Which should I get, a dual P3 or a single P4 for TMPGEnc enc

[Webster]

Greeting all,
First of, I do not want to start an which is better Intel/AMD war of words. So please do not make this post into one. Thanks.
My need is simple. I want to put together a box exclusively for encoding using TMPGEnc. I've decided to use Intel's CPU for this box (I do have 2 boxes with AMD CPU's and they are working fine for me. So please refrain yourself from convincing me AMD is better way to go.)
I want to cut down encoding time, and my current set up is not fast enough for me (1GHz P3, 1.2GHz Athon, and 950MHz Duron.) Can someone tell me which is faster for encoding, dual P3 or single P4 system? Also, does RAM type matter that much when encoding (ie SDRAM, DDR, RAMBUS etc...) or just CPU speed is all I need?

Thanks in advance.
Webster.

[Vidbox]

NOTE: You'll need software that recognizes the dual processor if the dual pIII is the choice, for what you discribed a Raid controller (for dual HD's) may be your best bet.
But to answer your question directly, the P4 is a better choice. As far as RAM goes, DDR is the fastest;however, RDram, and DDR are going to be your only choices for a p4.

I don't really believe however that RAM is going to be a real important factor if one the 2 types about is chosen as far as processing video goes until you consider the amount you place in your system. It's like living in a bathroom with the wrong amount.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Vidbox on 2002-01-09 13:36:14 ]</font>

[gimp]

I am running dual 1.2MP/AMD's with 1GB PC2100 Reg.Ram I can encode a 1hr.40min. movie to standard vcd with Tmpg. in 1 hr. I started to get the a dual P4 Xeon but when you start computing the money difference I don't think the P4 is worth it, just to be replaced by summer with new technology. I'm very pleased with the dual AMD I have!!!!! Before I had a 1GHz AMD with 384MB Ram it would take me about 3 to 3.1/2 hrs. to encode to a standard VCD with Tmpeg.

[KingJohn]

I have a P4,1.6 + Intel motherboard, 1hr 30Min PAL VCD, in 45 min (in the background)

[d4n13l]

Just one point to remember if you are going to get a P4.
Make sure it has the new Brookdale core (I think it has been released at 2.2GHz) - this beast will outperform the fastest Athlon (though I doubt it will for long).
But yeah, the Brookdale core releases a lot more potential from the P4 core that has until now been held back by a larger/older core. I would rather have a single 2.2Ghz Brookdale with RDRAM, than dual P3's if money were no object. If money was a concern I would go with dual Athlons and DDR, currently the biggest bang for your buck on any platform. Just make sure you get a decent motherboard... but seeing as you are going Intel you should have no worry there.
So yeah, seeing as you want to know which Intel only setup, I would recommend a new P4 that has a Brookdale core. But me being me, would not buy one yet. I would wait for the faster FSB and RDRAM to arrive first before I invested in a P4 (a few/couple of months). The hefty premium you pay for bleeding edge processor's would also put me off for a while.

[Webster]

P4 it is. But I think I'll wait a couple more months. $600.00+ for a CPU is kinda expensive for now.
Thanks to all that responded.
Webster

[tinmancp]

I know you made you decision, just wanted to throw this in:

my setup is a dual PIII 1Ghz on a MSI 6321 motherboard. you could get my setup for less than $400 dollars. The
RAM doesn't matter since I never seen the usage of RAM going up at all when encoding.

My encoding time is almost real time, i.e., a 1hr movie would take ~1hr10min.

[kitty]

To shift the subject - if I wanted a dual Athlon MP (not up to 1900+, too expensive) what would you suggest? Asus & Tyan make good motherboards I hear.

[tinycorkscrew]

kitty -

I have the Tyan Thunder motherboard and it's worked like a charm for me from day one. The Asus motherboard is supposed to be very good according to GamePC. I'd probably buy the Asus if I were going to buy a dual board right now.

When I bought my Tyan setup, I bought the processors and motherboard from Monarch Computer and let them test it before shipping (if you buy the processors and motherboard from them they assemble for free). I did that because a lot of people were having trouble with the Tyan Thunder in the first few weeks.

You might consider buying processors and motherboard from the same company for the above reasons, and you might want to read the appropriate forums at http://www.amdmb.com for more info.

[vcdfreak]

Review for dual XP(MP) boards:

http://www.tbreak.com/hard/mobo/msi_dualamd/page9.html

http://www.gamepc.com/reviews/hardware_review.asp?review=asus760mpx&page=8&mscssid=&tp=

[ApacheWraith]

I just got quoted yesterday for an Asus motherboard (can't remember the model) a P4 1.3G with the tower built under $500. I'm debating with myself on choosing a MoBo and processor setup. The price is fair, I think I'm going to stick to Sefy's advice and go with an AMD/Epox setup.....
I don't have money to burn

[Mr Morden]

Just a little point to drop in for those interested, have a look here http://www.anandtech.com/ for hardware reviews and advice on dual setups or this page specifically:

http://www.anandtech.com/cpu/showdoc.html?i=1574

for a detailed comparison of the 2.2GHz P4a & the AMD XP 2000+ setups. I'm personally now going for the AMD XP 2000+ and an ASUS Mobo with RAID, as my overclocked Athlon 1 just don't cut it for rendering time anymore!

[KingJohn]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2002-01-12 19:11:54, ApacheWraith wrote:

I just got quoted yesterday for an Asus motherboard (can't remember the model) a P4 1.3G with the tower built under $500. I'm debating with myself on choosing a MoBo and processor setup. The price is fair, I think I'm going to stick to Sefy's advice and go with an AMD/Epox setup.....
I don't have money to burn

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

But it sounds like you have money to waste ?

[shochan]

Just a snidbit of info. a dual setup in tmpge is pointless unless u use alot of filters. in tmpgenc 1 processor does the encoding and the other one does the filters.