New PC Time - how much will NPVR utilize multi-core/quad-core CPUs?

[baj1]

I'm starting to have a number of issues with my original GB-PVR PC that's working on it's 7th year of operation. It's served me well during that time but I think it's time for something new.

My question is how much benefit/utility would be realized with NPVR on a multi-core HT CPU like the i5 or i7? I currently have 5 MVPs and NMTs and a couple of PC clients (as noted in my signature below), but rarely would more than two of the clients be active at any given time, if that matters.

While I use to follow these forums closely, I've been super busy at work and am definitely out of the loop with NPVR. Fortunately GB-PVR has be rock-solid for us these past year(s). :-D I am hoping to draw on the wealth of knowledge from the user base to make a good decision.

Here's what I'm currently thinking. It looks like the Hauppauge 2250 is still a good option for a tuner, so I'll probably grab one of those and look for gen 1 NMT replacements for the MVPs. Probably get an i5 or i7-based PC with Windoze 7 (Home Premium? Pro?), but if I can save some $$$ by getting a Core 2 system that'd be advantageous. Most of the newer systems seem to come with 4-8gb of RAM, so I suspect that will be sufficient. I wired my house with CAT5 and recently upgraded my switch to a GB model, so that should be covered. Anything else to consider?

Thanks,
-Brad

[ShiningDragon]

If you're wanna save some money, then you could just grab an i3-2100/2105 (Sandy Bridge) or even an i3-550 (Clarkdale) which is used in my HomeServer 01. Enough power to broadcast 5 LiveTV streams via my Gbit-LAN simultaneously. Or distribute my mediaarchive through the homenetwork.

As long as you're not post processing the movies on the server (which isn't possible afaik) you should have enough horsepower left. An i3-550 is comparable to an Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 B3 stepping, but has an usable iGPU inside. For your server-task an i5 or even an i7 seems to be more than just overpowered.

[jcjefferies]

NextPVR does not need much processor power on a dedicated computer unless you are playing an HD recording without a DxVA video card. Until recently I was using single 2 GHZ processors in my server and client, recording and playing back SD recordings. The only problem with a single processor on the server was when I started other software such as Internet Explorer while recording the processor briefly ran at 100% which caused a short gap in the recording. Obviously a twin core processor or one using Hyperthreading will cure that problem.

There are people successfully using those low power Atom and the AMD equivalent motherboards which are intended for video applications like NPVR and they have twin core processors running at around 1.6GHZ but have built in video acceleration. However for my server and client I have just bought 3Ghz Athlon twin core processor motherboards plus GeForce 210 video cards mainly for the HDMI output but because as they support DxVA ready for when I go HD. This setup while recording and also playing back SD video without acceleration runs at around 15 % with an occasional peak to 20% so is not stressed.

[baj1]

Thanks for the advice guys, I certainly do appreciate it. I'll see what I can find for deals before the holidays.