Smallest computer that I could get for BI
- Thread starter S0619212
- Start date
The tiny G4 800 micros actually have 2 x NVME and a 2.5-in thin (7mm) SATA bay. I'm thinking of putting a 1TB laptop SSD in that bay. Another option is a 4TB USB 3.0 external hard disk (because I have one lying around).
I use one of these with 6 cameras and no issues whatsoever.
I have 16gb ram. OS and initial recordings on a 512GB NVME SSD, and after a week recording are moved to a 500GB 2.5" SSD.
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Flintstone61
Known around here
My electricty bill would apprciate that. $149 last month.
Running too much stuff for cams.
I could conceivably shut off the desktop Daily driver 9 hours a day.
then again, I could hit a thermal wall with 9 cams.
Running too much stuff for cams.
I could conceivably shut off the desktop Daily driver 9 hours a day.
then again, I could hit a thermal wall with 9 cams.
Thank you everyone. Any thoughts on this one MINISFORUM EliteMini HX90 Mini PC AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Windows 11 Pro Desktop Computer, DDR4 32GB+512GB SSD, 2.5Gbps LAN, 2X HDMI & 2X DP 4K@60Hz Outputs, 2X HDD Slot, AMD Radeon Graphics Tower PC
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fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
- 36,892
- 21,407
You will have issues with external USB... Modern desktops use very little power You're not saving anything by having a tiny machine except making it very easy to walk away with. Get a machine that allows you to incorporate proper 3.5 storage
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
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Unfortunately, it was a case of me being too hasty... I intended to buy an SFF HP like @Flintstone61's PC and the one @looney2ns just mentioned. But I accidentally bought a micro-SFF version of the HP instead.
It also comes with a laptop i5-8500T (instead of the standard i5-8500) which could be a bottleneck if performance demands go up. 
But so far, it's doing well with 4 cameras demoing BI as I learn the basics of it (and IP cameras in general). It's hovering at about 25% CPU and 1.35GB of RAM according the the BI info line at the bottom.
Flintstone61
Known around here
I know... When I searched my local craigslist for "i5-8500", up popped a listing. I saw the words "HP Elitedesk", pumped my fist, and gave the guy a call.
I'm actually not too unhappy with it. It's so small and thin that I could bolt it on the back of my monitor, mount the monitor on the wall and nobody would be any wiser about where the PC was.
If I go overboard with the number of cameras (the odds of that happening are unfortunately good), I may have to get a beefier machine. But I don't really plan to do any kind of AI on it. And it looks like it has the headroom to do a few more cameras still.
The only thing annoying me with it is that because of its lack of a PCI slot, I can't add a 2nd NIC to it so that I can keep the cameras on a separate subnet. I am considering one of the USB to ethernet adapters. I'd put the cameras on the motherboard NIC and use the USB-ethernet to connect to my home network. The need for speed on the home network side is not great so hopefully that will work out; it's only for the occasional RDP into the BI box. Technically I could do that with the onboard wifi, but I'm not keen on having too much extraneous traffic on my home wifi if I don't have to.
Flintstone61
Known around here
I'm going to see how it goes. If this little guy can keep me going for a couple / few years, I'd be happy to upgrade then if my camera needs demand it.
You should look at optimising some of the BI settings as my i5-9500t hovers around 8% cpu utilisation with 4 camerasUnfortunately, it was a case of me being too hasty... I intended to buy an SFF HP like @Flintstone61's PC and the one @looney2ns just mentioned. But I accidentally bought a micro-SFF version of the HP instead.
But so far, it's doing well with 4 cameras demoing BI as I learn the basics of it (and IP cameras in general). It's hovering at about 25% CPU and 1.35GB of RAM according the the BI info line at the bottom.
fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
- 36,892
- 21,407
Its important to not that the number of cameras is irrelevant. 4x8mp cameras at 30fps is very different than 4x2mp cameras at 15fps. Add Codeproject AI to the mix and you have a very different outcome. Or if you want to use 2mp substreams instead of D1.
Yes, I'm finding that the tiny little HP is holding its own with several cameras. As you say, I'm not pushing it very hard, having learned many valuable lessons here on the forum (e.g. I'm running my cameras at only 10fps and I feel it's good enough). Currently, no AI usage. So the PC is semi-loafing around at 25% CPU and 9% RAM. And I am sending mostly full-resolution Main Stream data to the PC too.
Soon I want to play with recording 24x7 from at least a couple of the cameras, having unearthed an ancient 2TB hard drive from my junk parts bin. Maybe that might tax the system somewhat (currently I'm only recording the alert clips).