i5 3570s for BI?

[jcraigcx]

Hey guys. I've been lurking and researching for a long time and finally have my first question. I'm leaning heavily towards the 2mp Dahlua Starlight Varifocals and Blue Iris. Probably running no more than 8 cameras for starters. I'm not opposed to upgrading the computer as my needs grow.

I may be able to get my hands on an Optiplex 910 i5 3570s with 4GB RAM (I can upgrade the RAM) and Windows for next to nothing. This is older than the recommended models in the Wiki and while I know I should avoid "T" models, I don't know about this "S" model.

Any advice?

 

[Yojinbo]

jcraigcx,

Welcome from another newb. I am NOT a CPU expert but I just went through this "What PC for BI" scenario in my installation and I think the chip you list has one "strike" against it at the start: the age of the chip family. As I understand it, a lot of the BI synergy with modern chip sets relate to the implementation of Quick Sync Video. I Think your i5 3750 falls into the Ivy Bridge falls into supporting (old) V2 of Quick Sync Video. I think that this this generation of QSV is before support for hardware-accelerated H.264 was implemented [Citation]. As I understand it the real gains come from the hardware acceleration of video streams. So without that acceleration you should see higher CUP utilization since this machine cannot "farm out" that work to the dedicated chip like a newer i5 could.

Now, I am really new at this so if an experienced hand comes along - please consider my "help" an expression of goodwill and not a flexing of expertise. I only installed BI Yesterday on my nearly new Dell.

On the other hand, FREE has a nice ring to it. This machine might get you started (and getting started can be half of life sometimes). It might come down to how open you are to replacing this free machine with another one if the CPU gets bogged down after testing.

What I did: I lurked around ebay for an open box Dell and found a new but never installed i5-6500 with Win10. I paid about $300 and it was on my door in 2 days still in the Dell box.
What I did wrong: My "new" Dell 5040 has limited physical space for a 6Tb WD purple drive and may have limited power supply ability as well (I still need to verify that part).

 

[jcraigcx]

Thanks for the reply and insight. I was afraid it might not support QuickSync as google searches were turning up nothing. Appreciate the advice about eBay lurking as well... I guess I need to do that!

 

[Yojinbo]

I bought from a "cargo warehouse" outfit in KC, MO eBay ID: cargolargo that depots damaged, open box, and returned items. Not all sellers actually know what they have. For example the same brand+model number might have different specs depending on the year/season; some casual sellers simply google the model number and post up specs for the first machine they find online (this is much easier than actually checking). This can work FOR or AGAINST you - but i dislike surprises.

This is why I bought from the Seller I did - they publish specs and list (under Condition) if the system passed testing.

Please note I am not affiliated with eBay or cargolargo and I do not endorse either business beyond reporting that I have been a customer.

 

[bp2008]

i5-3570S should be alright for 8x 2MP cameras at 15 FPS each. Don't pay more than $100 USD for it though. This CPU fully supports H.264 acceleration via Quick Sync, and it is only a little bit underpowered (about 90% the speed of the non-S model).

If you can keep the rest of the system lean enough, you won't need to upgrade the RAM. Or you can just upgrade it to 8GB and not worry about it.

 

[jcraigcx]

Thats encouraging. I'll see if I can get it for free and if so I'll give it a go.