TMPGEnc: Best CPU choice?

[ToeCutter]

What is the "platform of choice" for most of the forum users? I would assume that a Pentium4-based system would be best suited for TMPGEnc (due to the SSE2 optimizations included with TMPGEnc), but my assumptions are often wrong.

I'm using a TBird 1.4 with 512 MB of DDR and an X15 Cheetah, but even some small (4 min) MiniDV files take almost an hour to encode a DVD-compliant video-only MPEG2.

[vhelp]

You didn't specify what your current encoding process is.
* miniDV tapes' source, ie from Satalite, VHS, or CAM home-movies, etc.??
* are you talking about VCDs or SVCDs or DVDs encodes?
* important, any Filtering?

I've done many, many miniDV tape (I call, my mini TIVO) and encoded to CVD
and VCDs etc. in approx 3 hours w/ a T-Brd, 900Mhz and 128MB ram
into at 352x480 resolution, final encodes.

I'm sorry, but a 4 minute clip taking ~1 hour is way to long for me. You
must be using heaving filtering, or high values in each of your filterings
or your source is Noisy and/or using 2pass, and combo of above, etc.

Unless you're trying to encode using DVD template, hence 720x480, but even
at that format, a 4 minute length clip encode shouldn't take an hour to
complete, unless the above applies.

My current platform is (see my computer details [needs rev.]), but
both my PCs are using same MB, ECS K7S5A w/ 256 DDR ram and a tipcle
not so Noisy source would take me approx 3 hours on my setup or less
for a 60 minute capture (minus commericals)

Please give much more details so we all can help.

-vhelp

[ToeCutter]

You didn't specify what your current encoding process is.
* miniDV tapes' source, ie from Satalite, VHS, or CAM home-movies, etc.??
* are you talking about VCDs or SVCDs or DVDs encodes?
* important, any Filtering?

I've done many, many miniDV tape (I call, my mini TIVO) and encoded to CVD
and VCDs etc. in approx 3 hours w/ a T-Brd, 900Mhz and 128MB ram
into at 352x480 resolution, final encodes.

I'm sorry, but a 4 minute clip taking ~1 hour is way to long for me. You
must be using heaving filtering, or high values in each of your filterings
or your source is Noisy and/or using 2pass, and combo of above, etc.

Unless you're trying to encode using DVD template, hence 720x480, but even
at that format, a 4 minute length clip encode shouldn't take an hour to
complete, unless the above applies.

My current platform is (see my computer details [needs rev.]), but
both my PCs are using same MB, ECS K7S5A w/ 256 DDR ram and a tipcle
not so Noisy source would take me approx 3 hours on my setup or less
for a 60 minute capture (minus commericals)

Please give much more details so we all can help.

-vhelp

I guess I should have included some specifics, huh?

Most of the footage I'm encoding is MiniDV capture to DVD-compliant MPEG2 (720x480, 8000 CBR). I rarely use any filtering, but some of the material is a bit busy, with quite a bit of camera movement. The clip I mentioned in the original post did include some beach footage with some pans of the shoreline. I noticed my FPS dropped dramatically when I zoomed in on the water. It took 44 minutes to encode JUST the video stream with TMPEnc (no filtering).

I usually encode for high quality output, and I have been very happy with the output provided by both TMPGEnc and Main Concept's MPEG2 encoder (via Vegas Video 3). I view most of the finished DVDs on a 61" Sony HD. The big screen greatly exagerates any compression artifacts, hence my need for high quality output.

[kitty]

The fastest Pentium 4 you can buy would not hurt.

[SatStorm]

This time we talking, Pentium is the way to go, but also check out the new AMD 2600+ ! First tests looks very promising!
Also, there is a rule: With Pentiums (Intel) you don't upgrade: You buy new computer everytime you want to change something. With Athlons (AMD) you change only CPUs the first 2 years.

Now, Augost 2002, the best choice is Intel
In a month. who knows....

[vhelp]

ToeCutter,

I agree w/ everybody. BUT...

in short, it's not worth going to the trouble figuring out which is
the best CPU etc. cause the turnaround for newer and faster CPUs
are hard and fast! As soon as you have the latest and greatets,
someone else is posting that they just got an even faster cpu.
NOBODY wins.

Just save your money, and by an AMD. Trust me. I've ben replacing
my MB/cpu for years now. One year or so, I hvae an Intel, the
next, it's an AMD, and so on. It's just totally rediculous
of people to poet which is better. They're all good.

Tests. Please. who cares if the cpu's bench past brand A or
brand B. In true life actuallities, those numbers (and theyre'
small, mind you) mean nothing!

So, brand A is faster then brand B at MPEG encoding. It's usually
only by a few minutes or so. ...and you want to spend $500 plus
over the unfavord brand B because it's 7 minutes faster at encodng?
So, how does one justify 7 minutes, vs. $500 for the branding?
Two months from that point, you'll be reading someone elses post
that NOW, the other (cheaper) brand is faster. And there, the
game starts all over again.

You're waisting your encoding time w/ benchmarks and squaddle.
IMO, just get the damn AMD (its cheaper) and just as fast! what's
that? the other brand is faster? ...you say? TIME IT!
Who cares about 2 minutes faster. ..or 7 minutes faster. You know
how to count your dollars! ...and weigh it up against 7 minutes.

Come on... ok, i'll be on the good guys team, and say, Pentiums
are faster. (but, again, by how much?) You gotta think. ...with
your pockets.

How about weighing this. Today, you go out and purchase that
brand A at $1200, even if brand B is only for $550, and say, 4
minutes faster at MPEG encoding (which is your driving force)
So, every day that you do encoding projects, you take a hard look
at where all your money went ($1200) and read posts of other
people's brand B (or AMD) speeds, and wonder why yours, as it has
ben stated, is fater than brand B (or AMD) and you just can't
figure out why, when you read elsewhere's that brand A (or Intel)
is faster? I'm blowing fuses here, he, he...
Just remember ToeCutter factor in YOUR encoding capabilities
BEFORE you go out and spend so much on that 7 minute faster cpu!!
...cause, it may disapoint you, that you NEVER use the 7 minute
caues the test/benchmark that was used was not pertanent to your
driving fource ie, MPEG encoding... even if the numbers
happen to be close in this case - made sense to me.

So, when someone says to ME, hay, the new P4 (or P5 for that matter)
is out and they hear its FAST! my response, "Wooopee!" Analigy...
I do 3 hour encoding projects daily, maybe 4 complete projects in
a day. But, you, being the lesser experienced in MPEG encoding
processees are only doing maybe 1 or 2 a day, even if done at 20
minutes quicker time. Well, that was hyperthecle (spelling)
Hopefully, you are getting the picture.

The turnaround is just too quick (AMD vs. Intel) approx 2 new chips
every year. How many times do you buy'em when they come out?

When you shop for a new mb/cpu, weight the TRUE benchmarks, and
not those used in the testings of the media. Their goal is to
get paid to spread confusion and non-pertanent info w/ prettied
up fancy graphs and charts to mean nothing to the real world.
Wake up and smell the coffee! he, he...

----------------------------------------------------
VHELPs best CPU choice (for TMPEnc) is an AMD XP 1700+ or better based mb/cpu combo, at least 256MB ram for starters but
go as high as you can in ram for the video editing side and
anything else that requires lots of memory. Capturing doesn't
need lots of memory.
The above is based on VHELPs experience. Others may be better or
poorer. But, consider carefully on your next $$$ purchase.

-vhelp

[KingJohn]

If your a cheep skate buy a AMD, and regret it !
Buy the best and show the rest how it is done

Ding Dong Ding Ding, Intel Inside

[Anonymous65]

The TMPGEnc code is optimized for the Pentium processor.

[MOVIEGEEK]

The TMPGEnc code is optimized for the Pentium processor.

You are correct sir.
Gaming=AMD XP
Multimedia=Intel Pentium

[Anonymous65]

Here are the times for a P4 running at 2.2Ghz using TMPGEnc version 2.53.35.130 encoding a 1 minute DV video (720x480 video and 44.1KHz/16 bit stereo PCM audio) to the following formats using the default templates in Tmpgenc:

VCD = 1 minute and 16 seconds
SVCD = 1 minute and 52 seconds
DVD = 2 minutes and 3 seconds

Encoding without having to resize from 720x480 is quite a bit faster, like VCD and SVCD formats.
(The DV codec used is the one from MainConcept)