Pentium N3700 as a NextPVR Server

[NumberFive]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering does anyone use the N3700 or similar as a NextPVR Server, or have any thoughts on it? Seems a great deal, so I might take the plunge and order one. The energy savings should make it pay for itself in about 18 months.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YH2I9Z0/

[johnsonx42]

ought to work swimmingly.

[mvallevand]

ought to work swimmingly.

johnsonx42 likes entry level htpc boxes. For me the server just has average performance, especially if you plan to transcode or comskip a lot. Great client if you don't need HD Audio bit-streaming in Windows or full 4K.

Martin

[NumberFive]

Thanks for the tips. I figure the N3700 would probably suit my needs, as I don't transcode or use comskip. But I also want to steer clear of false economies (i.e. is it slow enough to be annoying!). Seems similar in performance to my existing Core 2, just about 1/3 the power consumption.

[johnsonx42]

I doubt it would be near as powerful as a Core2 of any sort, unless it's a very old one with a low clock speed. I have to admit when I first saw that listing I was thinking that Pentium N3700 was a mobile broadwell like a Pentium 3805u, and didn't notice it is actually a braswell (Atom architecture) instead (basically a newer version of the Pentium J2900). Still should do fine, but it's no speed demon.

[NumberFive]

Didn't realise the N3700 was Atom architecture! Not a huge fan on Atom, but then I haven't used one since the 330.

The CPU benchmark scores for the N3700 and the 3805U are about the same, the reason the N3700 is tempting me is that it is fanless.

[johnsonx42]

what benchmark scores are you seeing that show the two cpu's as comparable?

[NumberFive]

I just took a look at cpubenchmark.net:

https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Int...Hz&id=2483 (1947)

https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Int...Hz&id=2513 (1824)

Comparable to a circa-2008 Core2:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=...40+2.66GHz (1730)

[johnsonx42]

that's about what I thought... 2/3 the speed of an old core2, and 1/2 the speed of a modern low-end mobile cpu. not bad really, but hardly similar in performance for most purposes. you have to look at the single-threaded performance, not the overall rating

[NumberFive]

Thanks for the advice. Hadn't really considered that, figure I might wait for the next gen of fanless stuff to come out!