currently got P4 2.4 with 512MB RDRAM PC800
I convert a lot of DV to DVD and I want to encode faster would a dual processor system be the best option
If money was no object what would be the best pc setup for video editing etc ?
what mods could I do to my current system to improve speed
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Multiple processors would be the best thing. If you had a 2x2.4GHz, you get the speed of two computers (4.8GHz or so) but only a little more power consumption and somewhat more money. I built a 2xP5 500MHz (when 700MHz was the fastest processor at the time) and it ran fast for a long time (replaced with this laptop this past Christmas), about 6 years until it became behind the technological times.
So, in conclusion, multi-processor systems are the way to go I think. You get more power in one computer and is cheaper. Just make sure you're ahead of the processing curve. For instance, right now you can get 1 P4 3.4GHz processor for $418 (http://www.pricewatch.com). Or, you can buy 2 P4 1.7GHz for $95 each, $190 total. $190 is less than half the cost of $418 for the same processing speed. Plus, the opeating system can process 2x the instructions per second in a dual-processor system as opposed to a single processor system.
To get the best configuration:
1. Find a good dual processor motherboard (the MPS I got is a Tyan from http://www.tyan.com) and settle on a capable motherboard.)
2. Look at the capabilities of the motherboard as far as processors.
3. Buy the motherboard and 2 of the same exact processors (it's called symmetric multi-processing, not asymmetric) and go on from there.
Windows Professional (not Home) supports 2 processors.
Linux and variants I think support 8 processors out of the box (given the distribution has a kernel with SMP is installed by default) (you can patch kernels for more I believe).
I'm sure there are others...
If you boot a non-SMP operating system on a SMP system, it'll only see the first processor and work, just not at full power. -
Just remember that because of housekeeping chores a dual-processor machine isn't twice as fast as a single ....it's more like the square root of 4 = about 1.4 times as fast as a single. This was a calculation a coworker made and I don't have facts to back it up as it was several years ago. The number stuck in my head and at the time he ran through it it made perfect sense to me. At the time I was running a recently-upgraded dual and NT4 and the benchmark backed up his number.
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Also you will only see an increase in performance with software that can utilise a dual processor system.
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I'd actually put dual CPU power at 1.6x the single CPU for SMP-aware apps. This is after running TMPGEnc on a single 1900 and then again on dual 1900s.
If you're looking at dual don't start low. Plan on spending a lot (like upwards of $2500) for a good system from scratch. I'm building a new one on a budget of $2000 with some components coming out of my current SMP system. Xeons are beating out the Opterons for video work so if you're not number-crunching or running a server get the Xeons. If you don't need 64-bit PCI or PCI-X slots then I suggest the Asus PC-DL. Lots of people are getting those as they only cost $200 and have some great features, just no fast PCI bus. Asus also built a lot of overclocking features into the board. If you want something with support for later generation processors (like the upcoming 64-bit Xeons) look into the Iwill DH800, which is the board I'm getting as soon as it's released here in the US. I'm also waiting for those 64-bit Intels to come out as either those will be my new CPUs or they'll force down the cost of the current Xeon offerings. Look for those late Q2 2004. The DH800 will be out in the next few weeks.
Another consideration is you'll likely need to get a good power supply and good memory as dual boards don't like cheap parts that much. I've only ever used 550w PSUs (both are Antec TruePower series, one ATX and the other EPS). Memory was a problem for me with the Tyan Tiger I currently have but after getting all Mushkin-branded memory everything was fine. If you're doing video work you don't need ECC memory, so unless the board requires ECC memory don't bother spending the extra money for it. In fact unbuffered memory is faster even when ECC is turned off in BIOS.
I don't think I'd ever go back to a single CPU after using duals for over a year. The ability to be working on several things at once without much slowdown is priceless for me. I can be distilling a cover design in Acrobat with one CPU and use the other CPU to play a game or work on another design while waiting for the other to finish packaging. If that justifies the cost of the system then definitely go for it. And they do last a bit longer than single CPU systems just because of the speed factor. I have two AMD 1900s in my current rig and can encode video almost as fast as the high-end P4s and my system is probably a couple years old 8) -
With computers, technology goes so fast, that the best plan is to spend a lot at once so the computer lasts as long as possible. It's worse financially to upgrade often I think.
Also, you can't use a single coefficient to determine your final processing power. As this article says that the performance of applications on SMP systems depend on the nature of the program.
The article also mentions the fact I hinted in my earlier reply, that processes can run concurrently, eliminating that bottleneck. This reduces the chance of diminished returns that some people might say. With my MPS, I can attest to getting close to if not at the theoretical 100% of both CPU's. -
Originally Posted by Craig Tucker
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