BI CPU Recommendations

TL1096r

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What is your future MP/s TL1096r?
If my calculations are correct it could be well over 800 MP/s - but I would try to find a computer that can handle more than less so I don't have to purchase a new one in a few years.
 

fenderman

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If my calculations are correct it could be well over 800 MP/s - but I would try to find a computer that can handle more than less so I don't have to purchase a new one in a few years.
It will be cheaper and smarter to buy a new one in a few years then to spend significantly more on a new pc now.
 

mech

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If my calculations are correct it could be well over 800 MP/s - but I would try to find a computer that can handle more than less so I don't have to purchase a new one in a few years.
I would lean toward an 8th-gen i7 for 6 cores and 12 threads. Look for a off-lease Dell Precision 3430 on Ebay, they are essentially an i7 OptiPlex with a slightly larger power supply and an add-in low-end video card such as a Quadro P620. Not a lot of extra power consumption, but it offloads the display to a GPU and you may be able to farm out a few cameras to the Quadro if the CPU can't quite keep up.

I attached some screenshots from an i9-9900k with a GeForce GTX1660. Power consumption is substantial but electricity is cheap here. The first screenshot shows it recording direct-to-disk on 1200MP/sec with the console open. The second screenshot shows it replaying 12 of the cameras on our building at 1x speed, using the "Fast" (jagged-looking) display scaling, and as you can see, playback of these cams approximately doubles the CPU load. 2x playback speed is beyond the i9's capabilities here, although to be fair I run high framerates on the cams.

The third screenshot shows 1x playback of all cams at once, including the ones not shown in the prior screenshot, some of which use nVidia acceleration. Now you see the nVidia usage jump, while the CPU is maxed out.

So without being completely scientific, scaling down to your estimated 800MP/sec, I'd guess an i7 plus a low-end Quadro could work if you are reasonable about how many cameras you play back in a group, and use framerates that aren't too high.
 

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TL1096r

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I would lean toward an 8th-gen i7 for 6 cores and 12 threads. Look for a off-lease Dell Precision 3430 on Ebay, they are essentially an i7 OptiPlex with a slightly larger power supply and an add-in low-end video card such as a Quadro P620. Not a lot of extra power consumption, but it offloads the display to a GPU and you may be able to farm out a few cameras to the Quadro if the CPU can't quite keep up.

I attached some screenshots from an i9-9900k with a GeForce GTX1660. Power consumption is substantial but electricity is cheap here. The first screenshot shows it recording direct-to-disk on 1200MP/sec with the console open. The second screenshot shows it replaying 12 of the cameras on our building at 1x speed, using the "Fast" (jagged-looking) display scaling, and as you can see, playback of these cams approximately doubles the CPU load. 2x playback speed is beyond the i9's capabilities here, although to be fair I run high framerates on the cams.

The third screenshot shows 1x playback of all cams at once, including the ones not shown in the prior screenshot, some of which use nVidia acceleration. Now you see the nVidia usage jump, while the CPU is maxed out.

So without being completely scientific, scaling down to your estimated 800MP/sec, I'd guess an i7 plus a low-end Quadro could work if you are reasonable about how many cameras you play back in a group, and use framerates that aren't too high.
Good info. I like it. Why do you need a GeForce GTX1660. How do you have intel quick sync enabled? Does all of the suggested computers easily allow you to enable quick sync? BI5 will rely on this too I suppose?

It will be cheaper and smarter to buy a new one in a few years then to spend significantly more on a new pc now.
I hate the waste really. I like to have things for long period of time. I have my garbage reolink for 2 years+ now and can't wait to do a full upgrade of cameras with new BI machine.
 

fenderman

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Good info. I like it. Why do you need a GeForce GTX1660. How do you have intel quick sync enabled? Does all of the suggested computers easily allow you to enable quick sync? BI5 will rely on this too I suppose?



I hate the waste really. I like to have things for long period of time. I have my garbage reolink for 2 years+ now and can't wait to do a full upgrade of cameras with new BI machine.
You waste money by overpaying today for something you might need in 3 years. In three years anything you buy today will be old news. At that time you can upgrade and actually pay LESS than buying all that power now AND you can buy a faster more efficient machine. You will then also have a spare pc to use for another purpose or sell.
 

TL1096r

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You waste money by overpaying today for something you might need in 3 years. In three years anything you buy today will be old news. At that time you can upgrade and actually pay LESS than buying all that power now AND you can buy a faster more efficient machine. You will then also have a spare pc to use for another purpose or sell.
Yes, valid points. I think a 8th-gen i7 for 6 cores and 12 threads would be my best option for what I need or maybe a 7th-gen
 

mech

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Good info. I like it. Why do you need a GeForce GTX1660. How do you have intel quick sync enabled? Does all of the suggested computers easily allow you to enable quick sync? BI5 will rely on this too I suppose?
It's easy to enable the Intel Quick Sync acceleration in the camera's configuration panel in BI. Each camera can have individual acceleration settings. The CPUs you have been considering so far will all be capable of Quick Sync. I've heard that QuickSync may have problems with H265 encoding; I can only judge by my one H265 camera, a Dahua, and I'm able to enable the Intel acceleration on it and have it stick. What's everyone else seeing in that area (QuickSync plus H265)? Works, doesn't work? What generation of CPU?

For myself, I needed an add-in video card just to hook up all my displays. I started with a leftover nVidia card and then experimented with nVidia acceleration on a couple of the high-bitrate cameras. It had some benefits, like smooth playback at higher speeds, so I strategically offloaded certain cameras to it and decided to get a newer one that has H265 encoding capabiliites, so thus the GTX1660. I estimate it uses as much power as the CPU does, so it comes at a cost, but it helps when I need playback. In my bad neighborhood, unfortunately that is a frequent need.

I'm looking forward to trying BI5 to see what kind of optimizations they've got. It won't be long now.
 

TL1096r

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@CaliGirl how did the DELL OPTIPLEX 5040 SFF work out for you if you are using it? They relisted another one for $50 more....
 

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The Dell 5040 small form factor is working great. 5x 2mp cameras direct to disk at 15fps= 12-20% CPU and using 60-80 watts with 16 port POE switch during the day. Running BI5

Hey guys. I swapped the internal HDD with an SSD. That was easy. But when I removed the optical drive to install the Purple HDD the power connector is very different. Is there an adapter or splitter that I can run off the SSD power cable to power the purple HDD? Link?

Is THIS what we need?

Thanks so much.

Don't need a tray. Was going to put the purple drive in replace of old OS drive. And double sticky tape the SSD to the tray.

https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_optiplex_desktop/optiplex-5040-desktop_owner's manual2_en-us.pdf
 
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mech

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Also note that your 5040 may have a M.2 socket on the motherboard for a SSD in the M.2 form factor. If you decided you wanted an additional SSD for any reason, that would be the way to go. It would be directly under the HDD/Optical cage if it has one.
 

TL1096r

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Also note that your 5040 may have a M.2 socket on the motherboard for a SSD in the M.2 form factor. If you decided you wanted an additional SSD for any reason, that would be the way to go. It would be directly under the HDD/Optical cage if it has one.
It does according to link provided. I always go with the m.2. They are fairly cheap, compact and run fast and free up space for other stuff.

 
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