- Mar 17, 2006
- 3,159
- 1
- 21,865
Hello all,
I'm on the fence with this decision. I have two computers: a gaming computer with an Intel E6300 (OC'd to 2.33GHz for 24/7, OC'd to 2.8GHz for encoding) and an HTPC with an AMD 5200+ (2.7GHz). I do a lot of video encoding for the HTPC and have been considering a quad core for a while now to speed things up. I've used both computers to encode video and they are about equal. Now that I've made the dive into blu-ray, a quad core is a must since standard DVD's take ~5 hours to encode to h.264 to an mkv container with the dual core CPU's and blu-rays are much, much larger. The HTPC is in a media cabinet and has low rpm fans to be quiet. During intense encoding, the 5200+ gets to 60-62C.
Anyway, I've finally talked my wife into letting me spend ~$300 on a quad core upgrade. My first thought was to get a Q9650 for the gaming computer, use that to encode video, and then transfer the finished mkv to the HTPC. But then I noticed that the Phenom II quads are only $175-200 which leaves me enough budget to get a faster dual core for the gaming computer, such as the E8400 ($165).
Here are my options:
#1 Get the Q9650 ($324).
Pros: probably faster than the Phenom for video encoding, better for multi-threaded games when they become the norm, should extend the life of the gaming PC beyond that of a dual core, the dual core in the HTPC probably runs cooler than a quad.
Cons: the blu-ray drive is on the HTPC so I'd have to transfer from HTPC to gaming PC, encode the video, then transfer the finished video back to the HTPC... kind of high P.I.A. factor
#2 Get a Phenom II 940 for the HTPC and a E8400 for the gaming PC ($200+$165).
Pros: both PC's get a substantial upgrade, encoding will be done on the HTPC and won't need to be transferred, I can recoup more money by selling the two old CPU's instead of just one, most games only use 2 cores anyway.
Cons: the Phenom in the HTPC might be too hot, encoding probably won't be as fast as with the Q9650 especially if I have to underclock the Phenom to keep the heat down, the gaming PC won't be able to take advantage of future multi-threaded (4) games.
Please, no Intel i7 advice. It's not on the table with my hard-fought budget of ~$300. And yes, I plan to overclock the gaming system regardless of which path I take.
Anyone know if the 45nm Phenom II would be as cool or cooler than the 65nm 5200+?
Both Q9650 and Phenom II 940 are 3.0GHz stock, do they encode video roughly the same?
Your input is greatly appreciated.
I'm on the fence with this decision. I have two computers: a gaming computer with an Intel E6300 (OC'd to 2.33GHz for 24/7, OC'd to 2.8GHz for encoding) and an HTPC with an AMD 5200+ (2.7GHz). I do a lot of video encoding for the HTPC and have been considering a quad core for a while now to speed things up. I've used both computers to encode video and they are about equal. Now that I've made the dive into blu-ray, a quad core is a must since standard DVD's take ~5 hours to encode to h.264 to an mkv container with the dual core CPU's and blu-rays are much, much larger. The HTPC is in a media cabinet and has low rpm fans to be quiet. During intense encoding, the 5200+ gets to 60-62C.
Anyway, I've finally talked my wife into letting me spend ~$300 on a quad core upgrade. My first thought was to get a Q9650 for the gaming computer, use that to encode video, and then transfer the finished mkv to the HTPC. But then I noticed that the Phenom II quads are only $175-200 which leaves me enough budget to get a faster dual core for the gaming computer, such as the E8400 ($165).
Here are my options:
#1 Get the Q9650 ($324).
Pros: probably faster than the Phenom for video encoding, better for multi-threaded games when they become the norm, should extend the life of the gaming PC beyond that of a dual core, the dual core in the HTPC probably runs cooler than a quad.
Cons: the blu-ray drive is on the HTPC so I'd have to transfer from HTPC to gaming PC, encode the video, then transfer the finished video back to the HTPC... kind of high P.I.A. factor
#2 Get a Phenom II 940 for the HTPC and a E8400 for the gaming PC ($200+$165).
Pros: both PC's get a substantial upgrade, encoding will be done on the HTPC and won't need to be transferred, I can recoup more money by selling the two old CPU's instead of just one, most games only use 2 cores anyway.
Cons: the Phenom in the HTPC might be too hot, encoding probably won't be as fast as with the Q9650 especially if I have to underclock the Phenom to keep the heat down, the gaming PC won't be able to take advantage of future multi-threaded (4) games.
Please, no Intel i7 advice. It's not on the table with my hard-fought budget of ~$300. And yes, I plan to overclock the gaming system regardless of which path I take.
Anyone know if the 45nm Phenom II would be as cool or cooler than the 65nm 5200+?
Both Q9650 and Phenom II 940 are 3.0GHz stock, do they encode video roughly the same?
Your input is greatly appreciated.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram