Building an encoding rig

[rb56]

This is the first computer I've built in over five years so I am way behind. I've got a $1400 budget. This will be used for encoding video 95% of time. Stability, reliability, cool and quiet are the name of the game for me. Here is what I've come up with so far.

I would like suggestions, recommendations as far as compatibility, better components, etc.

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO/THUNDERBOLT

(2) G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C10D-8GZH

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core

SeaSonic SS-520FL 520W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

(2) Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Antec P280 Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case

Thanks for looking!

 

[snoylekim]

I'd go for an I7 instead. 8 total threads , which most encoding/transcoding will use..and get a decent cooler like an EVO 212. Encoding/Transcoding takes the processor to 90-95% for long periods of time . This is what I use, and w/ the cooler, I can keep the CPU down under 70 degrees for the encoding runs .
I was blown away with the improvement in run times when I went from a Q9660 to the I7 3770 - I can encode HD to H.264, high quality at 1:1 ..SD quite a bit better .

 

[DSF]

It would help if you answer the questions in the sticky at the top of the page, but you hit most of it.

Motherboard: Way more than you need to spend. You'll see no appreciable difference in stepping down to a $100-150 board.

RAM: I would advise getting 2x8GB rather than 4x4 to leave room for future upgrades if necessary. I would also avoid RAM with those big (and generally useless) heatspreaders.

CPU: You'd actually be a good candidate for the 3770K, as mentioned above, or even a Xeon 1230V2, which has the four cores and hyperthreading for less money. Are you planning to overclock?

SSD : Why two? With 256GB units starting to come down in price I wonder if this is the most effective way to do it, especially since you have a comfortable budget.

PSU: Great unit, great company, but a lot more than you need to spend. This computer will be drawing way less than 500W from the wall, and any 400W unit from a decent manufacturer (or a 500W unit you find on a fire sale) would be plenty.

 

[rb56]

Thanks for the replies. Just to qualify a bit more, I'd like to order everything from newegg and will be doing so as soon as I settle on the components. I'll be using Windows 7 pro 64 bit (thanks for the heads up).

Thanks for the Xeon suggestion, looks like a much better option for what I will be doing. What motherboard and ram would be a good stable match for this CPU? I do like asus boards and would like to stay with them if possible. I did like the fact that the board that I was looking at had thunderbolt as a future option but it is not a big deal.

I thought that one SSD for operating system and one for everything else would be good but never having used them maybe it's not an issue.

I don't mind stepping down to a lower watt ps but do like the Seasonic fanless concept so would probably stick with one of them.

Quality is key, I'm don't want to save a few dollars and deal with headaches.


I appreciate any other ideas that anyone has as well as other thoughts on needed components I have just started putting this together and it's been a while since my last build.

 

[Torn Mind]

If stability is the thing, only very light overclocks or no overclocking is the way to go.

Yes, an i7 want improve performance. A Xeon will require a GPU, but a low-end one is all that is necessary. Also, the H77 or B75 chipset is all you need if going with the Xeon E3 1230 V2

With no GPU or overclocking, a 350 watt power supply PSU is all you need. A SeaSonic S12II 430B or SeaSonic SS-350ET is plenty enough for $100 less. Even with overclocking, you don't need too many watts.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...97&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20


If you really want Thunderbolt, this Gigabyte board is something you might want to look at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128558

I don't mind stepping down to a lower watt ps but do like the Seasonic fanless concept so would probably stick with one of them.

Getting a case with the $80 or so you save that focuses on reducing case can snuff out noise from the other fans in the system, such as a Fractal Design Define R4

 

[snoylekim]

Yes , with the Xeons, make sure the version has integrated graphics ( HD 4000 preferable) ... I think these versions will also have Intel QuickSync , which is the onboard H.264 encoding .. some transcoding software is starting to leverage this . The software is also branching off into leveraging graphics card computation capabiliites ..This can always be added .

Wondering if the OPs use case might warrant a jump up to 1156/39* processors .. I believe these are 6 core/12 Thread , which should accelerate the transcoding/encoding even more .. Budget looks 'close' ... I haven't played in this space , so ..

 

[Torn Mind]

SSD : Why two? With 256GB units starting to come down in price I wonder if this is the most effective way to do it, especially since you have a comfortable budget.

SSDs are scary things in the way they can suddenly die on you and unlike a hard drive with crashed heads, in which you might be still able to recover some data, there's a good chance you're out of luck once it dies. That said, reliability would be better ensured by using the money spent on an extra SSD instead on backup software and drives.

 

[Torn Mind]

Yes , with the Xeons, make sure the version has integrated graphics ( HD 4000 preferable) ... I think these versions will also have Intel QuickSync , which is the onboard H.264 encoding .. some transcoding software is starting to leverage this . The software is also branching off into leveraging graphics card computation capabiliites ..This can always be added .

Wondering if the OPs use case might warrant a jump up to 1156/39* processors .. I believe these are 6 core/12 Thread , which should accelerate the transcoding/encoding even more .. Budget looks 'close' ... I haven't played in this space , so ..

I was unaware there were Xeons with IGPs. :awe:

Incorrect socket. LGA 2011 has the 39* "Bridge" processors.

The E3 1245 V2 has an IGP. It is, however, $36 more expensive at 275.99.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117284

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...nce-xeon-e3-1200-hd-graphics-p4000-guide.html

 

[RaistlinZ]

How much can you overclock Xeons?

 

[snoylekim]

I was unaware there were Xeons with IGPs. :awe:

Incorrect socket. LGA 2011 has the 39* "Bridge" processors.

The E3 1245 V2 has an IGP. It is, however, $36 more expensive at 275.99.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117284

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...nce-xeon-e3-1200-hd-graphics-p4000-guide.html

Sorry about the socket .. I don't play in that space ... Yes, I thought I saw some of the E3-12* Version 2 Xeons that had the integrated graphics onboard .. they seem to have launched quite a few ..
For the OP, I use a P8Z77-WS board ..might be overkill for what you want , but rock solid , and works w/ the Xeons ...

 

[Torn Mind]

How much can you overclock Xeons?

About 0.

 

[Sleepingforest]

About 0.

To clarify: you can raise the baseclock (labelled typically as the BCLK in the UEFI) to around 102 or 103 somewhat safely. However, the 2 or 3 BCLK boost typically isn't worth the potential issues and additional heat/noise. Furthermore, trying to raise it too high will result in issues (ports not working, GPU not working, etc).

So the short answer is: don't do it.

I have a few build suggestions, so I developed a build for you (also taking into account what others have been saying:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1275 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($353.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar H77MU3 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($136.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1096.89
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-24 14:42 EST-0500)

This build has good multithreaded power, is very quiet, and has much more storage and RAM than your original build. You spend too much on the motherboard and storage options; you don't really need a WD Black or the higher end Intel drive.

It also includes a Windows liscense (you haven't specified whether you need one or not, so I included one). You will need Windows Pro (7/8 it doesn't matter) for your computer to utilize more than 16GB of RAM (which is pretty important for encoding. You could save some money IF YOU DON'T MIND WIN8 by buying a copy of Windows 8 Home Premium and using Microsoft's special offer to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $15 (you must have an OEM liscense for this to work; it costs about $115 total).

 

[Mark R]

As has probably already been said:

1. For encoding you want hyperthreading. I have a 3770k, and it's brilliant for encoding. It's definitely significantly faster than an older 2500k.

2. If you aren't going to be installing hardcore GPUs - it's worth getting a cheaper, smaller form-factor motherboard. In fact, I can't really see anything except niche uber gaming needing anything more than micro-ATX. For reference, I have a Asus P8Z77-M which runs a decent gaming grade GPU, High-end audio and has space for another GPU, or RAID controller, or something.

3. 16 GB is plenty. Conceivably, you might want more if you start editing, rather than just encoding. I've got 32G, just because I wanted to be certain of compatibility, so I bought the only 32G kit validated by Asus. That said, even 16 G would be overkill for my use, and I edit, run photoshop, VMs, etc.

There's little point in buying super-clocked RAM, the performance difference is negligible generally, and is even smaller for encoding. 1600 MHz gives good value for money. My 32G 1600 MHz kit, was substantially cheaper than 16G of 2133 MHz.

4. PSU. Your PSU is way, way overkill. Even a 300 W PSU would give you headroom, even if you later added a GPU (unless it is some sort of uber GPU). If you expect to add a GPU later, then I'd probably choose a 400W. Either choice would be a lot cheaper than your current selection.

For reference, with 4x HD, 2x optical drives, an overclocked 7870HD and a 3770k @ 4.6 - my rig only pulls 275 W from the wall when running OCCT "power supply burn test". - So probably about 240W from the PSU. 300W for a rig like this, while probably OK, would be cutting things a bit fine. I use a 400 W.

 

[rb56]

Thanks for all the great advice. Did some more checking based on all your recommendations and came up with ver 2.0, again thoughts and input are welcome. Some of you have mentioned OC'ing but I don't plan on it.

This system is way under what I had budgeted but based on what I'm hearing should do a pretty good job for what it is intended.

GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128550 - $99.99

**Update cpu per snoylekim's observation**
Intel Xeon E3-1245 V2 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Server Processor BX80637E31245V2
Item #: N82E16819117284 - $275.99

Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820167093 - $144.99

Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model BLS2K8G3D1609ES2LX0 Item #: N82E16820148663 - $87.99

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533 - $104.99

Antec P280 Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811129179 - $97.99

SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817151124 - $79.99


Total $881.29 plus shipping

 

[snoylekim]

^^ I beleive that processor doesn't have integrated graphics , so you'll need a graphics card, or need to grab a Xeon with the IG ...

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for all the great advice. Did some more checking based on all your recommendations and came up with ver 2.0, again thoughts and input are welcome. Some of you have mentioned OC'ing but I don't plan on it.

This system is way under what I had budgeted but based on what I'm hearing should do a pretty good job for what it is intended.

GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128550 - $99.99

Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 69W Quad-Core Server Processor BX80637E31230V2
Item #: N82E16819117286 - $239.99

Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820167093 - $144.99

Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model BLS2K8G3D1609ES2LX0 Item #: N82E16820148663 - $87.99

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533 - $104.99

Antec P280 Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811129179 - $97.99

SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817151124 - $79.99


Total $845.29 plus shipping

That looks fine except for one thing: you don't have any graphics! Like snoylekim pointed out, you'll either need to get a different Xeon with an IGP or grab a cheap GPU.

You can actually get a hexa-core on your budget if you want. That will be about 50% more CPU power for 50% more money. Swap the CPU and motherboard to the following.

i7 3930K $570
Intel DX79TO $200
GT 610 $20 AR

 

[rb56]

^^ updated the cpu ^^