Need Help Finding A Powerful Tower PC For Blue Iris

I’ve done tons of reading on here and I’ve scoured Ebay. Haven’t found anything under $500.
 
slodat said:
I’ve done tons of reading on here and I’ve scoured Ebay. Haven’t found anything under $500.
Click to expand...

Hi Slodat,

Suggest looking in the Dell outlet and seeing if you can find something, they currently have some discounts going on right now

Holiday Gaming Event, Save up to $750
Coupon offers valid 12/08/17 at 10:00 a.m. E.T. to 12/11/17 at 11:59 p.m. E.T. unless otherwise noted. Coupon valid with select other offers. One per customer. One time use only. Limited time, while supplies last. When purchasing an item, please ensure to copy the coupon code(s) below into the stockroom to redeem discount.

Dell Outlet Featured Deals on Computers & Laptops

Tested the following:
Inspiron 3668 Desktop
System Identifier: EE85GT60
$511 -> coupon knocks it down to:
Sub-total
spacer.gif
$434.35

It is an i5 w/12GB of RAM
 
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What about SSD. Is it worth the extra money or is it not so beneficial? I'm also finding a lot of PCs with both. A small SSD and a large HDD. Is there any benefit to this setup or is it better to choose one type of drive?
 
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bp2008 said:
Note that Windows 7 should be upgraded to 10, because hardware acceleration won't work with Blue Iris in service mode if you are on Windows 7. Supposedly the last free upgrade path ends at the end of the year: Here's how to get Windows 10 for free -- until Dec. 31
Click to expand...

Great point, but they may not even end it. The workaround to use a Windows 7 or Windows 8 key to clean install Windows 10 still works fine years after Microsoft ended it.

My bet is, they'll move the Windows 10 Assistive Upgrade page into archived documentation and state that it doesn't work anymore, but that if you have the .exe to run the upgrade that .exe will continue to work fine. It's worth it to archive that .exe in the case this turns out to be true.
 
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Baubas said:
What about SSD. Is it worth the extra money or is it not so beneficial? I'm also finding a lot of PCs with both. A small SSD and a large HDD. Is there any benefit to this setup or is it better to choose one type of drive?
Click to expand...

Hi Baubas,

I really like an SSD for the system disk - great for quick startups each morning, however you may not need it in a system that you plan to keep running 24/7.
 
Baubas,

I got my system from Dell as a scratch and dent at the outlet. It had the boot disk on the motherboard. You could buy a WD purple drive and hook up the two wires and you are in business. out the door was in the 600 range, but I got the i7 7700k.
 
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Here it is
 

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So it has been suggested to get an integrated graphics card (intel hd) but I have been reading in the forums that if you use a 4k monitor (I use a 4k tv) a dedicated graphics card is better. Other than power consumption is it bad to use a dedicated graphics card? Can I stream 10 1080p live camera feeds to a 4k tv with intel hd?
 
I haven't tried on my blue iris rig, but would assume you would need upgraded graphics for 4k. I think you could get away with a gtx 1050 and still not pay too much to run the bigger cards. I am interested in your question, because if I upgrade to any 4k cameras, I might run into a similar issue since I have the small form factor, with not too much room.
 
A dedicated graphics card pulls more energy, makes more heat, and on some few motherboards having one means you can't enable the integrated graphics and therefore can't use hardware acceleration (which is a big deal).

Don't buy one unless ALL of these are true:
* Your CPU usage is higher than you want it
* Reducing the live preview frame rate of the Blue Iris console solves the CPU usage problem.
* You want to keep using a higher live preview frame rate, but with slightly lower CPU usage.

Or of course if you need a video output that isn't available on your motherboard or via the use of cheap adapters, then sure, buy a graphics card. GTX 1030 is a good option and it is available in "low profile" format so it can fit in small form factor cases.

I only have one data point telling me that Nvidia graphics reduces the CPU cost of rendering video in the Blue Iris console, and that is my own system (i7-3770K, GTX 950). That is pretty far from a guarantee that it will help anyone else.
 
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I'm trying to find a pc with an i7-8700 and everything I'm finding has a dedicated graphics card. How do I know if I can run hardware acceleration with a dedicated graphics card?
 
Most modern BIOS from companies like Asus or Gigabyte have the option to enable or disable integrated graphics while a dedicated card is installed. But if you buy something like Dell or HP then I have no idea because they customize everything.
 
mat200 said:
Hi Slodat,

Suggest looking in the Dell outlet and seeing if you can find something, they currently have some discounts going on right now

Holiday Gaming Event, Save up to $750
Coupon offers valid 12/08/17 at 10:00 a.m. E.T. to 12/11/17 at 11:59 p.m. E.T. unless otherwise noted. Coupon valid with select other offers. One per customer. One time use only. Limited time, while supplies last. When purchasing an item, please ensure to copy the coupon code(s) below into the stockroom to redeem discount.

Dell Outlet Featured Deals on Computers & Laptops

Tested the following:
Inspiron 3668 Desktop
System Identifier: EE85GT60
$511 -> coupon knocks it down to:
Sub-total
spacer.gif
$434.35

It is an i5 w/12GB of RAM
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I ordered an OptiPlex i7-7700, 16GB, 256GB SSD. Hoping to get 3-5 years out of the system. And, I can use the IVS features of my Dahua cameras.
 
slodat said:
I ordered from the Dell Outlet link @mat200 posted above. They have 12% off OptiPlex 7050's in the Outlet store, ending today.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I am still looking to spend just a bit less, but that seems like a good deal. I assume you got the sff or the micro? I just want to be sure I can load the OS on a ssd and then have my purple drive in it as well.
 
kool_zero said:
Thanks! I am still looking to spend just a bit less, but that seems like a good deal. I assume you got the sff or the micro? I just want to be sure I can load the OS on a ssd and then have my purple drive in it as well.
Click to expand...

Looks like if you dig a bit in the outlet you maybe able to find a newer i5/i7 system compared to many of the older i5/i7 systems I have seen sold used elsewhere.

Example
Scratch-n-dent model... 15% off with the code iirc, looks like it should work ok i5 - note small case - according to manual has room for 3.5" HDD.. also saw notes for a 2.5" HDD.. ( if you want more HDDs you will need a larger model )

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  • Inspiron_3250_Small_Desktop.jpeg
  • Inspiron 3250 Desktop
    $610.00$366.00
    1 in stock
  • Scratch & Dent
    Windows 64 Bit
    Dell Wireless 1707 1x1 Single Band 802.11bgn + Bluetooth 4.0 LE
    Dell KB212-B USB Keyboard
    Optical 2-Button Mouse
    Chassis
    120V Power Cord
    Bezel for Optical Drive



  • Original Price$610.00
    Total Savings$244.00
  • Standard ShippingFREE
  • Outlet Price$366.00
 
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