Blue Iris performance problem

[Sparkey]

I built a mini ITX based pc using an AMD Athlon 5350 quad core 2.05ghz cpu, 4gb DDR3 ram and a 2TB WD Green HD. Everything runs just fine except BI. I have 6 cameras configured. BI runs painfully slooooow which renders it pretty much useless. I'm trying to determine if the system is too under powered or if the problem lies elsewhere. I'm running BI as a service and remoting in works fine but running the BI app is where the problem lies.

Thanks
[h=1][/h]

 

[fenderman]

@Sparkey Welcome to the forum..assuming you are running hd cameras you system is way underpowered for blue iris...what cams are you running?
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+5350+APU+with+Radeon+R3
You can try lowering cpu consumption by recording direct to disc camera properties>record>file format
Also, limit live preview rate to 5fps (will not affect recording) blue iris options > camera

 

[bp2008]

Yes, the CPU is underpowered. You will have to make sacrifices to get it running smoothly.

You should try to keep total system CPU usage under 90% if at all possible, to keep things running smoothly. Under 80% or under 70% would be better, so that there is a little bit of breathing room for when you are remote viewing or when some other service on the system needs to use more than a little CPU.

Depending on your cameras, fenderman's suggestions may or may not yield enough improvement. Notice that direct to disc recording must be set individually for each camera.

If blueiris.exe's CPU usage is still too high, then you may need to start sacrificing camera frame rates. To do this, go into each camera's web interface and reduce the frame rate a lot. The higher the camera resolution, the lower you will need to set the frame rate. You might get away with 10FPS each if they are 1 megapixel cameras, otherwise if they are 2 megapixel you may have to use 6 FPS or less. You'll have to tinker to find the sweet spot.

 

[Sparkey]

I sorta figured it was under powered. What would you recommend in the way of a cpu and amount of memory? Also, would a fast HD make a difference? I believe the WD Green is a 5400 or 5900 rpm part.

Thanks

PS: I opted for a low power system since it would be running 24/7. Guess this was a bad move.

Also, I just had to reboot the system because it became totally unresponsive even tho BI wasn't running. However, the server was still functioning normally and I could remote into it. Maybe I just need to refrain from running the program and just rely on the server.

 

[Q™]

Get the best i7 you can afford and no less than a 7,200 rpm drive (faster if you can afford it). 8GB rams is sufficient imo.

 

[fenderman]

What cameras are you running and at what resolution?

 

[Sparkey]

At present I have 5 Foscam/clone 640 x 480 indoor cams and one 3mp 1080p Chinese Grandstream clone and a PTZ outdoor EasyN 960p. At present only 4 of the Foscams are operational. The fifth blew a PSU I think.

 

[fenderman]

At present I have 5 Foscam/clone 640 x 480 indoor cams and one 3mp 1080p Chinese Grandstream clone and a PTZ outdoor EasyN 960p. At present only 4 of the Foscams are operational. The fifth blew a PSU I think.

That is not a large load at all..you should be able to run that in this sytem if you use direct to disc, and limit live preview...also remember to record to bvr format as its more efficient...
If the future, Intel processors are more efficient and you could upgrade to a fourth generation i5 haswell for about 300 (refurbished dell, hp, lenovo, business machines)
Something like this - if you wait around you can get it for less.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-EliteDesk-800-G1-USDT-Core-i5-4590-3-0-GHz-4-GB-DDR3-500-GB-HDD-Win-8-1-/121575069855?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c4e70589f

 

[Sparkey]

Thanks all. For the time being I won't open the app and just use the web server. As long as it's stable i'm good for now. Might be building a multi purpose server in the near future and move it over along with my media collection and fill storage.

Live and learn, die and forget it all, lol.

 

[bp2008]

I agree that is not a large load; the two higher resolution cams likely create most of the CPU load all on their own. Reduce their frame rates (in each camera's web interface) if you have not done so already, and watch the CPU usage go down.

I'm not sure if direct to disc will work with the foscams, assuming they are sending mjpeg streams, but it is most definitely worth a try.

 

[Sparkey]

Think I've solved the problem.

1. I cut the res of the Driveway cam down to 960p from 1080.
2. I cut the frame rate on it and the other hi def cam to 15fps from 30fps.

This dropped my cpu usage from the 90s down to the sixties and now the program is reasonably responsive again.

Thanks all. I'm a happy camper aqain.

 

[Q™]

FWIW: I think nearly everyone starts out obsessed with running 30FPS, but after realizing the performance overhead such a frame rate exacts, most of us have settled for much lower frame rates...I know I certainly have. All 16 of my 2MP and 3MP cameras run presently run @ 4FPS or 6FPS...and I'm completely satisfied with those frame rates. It wasn't that way when I started though! Grrrr.

 

[bp2008]

Hah. When I started with cameras over 5 years ago I was working with 640x480@1 FPS from USB webcams through my own software (very little would run on the first generation atom CPUs!). Nowadays I'm at 4 or 6 FPS just like you, and it works fine.

 

[Sparkey]

I now have it tweaked to perfection. I do plan to add a couple more cams and any upgraded will be Hi Def. Now I know how to deal with performance issues in the future.

Thanks all. Much appreciated.

 

[Q™]

The problem with Blue Iris is that it needs a strong CPU...very strong. If you intend to add cameras in the future, and/or keep your frame rates high, you may find that to obtain decent performance you're going to need to step up to a beefy CPU, such as an i7.