Here are the specks for my i7-4770 vs dual xeon e5420’s. Looks like in the passmark category the single i7 still wins. I just thought maybe since with the server hardware the 2 cpu’s would be a benefit but I suppose it’s still the same amount of cores. My single i7 is pulling close to 10k so should be sufficient to handle multiple users transcoding. Not to mention the much smaller footprint on my electric bill. I still think I will go through the trouble and keep a separate section and optimize my libraries. I prefer for my local network to use large files with 1080p and 7.1HD audio as I stream most of my stuff to my theater with a large projections screen and 7.1 audio setup. But for the 2-3 family members that may be streaming remotely they do not require that so maybe optimizing all content for standard TV at 1080p maybe helpful? My goal is to be able to handle at least 3 streams transcoding and not worry about buffering. I have a mixed bag when it comes to clients out there. I have roku’s, my parents use their Samsung smart tv (newer model and seems to work well), and I have one imac running PHT.
