I have some ageing CPU’s from Intel’s 7th Gen lineup: an i5-7600K and a Pentium G4560.
I’m not currently using a GPU for HW transcoding, and was curious as to peoples thoughts on how much better the i5 would be over the Pentium for QuickSync based transcoding?
Both have the same generation of QuickSync, the i5 is 4C/4T @ 3.8/4.2 GHz Base/Boost, while the Pentium G4560 is 2C/4T @ 3.5Ghz.
Currently I am using the Pentium simply because it is lower power, and I would like to avoid a GPU if I can for similar reasons. It also means I can sell the i5 along with other similar grade parts I have as a complete system.
Should I expect the i5-7600K to be able to hand a bunch more transcodes, or is it likely to be similar based on both CPU’s having same gen quicksync and both effectively having 4 cores?
Just based on experience and my knowledge you will definitely get better performance and transcodes from the i5 but a lot is dependent on the type, size, and transcode settings. but to answer your question quickly, the i5 will definitely give a better experience, and you’re not really saving a lot of power by going with the Pentium, all of these processors ramp down on the power consumption based on load. you might actually be using more power with the Pentium because it’s ramping up processor power more due to its lower clock speed…Again, I’m getting too technical.
Another question, are you sharing your library? If you are how many ppl are typically streaming at the same time?
As you pointed out their capabilities for hw accelerated transcoding are the same… I cannot tell if you’ll see any difference between the two there (HD graphics 610 vs 630).
Beyond that the passcode benchmark is the most telling as it gives a direct input how many transcodes you can get from that cpu (where the server cannot handle them via hw accelerated transcoding)… here the i5 is almost 2x more powerful (5200 vs. 9100)
Not too technical mate, I get where you are coming from and had wondered the same re power draw between the two chips.
I am sharing my library, although only with a half dozen people right now - call it a beta while I learn about UnRaid & Plex. Unusual for more than 2 to be transcoding at a time right now, but I expect that will increase as I hand more friends the keys to the castle.
Ah yes I had forgotten about the passmark calculation thingy. I remember reading about that ages ago - thanks!
OK so I’m gonna get more or less the same in terms of HW transcoding, but will get plenty more via software transcodes on the i5 when/if they are needed. Sounds like it’s probably worth changing them over, especially if I’m hoping to avoid using a GPU.
