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Help review my i5 CCTV system please!

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  • Computers
  • Systems
  • Intel i5
Last response: in Systems
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September 18, 2013 12:44:09 PM

Hello, I am working on building a computer that will be the 'brains' behind my network video surveillance system. This will be a dedicated system, and will not be used for any gaming or anything else. Since it will be handling over 10 megapixels of video stream at any given time, it needs to have some horsepower to handle it. Ideally, I would go all out and purchase a top tier i7 system, but alas, this has to be a somewhat budget system since a lot of money is going into the cameras themselves and the network infrastructure. I do not need a GPU as I want to test the on board Intel HD graphics first to see if it can render the video ( which will be in a compressed substream, not necessarily full 3mp for example ) first before purchasing a GPU. I already have a 2TB Seagate to start me off with although I will certainly need more storage before long..

Even if you are unfamiliar with IP megapixel cams, I would still love to hear input about this build. I worry about things like incompatibilities with parts and am always looking to learn, so feel free to chime in. It would be much appreciated!

I few points:
- While I am comfortable working on and with computers, I have never built my own. That being said I am a full time DIY'er so I have no doubt I can do it. I mention this because I am unsure if I need other parts for the installation besides regular hand tools. For example, do I need thermal paste?

- I really haven't stayed up to speed with hardware, for example the only reason I selected this motherboard was because I saw it was widely used and had great reviews. The computer will need a second NIC, but maybe this board is overkill if I don't plan on gaming with this rig??

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.25 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $532.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-18 15:43 EDT-0400)

Thanks ahead of time.

More about : review cctv system

September 18, 2013 2:06:35 PM

First off, I am not familiar with security systems and the amount of power they use.

You may not need the Hyper 212 evo on a non overclock build but at the same time it may not be a bad idea. You might benefit from 16 GB of 1600 ram.

How many hard drives do you plan to have and what resolution video will the cameras be recording in? Also how many cameras will you have? What frame rate will you be recording?
September 18, 2013 2:25:59 PM

The piece of software Not sure I can mention it's name on these forums?) I will most likely be using to record the video is a 32bit program so while I am sure Windows itself, and maybe some other utilities I end up running may benefit from the added RAM, the video recording software I believe can only take advantage of 8GB. But maybe you are right, that if it is chewing up 8GB on it's own, then 16 would be nice. I can always add a couple more sticks down the road.

The cameras themselves are powered via a PoE switch I have, so they won't draw from the PC itself, but instead from the switch as my understanding goes.

Hard drives: Good question, at 2MP or 3MP recording, space gets chewed up very quickly. Again, I am starting small as far as storage goes but will have to increase down the line. I am thinking 2 or 3 internal hard drives, and then potentially having a NAS somewhere else on site that the PC backs up to when those internal drives fill up. The Cameras I have and will be purchasing are 3MP and 2MP. Ideally, I would have 7-10 cams totalling around between 20 and 25MP. I would like to record atleast 10FPS.

I feel like I may be pushing the limitations of the outlined system when I approach 20MP @ 15fps unfortunately.
!