Picking a Transcoder

[dcol 175]

I have recently upgraded to an Intel Ultra 9 285k in my Emby server and want to pick the best transcoder. I do not see the Intel Arrrow Lake in the transcode list, just Intel QuickSync (See pic).

Right now I am using an Nvidia RTX4080 and it really seems like an overkill and takes up a lot of space but I want the best transcoding I can get.

I do want to support up to 8 transcodes. Not sure what the Intel iGPU can do.

I am using Emby 4.9.2.7

What is recomended? Any help is appreiated. 

Edited December 8, 2025 by dcol

[TMCsw 247]

3 hours ago, dcol said:

I do want to support up to 8 transcodes.

Dump the RTX (remove the power hog unless you are gaming), just use Quicksync...

[dcol 175]

Thx for the input. What about the transcoder list. Is Quicksync correct for the 285k?

[Luke 42077]

Hi, yes it will say QuickSync for all intel graphics.

[dcol 175]

One more concern. Is using Quicksync a compromise or a benefit? I also have an Nvidia A2000. I just want to choose the best option.

[TMCsw 247]

4 minutes ago, dcol said:

One more concern. Is using Quicksync a compromise or a benefit? I also have an Nvidia A2000. I just want to choose the best option.

I'd say it's mostly about predudus, some think Nvidia is tops.

...I, on the other side, think Quicksync is far superior for Video Encoding/Decoding...

[dcol 175]

I know QS is good, but my concern is if there are any drawbacks. Can QS handle 8 transcoding tasks

[TMCsw 247]

11 minutes ago, dcol said:

Can QS handle 8 transcoding tasks

Yes, this is an I/O thing. The iGPU (QS) gets its streams directly from the CPU; NVIDIA has to give and receive them from the BUS

But this doesn't guarantee your system can handle this...

[dcol 175]

Tnx, I am going to pull the 4080 and try the system with QS. I will post my results here. QS should be ok as long as it can handle multiple simultaneous streams.