Sanity check: C2D for encoding

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:16 am

I've been doing a lot of H.264 video encoding lately, which is very CPU intensive. The results are great, but a 45-minute TV show takes almost 3.5 hours to encode on my X2 3800.

So all signs point to Conroe as the way to go, in general, and especially for video encoding. Based on a few benchmark graphs, looks like I can expect about a 33% performance increase.

Anyway, planned system:

The rest of the components will be recycled (see the system "sewage", spec'ed out in the link in my signature).

Questions:

Is it worth the extra cost to get the "C4" memory with better timings? (Memory timings & performance is something I've never taken the time to really understand.)
Is the E6600 the way to go? Here, and everywhere else, it looks like you can get E6600 performance with an overclocked E4300. Still, shouldn't the performance ceiling be higher with the E6600?

Edit(s):
Changed everything but the processor. Decided that I want to squeeze as much performance out of this setup as possible.

Upgraded to the "C4" RAM.
Too many scary posts about potential problems with the Ninja and this (and other) motherboards.
It's hard to find anyone saying anything bad about the Bad Axe 2 motherboard. It looks like it may not be the absolute best for overclocking, but it seems to hold its own. Also, Intel's motherboard reputation borders on legendary for stability and reliability. <shrug>

Thanks!
Matt

sjoukew · Post by **sjoukew** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:38 am

Which software are you using?
If it can use 4 cores you should also look into the intel core quad http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115017
If your encoder can use it , it is almost twice as fast as the c2d E6600

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:02 am

sjoukew wrote:Which software are you using?
If it can use 4 cores you should also look into the intel core quad http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115017
If your encoder can use it , it is almost twice as fast as the c2d E6600

I'm using mencoder/x264 on Gentoo Linux.

Yeah, the quad core would definitely be sweet! But I can't justify spending that much money: you get twice the CPUs, but at greater than twice the price (although I suppose the convenience is worth something).

It may be worth considering though...

Anyone have experience with the quad cores (regarding cooling)?

Side note: do the Intel CPUs have a heat spreader like the AMDs do? I think I'd cry if I cracked a core on a $900 CPU while installing the heatsink! (I've only done that once, but it was an old Duron way past its lifetime anyway.)

MG

sjoukew · Post by **sjoukew** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:28 am

yes they do have heatspreaders.

Jarrett · Post by **Jarrett** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:24 pm

You're in luck. I have an E6600 + 2x1024MB OCZ Platinum Rev2 PC6400 4-4-4 and I do x264 encoding a lot.

Apocalypse Now Redux (3hrs 22min):

1st pass: 1.5hr (50fps)
2nd pass: 6hrs (14fps)

12 Monkeys (2hrs 10min):

1st pass: 1hr (50fps)
2nd pass: 4hrs (12fps)

Serenity (2hrs):

1st pass: 1hr (51fps)
2nd pass: 3hrs (15fps)

If you use MeGUI my settings are HQ-Slower with all quant options checked. Deselect 'automatically set threads' in options and have x264 detect it (0=auto). You certainly won't be leaving your rig on for 12hrs again

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:53 am

sjoukew wrote:yes they do have heatspreaders.

Ahh yes. While researching this hardware, I found that many people are lapping the heat spreaders on the C2Ds. I guess many of them are shipped with some curvature.

I'm surprised I haven't seen more people around here talking about lapping (the C2Ds). From what I read, looks like you can expect a ~5 temperature drop. <shrug>

Matt

pyogenes · Post by **pyogenes** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:10 pm

matt_garman wrote: I'm surprised I haven't seen more people around here talking about lapping (the C2Ds). From what I read, looks like you can expect a ~5 temperature drop. <shrug>

Lapping is more useful for overclockers that want every last MHz out of their CPU.

My E6600 is somewhat concave and would definitely benefit from lapping. Overclocked to 3.3GHz it idles at 55C and goes up to around 63C under load. Shaving 5C would be nice, but I'm already in a safe range. Only difference is, the fans might speed up a full second later.

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:35 pm

that 975 chipset gets very hot it seems. just something to consider?