Need Advice For CPU On New Server Build

[MysteryGoat 0]

First off, hi. I'm new to Emby and new to media servers in general. I chose Emby one because of it being open source and two because its said to play well with Kodi, which will be my front end of choice.

 

So I've been doing a lot of research in preparation of my build. To get down to the point, here's what i plan on doing. I'm going to run gigabit to an HTPC and a raspberry pi both running Kodi. The Pi is going to be a Pi 3 which I as I write this I came up with another question that I need clarification on. The Pi3 is a bit more beefy, but I've read before that I'd have to transcode everything running to the Pi. Upon further research that doesn't seem to be the case. Looks like direct playback is possible even with a Pi 2, I would assume a Pi 3 ever more so, correct?

 

Hmm... So my original thought was that I would need to transcode to the Pi. The HTPC would probably be fine just direct streaming. Regardless, I wanted the server to be able to transcode two blu ray quality video files at the same time. All that, plus I wanted to be able to keep the server as low powered as possible. I'm putting together a pfsense router with one of AMD's 25watt processors. The HTPC will have a bigger processor but still pretty low. So you see where I'm going with all that. I even plan to do WOL so the server isn't running 24/7. With all that in mind the original question was what CPU do you recommend.

 

However... (I still wouldn't mind an answer to the question if anyone is so inclined) Right now the biggest files I have are MKV's of friends with subtitles (wife insists on subtitles and friends is her fav show). Actually, I read subtitles need to be transcoded correct? Anyway, say they're just MKV's with nothing special. Would the Pi3 be fine in streaming them? If so, would that mean I have little to no transcoding requirements for either of those two components? If that's the case I might just stick with the recommended CPU.

 

Anyway, I appreciate any help that's given. Sorry for the deviation, as you can see I'm still working things out.

[dark_slayer 103]

Neither the Pi, Pi2, nor Pi3 should require any transcoding whatsoever. The Pi was very sluggish with most skins though, and the Pi3 will be a nice bump in that regard. Should handle everything with the exception of high bitrate 265 or 4k

 

Chasing low power typically doesn't yield any fruit. Add up the power cost, and you will quickly see that running several computers per month 24/7 costs very little

 

A big misnomer in power consumption for processors is that people sometimes believe the TDP is relevant. The overall TDP is of a CPU only provides additional power if needed. A celeron, pentium, i3, i5, and i7 all idle the same, so a dedicated server running idle 24/7 with an i7 will use the same power as an i3. The difference comes into play when kicking off a task. In that case, the difference is still a wash because the i7 will finish up faster

 

The game changer in this regard was the nuc and embedded platforms like bay trail and silvermont. They all make good HTPCs and end up using lower power because Intel provides the entire package rather than a standard desktop motherboard which will sometimes add "features" at the expense of power consumption with additional dc/ac/dc conversions. Intel has been moving more motherboard functions to the chipset, so motherboard manucfacturers have less and less "features" to add. Bay trail and silvermont were atom CPUs with Intel desktop graphics. They make for good HTPCs but that is all. At their pricepoint they can be handily beaten by other boxes that offer the same playback capabilities with typically better remote integration or HDMI-CEC.

 

What HTPC are you using?

 

FInally, an i3 could typically get away with two at a time. Read above to see why you should pay the small difference for an i5 or go even higher, or check this out http://ssj3gohan.tweakblogs.net/blog/8217/fluffy2-59-watt-high-end-desktop-computer.html

[MysteryGoat 0]

Thanks for the reply. And appreciate the info on the processors.

 

For the HTPC I'm building a custom one using an AMD Athalon 5350. I plan to do more with it than watch Kodi so I put in a beefier processor than I think I would need for just movie watching... Actually, so you know, I plan to do a home automation solution with it and load up some gaming emulators for some quick old school gaming on occassion.

 

 But anyway I went with the 5350 simply because it was the biggest low powered processor I could get. And I would prefer Intel but money is an issue so I'm trying to be a little more economic.

[shaefurr 1340]

My previous server build was an i3 and it was able to handle 2 transcodes at once just fine, My current build is an i5 4690k, which ive had transcode to 4-5 devices at one time and not had an issue.

 

@@dark_slayer is completely right about the power usage

 

Say your server runs 24/7 and averages 200 watts per hour between idle and load conditions, it ends up after the math 144 kWh per month.

 

144 x your monthly kWh cost (we'll say $.12 for example)

Thats $17.28 a month for 24/7 usage

 

Now that's 200 watts average, which of course all depends on the server specs, usage and number of hours per day its on. You won't see any significant change based on just what CPU you have at idle, its the load usage that will vary. Your main factor for power consumption will be how many hours per day its running, and how often it will be under those high load conditions like when transcoding, THAT is when you will notice the difference. Though this does not apply to a CPU that is OC'd with the power saving features turned off. And AMD CPU's tend to idle higher than Intel.

[Redshirt 1487]

144 x your monthly kWh cost (we'll say $.12 for example)

Thats $17.28 a month for 24/7 usage

 

It may rain a lot in BC, but the upside is my energy rate is $.095 per kWh

[MysteryGoat 0]

I love the rain.

 

I plan to only run the server when needed. I'd like to set up WOL on it so it doesn't have to be on all the time. Espeically like when I'm at work. Absolutely no need to be on then.

[MysteryGoat 0]

So I've changed my CPU choice to an AMD A6-5400K 3.6 dual core. My transcoding needs don't seem to be rather low but I'd like to have some decent power just in case. I'm thinking of using this in my HTPC build as well. If I could get any comments on it I'd appreciate it. Thanks for all the help.

[dark_slayer 103]

If you want the best performance per watt Intel has AMD beat for several generations now. When quicksync gets sorted out you'll have that in the bag as well with Intel, for some it already works pretty well

Edited March 14, 2016 by dark_slayer

[runtimesandbox 171]

My current server is an i5 4690k. It was a custom built box using a platinum fanless 400w psu and runs idle around 20-25 watts. I imagine if you where to go for a 6000 series intel you could get the idle to lower.

 

Note i store media on a separate NAS so no hard disks included in this power figure.

 

RPI2 can handle very high bit rate h264 files without any issues however it does have issues with h265 which would likely need transcoding

 

 

I see no reason that an intel nuc could not handle running an emby server for you as these can have beefy processors in them and are low power consumption.

[MysteryGoat 0]

Yes I much prefer Intel but as I said before money is an issue. Unfortunately equivalent Intel seems to be at least double the price. Since transcoding will probably be the only real push anything in this setup will get I figure I'll settle on AMD here and save the money for an upgrade on my main rig later.

[dark_slayer 103]

Are you sure you are comparing the right CPU?

 

The haswell celeron is dual core with quick sync for $40. It also destroys that A6 with a passmark of about 2800 compared to the a6 at 2100

[dark_slayer 103]

G1820

[MysteryGoat 0]

Yeah I probably wasn't. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[MysteryGoat 0]

Yeah I was looking at the Core 2's didn't even look at the celerons. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'm going to use this for both the server and HTPC.

[dark_slayer 103]

No problem, funny enough when architectures get as old as core 2 they can be more expensive since motherboard and RAM production has ended and replacement parts can be valuable to some. Recent or current gen stuff usually has deals that can best older stuff. Asrock and MSI usually offer pretty good mobo deals. I've built a lot with them. Used to always prefer Asus but they are one of those power wasters with all their deluxe feature additions.

 

A flashed Dell PERC h310 or IBM m1015 can expand your number of ports later on. Better bang for the buck vs traditional sata PCI cards

[shaefurr 1340]

I've only bought MSI for the past 15 years. Funny enough ive only ever had a problem with one mobo that was DOA, and is was the first one I bought. Glad I stuck with them.

 

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