Encoding PC - which CPU

[duffbeer]

Thanks for all the comments above - I really appreciate it. 7 years since I built my previous PC and I feel a little out of date!

I haven't even started to think about SSDs and DDR4 yet!

 

[kkbigal]

I have an i7 3770k system which is now 7 years old and starting to show it's age.

Same boat (and CPU) as you, but I'm going to wait till the new AMD Zen chips get released before taking the plunge. I've had the same CPU since 2012, so I don't see that a couple of more months will make that much difference

Just a note about GPU encoding, I bought a Turing-based GPU, and the latest version of NVenc appears to be pretty good - file size is still greater than x264, but I couldn't tell the difference in terms of quality between a couple of test files I did (QP 10 vs CR 10).

 

[duffbeer]

Same boat (and CPU) as you, but I'm going to wait till the new AMD Zen chips get released before taking the plunge. I've had the same CPU since 2012, so I don't see that a couple of more months will make that much difference

Just a note about GPU encoding, I bought a Turing-based GPU, and the latest version of NVenc appears to be pretty good - file size is still greater than x264, but I couldn't tell the difference in terms of quality between a couple of test files I did (QP 10 vs CR 10).

I think my HDs are about to die so my upgrade is a little more urgent. Waiting for the new Ryzens is the best plan if you're not in a hurry as hopefully it will reduce the cost of Intels at the same time.

On another subject...…..CR10!!!

 

[Rainmaker]

I think my HDs are about to die so my upgrade is a little more urgent. Waiting for the new Ryzens is the best plan if you're not in a hurry as hopefully it will reduce the cost of Intels at the same time.

On another subject...…..CR10!!!

If your hard drive(s) is threatening to fail, then that's certainly requiring an urgent replacement. Changing your CPU/mobo/RAM at the same time... isn't.

 

[EsaT]

I think my HDs are about to die so my upgrade is a little more urgent. Waiting for the new Ryzens is the best plan if you're not in a hurry as hopefully it will reduce the cost of Intels at the same time.

That old HDDs could certainly be wearing.
Though so can be lots of other components.
Especially if you bought cheap PSU that could be now dying.
I think some HDDs are even more sensitive to unstable voltage than others.

 

[duffbeer]

If your hard drive(s) is threatening to fail, then that's certainly requiring an urgent replacement. Changing your CPU/mobo/RAM at the same time... isn't.

I mentioned in my first post that the PC is getting flakey. It's not just the hard drives, there is a problem with the LAN connection and also a weird power related issue that could be the PSU or the motherboard. Its time for an upgrade!
Besides, I see no point in buying hard drives and reinstalling a PC that is not powerful enough to do the job I need in a reasonable amount of time.

So, how close is the 2700x to a 9900k with x265 encoding? The comparison reviews are inconsistent to say the least!

 

[Rainmaker]

I mentioned in my first post that the PC is getting flakey. It's not just the hard drives, there is a problem with the LAN connection and also a weird power related issue that could be the PSU or the motherboard. Its time for an upgrade!
Besides, I see no point in buying hard drives and reinstalling a PC that is not powerful enough to do the job I need in a reasonable amount of time.

So, how close is the 2700x to a 9900k with x265 encoding? The comparison reviews are inconsistent to say the least!

Fair enough. The inconsistency is, I suspect, down to other factors such as encoder settings, system memory, IO throughput (drive speeds, bus used etc) and other variables. The question is, does a few seconds either way between chips actually *matter*? I mean, is your work so time sensitive that a couple of extra minutes for a batch queue of encodes because you got the 9700k/2700x/whatever matters? If so, I'd suggest you're better going further up the ladder to Threadripper orIntel HEDT, and/or moving the work to GPUs (if quality constraints allow). If it's not *that* important, get whatever platform suits and benefits you the most.

I'm not fanboying here (see Intel rig in sig) but I'd lean toward Ryzen here if you're staying with desktop chips. A nice 8 core 16 thread CPU for general use and the drop in upgrade to the next gen Ryzens when they arrive with, potentially, 16c/32t.

 

[MartinPrince]

I don't have a specific budget. I am willing to spend more if the performance is significantly better. I realise that sounds a little vague but that's my train of thought at the moment.

Interesting to read your comment about extra threads not affecting quality but your point about disabling HT is what concerns me. Some reviews put the 9900k x264/x265 speeds way above the 9700k and some only slightly above.
I'm tempted by the upgrade possibilities with Ryzen but from what I can see the threadripper doesn't have any advantages (for my usage) over the 9900k.

Well there are a few variables that are hard to gauge as it depends on exactly how/what you're encoding.

There is quite a range over how you can use x264 so if were making it work your system hard by encoding 4k to 1080p with a string like ref=4 / me=umh / subme=10 / me_range=32 / trellis=2 then it would continually max out an 8 cores and 16 threads for the entire encode. This is where you would notice a little difference between a 9900K and the 9700k but that difference is not huge.

For most 'normal' encoding tasks when the CPU is not always at 100% then often times the encoder will select a virtual core which is not as fast as a real core. This is what can slow encodes down when HT is enabled.

 

[MyBrainz]

@duffbeer

Not sure which Encoding program you're using, maybe these might help.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3310-adobe-premiere-benchmarks-rendering-8700k-gpu-vs-ryzen

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3398-best-cpus-of-2018-gaming-photoshop-production-streaming