So I’ve just built a new PlexMedia server (well almost haven’t loaded plex yet and waiting on the bulk storage drives to arrive)
So i was wondering would it be beneficial to add a GPU?
The CPU is a E3-1275v6 3.8GHz w/ Intel® HD Graphics P630.
So I figure if I add a GPU I would be inclined to go with a low end model like maybe a Quadro P400 or P600 or GeForce GT 1030.
But would it be worth it?
GPUs and Hardware encoding in general is designed to best serve those with crappy CPUs.
You ain’t one of them:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1275+v6+%40+3.80GHz&id=3015
Score: 10944
I can’t see how adding a magnum GPU is going to help you any - unless you need a better frame rate playing Doom 2016 or something.
Why not just use the GPU in the CPU? It appears that one has one and it would probably pretty good.
Just thinking that in some tasks GPU’s are more efficient than CPU’s but I guess for this one it’s not very large, and I’m not going for a high end GPU as the prices on those is nuts right now.
Thanks.
@drinehart said:
Why not just use the GPU in the CPU? It appears that one has one and it would probably pretty good.
Well the question is would that be of benefit?
Yes. The GPU in that CPU would do well with hardware transcoding. However, it really depends on how much you are even hitting the CPU. I would not mess with GPU transcoding unless my CPU was failing to keep up. Quality is better so far with CPU rather than GPU.
Every warning I’ve ever read with MCEBuddy (etc) reveals that CPU encoding is more efficient and desirable… however… if your CPU is total crap a decent GPU and Hardware encoding is better than crap.
That’s a mighty fine CPU in that box… I’d be surprised if Hardware encoding improved the performance of a great CPU like that one.
I run an AMD FX-8350 (8948). I have an AMD Radeon R9 380 Graphics Card that I wouldn’t dream of hardware encoding with. Not the top of the line for either, but I know which side of the bread has the butter on it.
Thanks for the feedback, I just built this system and while I’m still waiting on the large drives I’ll use for storing my media I’m hoping I’ve built it with good enough specs for all the trans-coding I might want.
Any blurays I might load into it will be full uncompressed and thus most likely will be transcoded for streaming. And I’m making sure I have it set so anything from my HD Homerun is recorded at full quality.
Yea, no sense Direct Playing anything when the transcoder can do it’s evil work.
Store those 30-100GB files and just have the transcoder turn them into 5MBPS streams - that’s absolutely the way to go…
B)
@JuiceWSA said:
Yea, no sense Direct Playing anything when the transcoder can do it’s evil work.Store those 30-100GB files and just have the transcoder turn them into 5MBPS streams - that’s absolutely the way to go…
B)
Well I do want all the quality that the given device can handle.
Then I would suggest you find out what that device can deal with and encode a suitable version for it so it can Direct Play. Direct Play is a LOT easier on the network (local or remote), the CPU and your sanity. You’ve got a great CPU - that can wade through an encoding job like a pack of Amish Farmers through an acre of wheat. I’d much rather encode versions that make my eyeballs happy - and Direct Play - than roll the dice with Plex’s transcoder.
Lots of people start out with the idea that 1:1 rips are the only way to fly - then alter that stance when they find out how many HDDs it’s going to take and how much bit rate is actually needed before your eyeballs start seeing the difference.
They also alter that 1:1 stance when Plex’s transcoder starts annihilating those 1:1 rips in order to get them to play - then you wonder why you’re going to all the trouble…
There’s a handy Handbrake Guide in my signature…
or
Here are some scripts that may come in handy:
Two different roads leading to the same Village.
what would you suggest for a server that would have multiple different devices playing? I left the transcoding on due to the fact that there are just too many devices to count for, I mean iOS devices, Android Devices, Chrome, Firefox, Apple TV, and PS4 just to name most of them lols.
@“edhuang04@gmail.com” said:
what would you suggest for a server that would have multiple different devices playing? I left the transcoding on due to the fact that there are just too many devices to count for, I mean iOS devices, Android Devices, Chrome, Firefox, Apple TV, and PS4 just to name most of them lols.
Exactly, I’m not streaming to only one device, but to various devices as I need to.
The storage drives I’ve ordered and I’m waiting on are 10TB so I think I’m good on storage.
I have many different devices to support as well. Every video stream Direct Plays, but the audio may need a transcode on a phone or tablet. I use AC3 2.0 or 5.1 - phones and some pads don’t like AC3, but an audio transcode is lightweight stuff.
not just that it will save you on electricity , noise , cooling etc…
also he might be viewing big number of videos at once and in that case a quadro p2000 is the best value now and his best option for upgrading
