Worth Upgrading from 8GB to 16GB for me?

[av8r]

I have a 2 year old HP oem i5-750 PC, and I do lot's of video editing and HD Blue ray ripping and compressing. I use AnydvdHd, BDrebuilder, ClownBD, and Pinnacle Studio 14Hd. No gaming. I'm using a Nvidea GT 430.

The RAM in my system is 8gb of PC3-10600 MB/sec and I run a 64 bit system so I can upgrade to 16gb of◦PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066) if I want. I don't mind spending the money, but of course I don't want to waste it if it won't make any difference. I do often have 2 or more processes going at the same time.

I am also considering building a whole new system because of the lack of speed and minor delays I'm running in to, but the same question applies. Will it make a noticeable difference for my needs?

 

[jaquith]

Sure more RAM always 'helps' IF you're 'Used Physical Memory' is running >75% then it's time for more. IF those apps are using the GPU to render then a new GPU might be advantageous.

Otherwise the new Sandy Bridge can greatly accelerate MPEG-2/4/H.264 files, but only on applications with native or plug-in support. The acceleration is nearly twice as fast, in some applications even more.

QuickSync - http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/9

QuickSync only helps in the 'creation' not 'stealing' (ripping) of MPEG-2/4/H.264 files.

Partial list of supported Applications accelerated by QuickSync - http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/quick-sync-video/quick-sync-video-general.html

Arcsoft MediaConverter*
Arcsoft MediaImpression*
Badaboom Media Converter*
Corel Digital Studio*
CyberLink MediaEspresso*
CyberLink PowerDirector*
MainConcept*
Movavi Video Converter*
Roxio Creator*

 

[av8r]

It sounds like the 16gb is not going to help me. I'll have to do more research to see if my apps can take advantage of Sandy Bridge. BTW, by ripping, I mean backing up my existing Blue Rays to my HDD to stream to my media player so I don't have to mess with the discs. I've lost enough discs to rough handling by the kids, and I love the way I can now browse thru thumbnails on my TV screen, and choose the movie we want to watch.

 

[jaquith]

I use DVDFab to make iPhone/iPad copies of movies that I purchased that don't offer Digital Copies. It's a long process no matter what you do. The Life Upgrade is the long-term best deal http://www.dvdfab.com/ and it offers both CUDA and QuickSync acceleration - http://www.dvdfab.com/technology.htm

QuickSync - http://www.dvdfab.com/intel-quick-sync.htm
CUDA - http://www.dvdfab.com/nvidia-cuda-and-amd-app.htm

 

[zhihao50]

Sandybridge would require a new motherboard so it would cost a fair bit. Its a great CPU, you would see 20% performance gain with a i5 2500k and that much more when you overclock it.
But with Ivybridge around the corner you might want to wait to see how the next generation compared.

Jaquith
I am curiou,s how do you find about the quality of transcoding with CUDA/Quicksync?

Cause the only experience I had with them is rather poor. Really bad artifacts. So I am now sticking with Handbrake and CPU transcoding. 25min to transcode a 2hour movie into 480p for ipod is not bad and near the performance I got with CUDA and Quicksync.

 

[jaquith]

I haven't tried QuickSync, but CUDA was fine. There are all sorts of reason for artifacts and if I did a frame-by-frame analyse them I'm certain I'd find some.

For 'iPhone/iPad' I cannot recall seeing (noticing) any. There are plenty of transcoding articles at Tom's showing the differences. How I do it all depends on the purpose aka end product. I am not by any means an expert, I use Adobe Premiere for home 'movies' and then I am more concerned about quality of HD output; in contrast 'iPhone/iPad' my concerns are time with 'good enough' quality.

link - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/video-transcoding-amd-app-nvidia-cuda-intel-quicksync,2839-9.html
link - http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/9

 

[av8r]

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll wait a till next year, and build an Ivy Bridge system. That will likely give me the most bang for the buck.

I purchased a lifetime plan of AnyDVDHD, and I use BDRebuilder to compress. I don't even compress to the higher qualities and the backup/copies are absolutely perfect. I can't tell the difference between them and the originals on my 65" TV. I'm sure DVDFab is just as good. The rips take about 45 minutes, but the compression takes about 2 hours.

 

[av8r]

Best answer selected by av8r.