blue iris computer specs for new system

Zhinjio

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Going to be running 2 reolink e1 outdoor cameras + reolink doorbell. Based on everything I've read, running blue iris on a mini pc should be sufficient. specs: Intel i5-8279U 16GB RAM 512GB PCIe SSD. I know spinning rust is recommended, but I don't intend to keep more than a day or so on the SSD, everything will be quickly archived to the synology NAS archive. I'll probably maintain 30-60 days on there.

Anyone see any issues with any of that before I pull the trigger?

- ZJ
 

wittaj

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Wrong cameras, especially for BI and wrong computer.

Do a search here for reolink.

Mini PCs are not designed for 24/7 operation and favor temp control over CPU performance.

Get a high-end SSD or you will blow thru it quickly. We have a member here storing NEW on SSD and has blown thru them in year.
 

The Automation Guy

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Personally I wouldn't buy a mini computer for this use case. Using the mini computer form factor has zero advantages for CCTV usage and a lot of disadvantages (price, lack of HDs, heat management, expandability, etc).

I'm not as concerned about the heat management (3 cameras isn't going to be a lot of CPU load on the machine), but it certainly could be an issue - especially if you expand your needs. However the fact that you'll have to use an SSD drive for recording footage is a huge issue IMHO. Most SSD drives are not rated for 24/7 use (and certainly the one you would get with this machine is not going to be rated for this). The fact that you only want to keep 1 day of information on the SSD actually makes this worse because not only will you have constant writes occurring, you'll be transferring data off the SSD regularly as well. So while using an SSD drive for CCTV usage will technically work, I would expect it to completely fail much sooner than it is suppose to. There is a reason why we recommend using a hard drive designed for 24/7 read/writes (many times referred to as server or CCTV grade).

You would be much better served by buying a used SFF computer off EBay with something like an i5-8400 chip. They cost about $200, have room for a real hard drive, have better heat management, and have room for expansion as well.
 
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looney2ns

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For $100 you can get this

Add this for $35. Crucial P3 Plus 500GB PCIe M.2 2280 SSD | CT500P3PSSD8 | Crucial.com
Then add your choice of WD Purple drive

AVOID anything Relink. Junk company.
 
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CAL7

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Most SSD drives are not rated for 24/7 use (and certainly the one you would get with this machine is not going to be rated for this). The fact that you only want to keep 1 day of information on the SSD actually makes this worse because not only will you have constant writes occurring, you'll be transferring data off the SSD regularly as well. So while using an SSD drive for CCTV usage will technically work, I would expect it to completely fail much sooner than it is suppose to. There is a reason why we recommend using a hard drive designed for 24/7 read/writes (many times referred to as server or CCTV grade).
Are there SSD's that are rated for 24/7 use?
 

fenderman

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Are there SSD's that are rated for 24/7 use?
Its not about the hours used. All SSDs can be used 24/7 for 20 years with no issue. You need to look at endurance with respect to TBW (terabytes written). It depends on the amount of data you write monthy/yearly. For example I have one system that writes 12Tb every 3 months. That means it writes 48Tb a year. A cheap $80 drive that has a 300 TBW endurance rating would last at least 6 years likely more. A 120 dollar 2tb drive that has a 600TBW rating would last 12 years.
 
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