Dual Xeon x5650 vs Single 4790K for Transcoding

[KatanaDural]

I've been looking into upgrading my Plex server as I'm having issues transcoding several 1080p streams simultaneously (running a Phenom II at 3.2ghz). I came across a dual xeon x5650 setup recently for pretty cheap, at least I thought it was cheap for dual six core CPUs, but was wondering how it would compare to a modern i7 specifically for transcoding video. My first thought would be the dual six cores should be faster as the transcoding would scale across all 12 cores, however, the 4790k would be running at 4ghz (and likely higher as i'd OC) while the x5650s would be at 2.66. Any thoughts?

 

[lazyboy947]

i cant say exactly but i would say either would work, and prob a single xeon would work as there based off the first gen i7s. The clock speed shouldnt be a problem. I currently have a dual x5450 lga 771 server running my media library, but have yet to throw plex on it. But in some cpu benchmarks, dual quad cores @3 ghz is near a stock clocked 2600k in multithreaded loads, but i bet that it is not truley scaled across other platforms.

https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201774043-What-kind-of-CPU-do-I-need-for-my-Server-computer- Plex basic requirements, so i would assume the more cores the better, and seems the clock speed isnt a problem as there both near 1.8 and 2.4 on their recommendations.

Comes down to price, as im guessing the dual xeon setup is cheaper than building out a whole new system? My server is a old Poweredge 2900 that my brothers work was throwing out, and upgraded to the dual cpus for like $60 for the pair. But the higher end lga 1366 xeons i can see being more expensive used than quad core 771, to get past the 3 ghz mark is about $120 a cpu. again not sure on ur pricing of the system, but even a basic 1150 build would run at least $600 ish matters on the quality of the components. You could go with a new xeon 1231 v3, but that is stuck at 3.4ghz but is massively cheaper than the 4790k

 

[KatanaDural]

The price difference isn't as huge as you'd think, the Xeons are ~$90 each and the motherboard would be $200-$300.

I was also thinking about the Xeon E5-2620 and also 5820k, as both would be much more upgradeable.

Looking at the Plex requirements, you need ~2000 Passmarks for a single 1080p stream. The dual x5650 get ~12000, the 2620 ~10000, and the 5820k ~13000. For the price, the 5820k seems the best. I know the 2000 Passmarks aren't an exact science and the dual x5650 might perform better than the score suggests, but damn a single 5820k scores higher than dual x5650!

 

[lazyboy947]

Did u see what the 4790k gets? Just curious. id like to think the dual xeon would probably work no problem, and for some reason the 5820k just seems overkill lol. With the 4790k u can get like a $100 board, where the 5820k the cheapest is normally $200ish. The E5 probably isnt worth it, as the clock speed. What is ur budget? as i just feel like getting a 5820k for a server seems overkill lol, the dual x5650 seem like the best option to me, decent clock speeds, a ton of threads.

4790k+board would be like $450-500
5820k+board would be like 550-600
Dual x5650 + board would 400-500
the e6 2620 + a used x79 board would prob be maybe $400.

Changing my mind the 5820k wouldnt be a bad thing as it is a new platform using ddr4, and should last a while, and can easily be re purposed if ever need to be.

 

[KatanaDural]

Yes, the future proofing with the 5820k would be my biggest reason for going that route.

The 4790k gets 11000 passmarks, the higher frequency can't make up for two less cores compared to the 5820k.

Damn, so many options. I'd love to go with the dual xeons, always wanted a dual socket PC.

 

[lazyboy947]

at default settings my plex server on my dual x5450s, peaked near 80% but was alot lower on the averages for a single stream. Also i think there was some transcoding settings i didnt change as the quality was not the best.

I even think my server is overkill lol, 12gb ram, x2 x5450s, redundant 900w psus, 700gb raid 5, with a 500gb raid 0 lol I run mincecraft and other applications but it still seems like a lot lol.

I would like to think that the dual xeons would be best as 6 core 12 threaded cpus so 12 cores 24 threads just seems beastly. Plus they turbo to 3.06ghz, under optimal settings. If its in a proper server case, the temps should rarely get past 50c, my poweredge 2900 is a 4u, and has adequate cooling and high load is usually under 50c

 

[lazyboy947]

just saw in cinebench r15, that my 5820k i think with my oc settings is right up against the x5650 dual cpu. the dual x5650 benchmark is provided in the program at a 1279 with my 5820k getting a 1246ish. Hovering over the score in program reveals it to be 12 core 24 threaded for the x5650 so it must be dual cpu, and i dont think it shows OC speeds