Core i5 Dual vs i5 Quad concerns about Comskip etc..

[makko]

Hi There,

I'm planning on buying a Core i5-660 or a
Core i5-750 for my upcoming SageTV server build.. note, I am getting them for the same price.

Should I go with the 660 (Dual - 3.33Ghz) or the 750 (Quad - 2.66Ghz)

I have initially settled for the 660 (Dual Core) due to it's lower power consumption etc. I am concerned that it might not be sufficient for tasks like ComSkip etc.. Am I making a big mistake here? Also, I could be using up to 3 STV extenders simultaneously but usually just 1-2.

**Another small question: I'm getting a board without onboard GFX (Due to RAID requirement). I plan on using a GeForce 8600GTS in this build. Is it possible that I could remove the GFX card after OS install because I will be running headless with RDP? Is the GPU needed for Sage?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

--Makko

[evilpenguin]

Comskip is a pretty easy task by todays CPU standards so either of those will be just fine. Hell, i've got an i3 and I do Comskip and automatic compression w/o issues. But IMHO, the biggest benefits of the dualcore over the quadcore is the integrated GPU so if you don't plan on using it you're better off with the quadcore.

Also, i'm not sure, but I don't think you can just remove the GPU from the system like that.

[Chriscic]

I'm fairly certain you can't run a PC without some sort of graphics chip. It wouldn't Post.

I think either CPU would work out great, but personally I'd go with the quad. Who knows what apps you might be running on your server, and you're much more likely to need the extra two cores vs. the need for slighty faster cores.

As for graphics, I'm sure you can drop some crummy $15 part in there and be fine.

[blade]

Originally Posted by Chriscic

I'm fairly certain you can't run a PC without some sort of graphics chip. It wouldn't Post.

Actually all the PCs I've ever owned will run without a graphics chip. The problem is whether or not the OS will run without one. I've run Smoothwall, NASLite2 and several others without any sort of graphics installed. I have no clue which if any versions of Windows can be run without graphics. All I know is Windows XP can't. At least to my knowledge.

[makko]

That's fine sure i'll install my version of Windows (What would ye advise, WHS or Server 2k8) then see will it boot without.

I think i'll go with the Dual core as it should be enough for all my needs in the near future. If I really need to I can swap it out later for a Quad.

Thanks guys..

[EnterNoEscape]

Not to hijack your thread here, but I was wondering if any of you can keep up with a Best quality 1080i HD-PVR recording live? I have a Q9300 (2.5GHz) and it can just barely keep up at Better.

[evilpenguin]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

Not to hijack your thread here, but I was wondering if any of you can keep up with a Best quality 1080i HD-PVR recording live? I have a Q9300 (2.5GHz) and it can just barely keep up at Better.

Sounds like more of a video card problem than a CPU one.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by evilpenguin

Sounds like more of a video card problem than a CPU one.

I THINK he means he can't do "live" comskip. Meaning his processor isn't fast enough to record and mark the commercials as it's recording.

I actually keep comskip from running on my server during heavy recording/viewing hours which means I have very little indicative data, but while testing comskip, after I paid for the donor version for h.264 commerical detection, I noticed that my CPU was able to do a half hour show right at about a half hour (I could tell when comskip started and when it finished was right around 30 minutes). I would say just about any core i# series should be able to do it and a fast (3.0+) AMD Phenom II/Athlon II series chip as well. Core2duo's (maybe the 3.0+ ones could do it, unfortunately I do not have any to test) and any AMD slower than listed above wouldn't be able to keep up.

This is purely what I have noticed and data based on what I have seen in the forums. This is by no means a definitive "what you need" as every system is just a bit different.

[EnterNoEscape]

Yes, I meant with Comskip live with the donate verson. I made some assumptions because of the subject. By the end of an hour show, Comskip is usually only about 45mins in. It's good enough, but if you step it down a notch, the PQ isn't acceptable in my opinion. I have a Q6600 (2.4GHz) that I overclocked to 3.0GHz and it still wasn't enough. I have found that clock for clock in the same motherboards the Q9300 is much better than the Q6600 in overall performance. I think I might start a thread with hard numbers. I noticed a few people in this thread have Intel i series processors and was wondering if they fared better with live processing.

[makko]

I've decided i'm going to go with the i5 660..

I think that should be sufficient..

Thanks for the advice guys..