and when i connect my monitor to either the DVI-D or HDMI ports I get no video. So i have to leave in the old HD5450 graphics card if i ever want to work locally on the server (It's currently setup to be headless).

 

This motherboard sucks for bios settings, lack of fan headers, etc. I'm not at all pleased with it. I prefer Gigabyte boards and Intel Cpus for all of my builds.

 

So I was thinking of just getting a new motherboard. But should I stick with the AMD 1035 cpu and just a gigabyte motherboard? Or should I just get a more modern Intel cpu and motherboard? I want to make sure I have enough horsepower for transcoding. I don't mind spending the extra money for new parts. Just getting really tired of dealing with this motherboards issues.

OK so personally I'd got with an Intel over AMD but that's just my personal opinion.  Now onto your nic issue.  I can tell you I have personally burned out several consumer grade NIC's in previous server builds, the Transcievers are just not made for the workload.  Spend the money get yourself a GOOD server NIC and save time, heartache and money.

[Scott750 29]

So, the ones that come wuth the motherboards arent made for that much traffic? Any recommendations on NICs? For the motherboard/cpu I was thinking of going with haswell, that way I get 8 sata ports instead of 6 like with ivy bridge or this AMD. CPU I was thinking of the haswell equivalent to the i5-3570k. I currently have that in my HTPC and it's awesome. Although I wouldn't need the HD4000 graphics for a headless server.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Edited March 11, 2014 by Scott750

[Koleckai Silvestri 1150]

Everything was working perfectly for about 6 months. Then one day while I was ripping a movie to the server and streaming a movie that the streaming movie would stutter a lot. I found that the NIC on the server was now running at 100 Mbps instead of 1Gbps. It had been at 1 Gbps the entire 6 months. I've tried different Cat6 cables, different ports on the router, verified all, router and server settings are correct. My HTPC connected in another room runs at 1 Gbps so it's not the router.

Update your drivers for the onboard NIC.

[Koleckai Silvestri 1150]

I currently run mediabrowser server on my WHS2011 build which has 26TB of SATA Drives, 8GB RAM on an ASROCK H77-PRO4/MVP Mainboard with an I3 2110 3.1Ghz Sandybridge CPU

I am using an i5-2500K, Sandy Bridge, CPU. Quad-Core. I don't have a problem with multiple streams. However I have most devices set to 10.7 Megabits which alleviates transcoding on everything except Bluray.

 

I suggest using at least 16 MB of RAM though.

[mbc0 61]

Hi Scott, 

 

Firstly on the NIC I use an Intel Pro/1000 PT Server Adapter & it is so fast & reliable I wouldn't use anything less

 

Secondly, I have been building Media Centers, Desktops & Servers for nearly 20 years and the last thing I would put in any of them is a Gigabyte Mainboard!

 

I like you used to think they were great but in the last 5 years or so if ever I get a problem it is with a Gigabyte.. I know that there will be people that praise Gigabyte (PS3 Vs Xbox) etc I am not here to start a war, just pass on my experience... especially with BIOS issues they are ridiculously slow at patching their flaky bios's it is beyond frustrating... 

 

My Personal Server Is an ASROCK which years ago were quite budget but that is far from the case now... very solid and excellent support! Also ASUS and even MSI will give you a more solid Server

 

Again.. not hear to slag off or wind up just passing on my experience... Oh, and by the way Intel all the way (especially if transcoding!)

 

Good luck in your Build

[JeremyFr79 228]

So, the ones that come wuth the motherboards arent made for that much traffic? Any recommendations on NICs? For the motherboard/cpu I was thinking of going with haswell, that way I get 8 sata ports instead of 6 like with ivy bridge or this AMD. CPU I was thinking of the haswell equivalent to the i5-3570k. I currently have that in my HTPC and it's awesome. Although I wouldn't need the HD4000 graphics for a headless server.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Like mbc0 mentioned, you just can't go wrong with Intel Server NIC's, I've yet to be able to kill one.  In my case I'm running actual servers now a days which all have built in Server NIC's and running bonded connections, but MOST people out there don't need that kind of setup for home use

Edited March 11, 2014 by JeremyFr79

[JeremyFr79 228]

delete

Edited March 11, 2014 by JeremyFr79

[Scott750 29]

Update your drivers for the onboard NIC.

I checked and I'm already running the most current driver.

 

I am using an i5-2500K, Sandy Bridge, CPU. Quad-Core. I don't have a problem with multiple streams. However I have most devices set to 10.7 Megabits which alleviates transcoding on everything except Bluray.

 

I suggest using at least 16 MB of RAM though.

I don't get anywhere over 50% RAM used so I didn't think I needed to step up to 16 GB yet. I only have maybe 2 devices that will stream movies ATM. Maybe once I see RAM usage go over 50% will I consider adding more. Otherwise RAM prices are crazy high right now, compared to just a year ago when I built the HTPC/server.

 

Hi Scott,

 

Firstly on the NIC I use an Intel Pro/1000 PT Server Adapter & it is so fast & reliable I wouldn't use anything less

 

Secondly, I have been building Media Centers, Desktops & Servers for nearly 20 years and the last thing I would put in any of them is a Gigabyte Mainboard!

 

I like you used to think they were great but in the last 5 years or so if ever I get a problem it is with a Gigabyte.. I know that there will be people that praise Gigabyte (PS3 Vs Xbox) etc I am not here to start a war, just pass on my experience... especially with BIOS issues they are ridiculously slow at patching their flaky bios's it is beyond frustrating...

 

My Personal Server Is an ASROCK which years ago were quite budget but that is far from the case now... very solid and excellent support! Also ASUS and even MSI will give you a more solid Server

 

Again.. not hear to slag off or wind up just passing on my experience... Oh, and by the way Intel all the way (especially if transcoding!)

 

Good luck in your Build

Thank you for your thoughts. I'm also not here to start any wars. Like you said, it's ps3 vs xbox. My last 2 pc builds have used Gigabyte motherboards and they have worked flawlessly for me. This server is my first Asus build and I've had nothing but problems. It probably mostly has to do with this pc starting out as a midrange gaming pc my wife bought at BestBuy, ASUS CG1330. So the components are mid to low grade to begin with. The only original parts I'm using are the motherboard, CPU, & CPU cooler. Everything else is new. I thought I could save some money and reuse the most expensive parts, I should have just started from scratch.

 

Now that might just be my luck and YMMV. Like I said I appreciate your suggestions. I'll looK into that Intel NIC you mention. Do you have a model #?

 

Like mbc0 mentioned, you just can't go wrong with Intel Server NIC's, I've yet to be able to kill one. In my case I'm running actual servers now a days which all have built in Server NIC's and running bonded connections, but MOST people out there don't need that kind of setup for home use

Yeah I didn't want to go full out server with Xenon CPUs. Just something that me and the wife can enjoy either at the house or on the road.

[mbc0 61]

Here is a link to the NIC I use mate, you can obviously get them cheaper on fleabay ;-)

 

http://www.dabs.com/products/intel-pro-1000-pt-server-adapter-7K8C.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_content=Q200&utm_campaign=Networking%20-%20Network%20Devices%20-%20Network%20Interface%20Cards&origin=pla

[Koleckai Silvestri 1150]

I don't get anywhere over 50% RAM used so I didn't think I needed to step up to 16 GB yet. I only have maybe 2 devices that will stream movies ATM. Maybe once I see RAM usage go over 50% will I consider adding more. Otherwise RAM prices are crazy high right now, compared to just a year ago when I built the HTPC/server.

 

 

4 GB per core is a good guideline. Unless you're using a 32-bit OS. Which I wouldn't recommend today. I run about 6GB active at a time on my machine. However I am running the server on my workstation along with IIS, PHP, and MySQL (for work purposes).

[Swynol 375]

So, the ones that come wuth the motherboards arent made for that much traffic? Any recommendations on NICs? For the motherboard/cpu I was thinking of going with haswell, that way I get 8 sata ports instead of 6 like with ivy bridge or this AMD. CPU I was thinking of the haswell equivalent to the i5-3570k. I currently have that in my HTPC and it's awesome. Although I wouldn't need the HD4000 graphics for a headless server.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

depending on what you want from your setup will depend what cpu to go for. the i5 3570k runs alot cooler than the haswel 4670k so if you think you may have heat problems best to go for the 3570k. however the 4670k uses slightly less power if your thinking of running your server 24/7 it also has the intel 4600gpu which is much better than the 4000 but as you mentioned you wont be needing that.

 

also you can use the asrock mvp/pro4 motherboard which supports the sandy and ivy cpus and has 8 SATA slots, 4x SATA3 and 4xSATA2. this is the board im currently running with an additional PCIex1 4xSATA card. so i have the possibility of using 12 drives

[WarrenH 16]

Hi Scott, 

 

Firstly on the NIC I use an Intel Pro/1000 PT Server Adapter & it is so fast & reliable I wouldn't use anything less

 

Secondly, I have been building Media Centers, Desktops & Servers for nearly 20 years and the last thing I would put in any of them is a Gigabyte Mainboard!

 

I like you used to think they were great but in the last 5 years or so if ever I get a problem it is with a Gigabyte.. I know that there will be people that praise Gigabyte (PS3 Vs Xbox) etc I am not here to start a war, just pass on my experience... especially with BIOS issues they are ridiculously slow at patching their flaky bios's it is beyond frustrating... 

 

My Personal Server Is an ASROCK which years ago were quite budget but that is far from the case now... very solid and excellent support! Also ASUS and even MSI will give you a more solid Server

 

Again.. not hear to slag off or wind up just passing on my experience... Oh, and by the way Intel all the way (especially if transcoding!)

 

Good luck in your Build

I agree on Gigabyte - I'm an Intel person - they keep providing updates unlike other manufacturers that only so until they release a new board...

[DeeMac 17]

Not every manufacturer is perfect.  Some people are just lucky, others are not.  But, what is with all this pessimism against Gigabyte?

My main HTPC is a ga-z68xp-ud4 with a i7 2600 ....and my desktop is an older ga-x58a-ud7 with a core i7 920 d0.  No failures to date.... only ram (or software/windows/drivers) has ever been an issue on my machines.. How do I know, because a rebuild solved the issue, and running memtestx86 caught ram issues during the build process.

 

Let me break it down.

A quality power supply is a must.  I only use Seasonic Gold.

Fans.... Get plenty.  My HTPC has 5 fans total.... including the power supply fan and the cpu fan.  Fans keep my equipment cool increasing system reliability and longevity....and dont forget to periodically vacuum out the dust!

Ram, I used to use OCZ but had plenty of issues until I replaced them at least 3x with warranty claim.  I switched to Crucial but Corsair has also been good to me.

CPU... My HTPC runs a i7-2600.... not 'K' because I need my VT-x and VT-d capabilities....and I wanted reliability for my machine that would now be running 24x7x365....and I also try to keep power usage somewhat down.

Hard Drives.... I got the black series because 24x7x365.... (and the fans keep them cool.)

UPS... a must.

I do not overclock....and in fact, I have underclocked my HTPC cpu.

 

I may sound like a gigabyte zealot or salesperson, but I'm not.  I was very close to getting AS Rock or ASUS but the ud4 mobo was on sale and fit my needs. prior to which, my x58a has been awesome through the years.

 

Overall, I believe the system is greater than the sum of its parts.... the nic failures could be due to short circuiting cat5/cat6 wiring, a lightning storm, power issues at the switch and/or grounding.  I run my equipment with a UPS to eliminate power issues such as brownouts. Do not count gigabyte out.  What do you think Google uses for all their servers?  see h t t p://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/google-reveals-secret-server-hardware/2936

 

Do I consider myself lucky? No - its the knowledge of what I want out of my system, and how to implement it that matters because above all, stability is key as it frees up my time to enjoy my media instead of constantly fixing computer problems.

 

EDIT: Apologies, threads passing personal experience passed off as information is indeed misinformation.  Perhaps my experience may help those who may be accidentally misled.  .... and this stuff still shows up in searches!

Edited June 1, 2014 by DeeMac

[Scott750 29]

A lot of your suggestions I have been doing for years, so it makes me feel good that I'm on a good path. I'm a huge fan of Seasonic Gold PSUs, Gigabyte motherboards, G. SKILL ram and Intel CPUs. I've had problems using Asus motherboards and AMD CPUs so I stick with what works for me. I have been using WD Black hdds in my gaming PC's in the past but switched to the RED series for my server since they are designed for 24-7-365 and raid use.

 

What do vt-x & vt-d do? Some kind of virtualization I'm sure.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Scott750

[Koleckai Silvestri 1150]

Gigabytes motherboards are the easiest to use when setting up Hackintosh machines. They generally get good ratings at Amazon and Newegg. Plus their designs are clean and aesthetic. My current board is MSI because it was part of a kit but my next one will probably be a Gigabytes.

[DeeMac 17]

vt-x and vt-d...

h t t p://www.thomas-krenn.com/en/wiki/Overview_of_the_Intel_VT_Virtualization_Features

Edited June 25, 2014 by DeeMac

[somy 24]

Anyone know whether I3 4130 can handle transcoding 1080P for two clients? Thanks!

[bloodtaker 71]

Anyone know whether I3 4130 can handle transcoding 1080P for two clients? Thanks!

 

 

Its a good cpu for the price but as an i3 its on the low end of the spectrum when it comes to cpu horsepower. As I look at most of the benchmarks for it actually should be able to do 2 1080p streams. More than 2 streams though it will start to bottleneck as the stream count goes up.

[Jvtm 13]

Noob question here. Is transcoding helped at all by video card choice? Is it strictly CPU?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk