Need help choosing a CPU build.

General questions or discussion about HandBrake, Video and/or audio transcoding, trends etc.
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ThatTruckerGuy
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:58 am

Need help choosing a CPU build.

Post by ThatTruckerGuy »

I would like to ask a question. Which CPU would be more idea for a HB rendering machine. I'm currently looking at building a machine on the 24th when I get home. I am a commercial truck driver who want to simplify his large media collection. Many of my media files are in MKV. Its just how I ripped them off DVD and BR over the years. I'm not home often as I live out of a truck. I only get to be home for about 8 weeks of the year. My choice if I want to support the family. I currently watch my media my Surface Pro 3, and I switch out my media via a 4TB Seagate harddrive. I have about 8TB of media I would like to make much smaller as it all in its more original forms in MKV. I also like to make some of that media playable on my Samsung S8.

As to what I'm looking at, I'm torn between a I7-8700K and a dual Xeon E5-2680 V2. One system is all new while the other is used parts. Both are about $1200 dollars to build. I understand HB doesn't effectively use all the cores in a high Core # machine, but that is where using multiple HB encodes would increase the workflow. But I'm worried the lower clock speed of the older Ivy Bridge CPU would make the encode much slower, even if I could run more encodes at once. If I go down the road with the 8700K, I plan on a delid and OC to 5Ghz.

So I can't decide which to build. Another question I like to ask is this. Due to x264 code only using about 6-8 cores, does it also utilize both threads of that core, or is it basically saying in a 6c/12t machine, HB can only utilize 6 threads effectively? That is one thing I really don't understand while reading the forums. Any help would be much appreciated.
maxman6482
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:52 pm

Re: Need help choosing a CPU build.

Post by maxman6482 »

Wow. We have a lot in common. Long story short, I pulled the trigger on a used HP Z600 (2x Xeon X5670 6c/12t @ 2.93 thx) that I got for $300 shipped on eBay. The place I bought from is a server liquidator and has dozens of them, as well as Z400s and z800 and Dell and Lenovo workstations as well, similarly priced. Mine is pretty barebones, only 12g ram, no gpu, no hdd, but I have most of that stuff. I'm Hackintoshing it, so I'm waiting for a compatible video card to arrive from Amazon today, and I will post results here soon with CPU/thread usage, single vs. double or even triple instance times, etc. my files will all be VOB/DVD rips to the Apple TV 30 fps HQ preset. My main rig is an i5 3570k (4 cores, no hyperthreading, not overclocked), so I can also post comparisons. I know it's also older, but I'm doing this whole thing to get my own answers to the cores/threads question.
Smithcraft
Veteran User
Posts: 2697
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:04 pm

Re: Need help choosing a CPU build.

Post by Smithcraft »

You really could go either way with the i7 or the E5 systems. I think if you're going to go with the E5, you might want to consider something like FreeNAS and PLEX. That way, where ever you have a data connection, you have your library of media. You can still use your portable storage for when you don't have access to wireless data.

Or go with simpler workstation for ripping(perhaps even your current computer) and a simpler server (than a Dual E5) and you'll be good to go. The big expense would be in NAS hard drives.

Keep those wheels turning!

SC
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