Can these specs perform HEVC encoding well

[bluetech]

I am looking to upgrade to a newer CPU, RAM and a Mobo. I have come to these 3 and would like opinions if these are sufficient.

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-16GXM
MSI Z97A SLI KRAIT Edition LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Xeon E3-1231V3 Haswell 3.4 GHz LGA 1150 80W BX80646E31231V3 Server Processor

These are my current specs.
Boot: Kingston SSDNow 300 120 GB
Graphics: PNY GTX 660ti
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition at 3.2GHz
Ram: Corsair Dominator 4x 2GB TW3X4G1600C9D
PSU: COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro1000 RS-A00-EMBA 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 Plus
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 (rev. 3.0)

 

[Ken g6]

Funny thing, you currently have a mobo that would support chips better than the one you propose, at least at HEVC encoding. Here's a benchmark. You proposed a chip similar to a 4770K - score 1.21. Your current mobo supports an FX 8350. Score: 1.4.

 

[bluetech]

What ram would you recommend with my current mobo and this CPU? By the way I plan to do some gaming as well i.e. GTA 5. I also plan to upgrade my video card in the future after the current parts.

 

[Ken g6]

In that case, please answer [thread=80121]these questions[/thread]. (Budget, country, etc.)

And which is more important to you, gaming or encoding performance? (Not that you can't have the best of both - it just takes a big budget.)

 

[bluetech]

My budget is 500, I live in america I use 1920x1080 resolution. I plan to use my pc as an encoder with a functioning pc at the same time. My current pc froze during 1 encode and firefox browsing. Also I would like to watch twitch streams during an encode if at all possible. I do plan on playing games so far the game I will play is GTA 5. I will be encoding in HEVC/x265 so take that into account. I will be buying the parts from america preferably from newegg but amazon will work too. The brands i prefer are Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Corsair. Keeping my current mobo would save money. I have never OCed anything so that is new to me. If the cpu doesn't need OC then I should be ok. I also will be editing photos with Photoshop. Presently encoding is more important but gaming is important to a point being that the only game I will probably play is in fact GTA 5.

 

[bluetech]

Also would I need a cooler if I went with the FX-8350. My current cooler is the CoolerMaster Hyper N520

 

[bluetech]

I have found this ram that is compatible, but do not know if it is good enough... Kingston HyperX Fury White 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

 

[Ken g6]

My current pc froze during 1 encode and firefox browsing.

Well, that's something that should be investigated before deciding to use your current mobo. Your encoding speed should be really slow, but it shouldn't freeze your computer completely. Have you checked your CPU temperature while encoding?

The problem could be caused by a lot of other things. This might include your PSU, which apparently was great when new - but how old is it?

My current cooler is the CoolerMaster Hyper N520

That's a good cooler and should be sufficient if mounted properly with proper TIM.

 

[bluetech]

I would say it has been powering my PC for at least 7 years as well as the RAM. I have not checked my temp while encoding. I have 4 cores and am able to get use of my pc by changing the affinity from all cores to 2. I assume you want me to check the temp with all cores running during an encode on slow.

 

[bluetech]

I am running an encode right now HandbrakeCLI CPU usage has been between 60-95 CPU usage, staying mostly between 80-95. This is next the listing. Above in in the drop down listing I see 99 CPU total. I have chrome open as well typing this. It actually pops up to 100 in Speedfan.

The temps listed in SpeedFan confuse me as I do not know which one is CPU.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Encoding is one of the niche jobs that a cheap AMD FX processor actually stomps on anything Intel (I am one of the few that think the processor was a good design, just the wrong one for the most common applications a desktop or even server sees). An 8350 would fit the bill quite well. If you can get it under water, it would be quiet too.

Problem with the AMD FX series however is they're quite average at anything else that falls within 4 threads.

 

[Ken g6]

OK, I misunderstood. Your system doesn't "freeze" when encoding; it's just sluggish. That's fine.

This is leading me to suggest two parts that are really good at HEVC, but somewhat less good at other things:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: *G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $416.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-23 21:45 EDT-0400

The 8350 has already been discussed. The GTX 960 plays back HEVC video natively. I assume you'll want to play back your videos at some point. But it's not the best gaming card that could fit in your budget. It won't get you ultra settings at 60FPS, but it should be enough.

 

[bluetech]

I had experienced a complete freeze while encoding once and the freeze "dark screen" possibly a crash which is unknown because I hit the reset button. The freeze started during opening speedfan. When speedfan was identifying as usual before it could finish my screens went dark. Pretty sure it was a lockup. Mind you I was running firefox with almost 40 addons and more than 10 tabs open. Some addons are non system demanding as are only used per function but some are active ie ublock orign with several filters, noscript, privacy badger just to name a few. I even purchased a server just for video encoding which was silly due to the savings of just upgrading my PC.

 

[TheELF]

The trick is to put the encoding on a low priority so it won't take power away from anything else you want to do.
You don't even need to upgrade if you are ok with current performance,even on a dual core you can play heavy games while encoding,you can even regulate how fast the encoding will be done by limiting your game's FPS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8jcX7rXVdk

 

[bluetech]

I have done what you said and set HandbrakeCLI to low priority but the above normal CPU usage persists going from 60 to 95 for HandbrakeCLI process. This is without watching a twitch stream. Ok I see now what you mean I just opened a twitch stream and the CPU usage lowers. At the same time it increases the time remaining in handbrake. Wouldn't the performance increase all around if I upgraded my CPU to the AMD FX-8350?

Currently a video that I have encoding is 00:21:41 minutes long with a file size of 425 MB and the time remaining is 12:59:56 and it is still increasing jumping minutes between each change. 16 minutes have passed since the encode has started and 1.97% is done.

 

[TheELF]

Wouldn't the performance increase all around if I upgraded my CPU to the AMD FX-5350?

(You mean fx-6350? )
Of course it will increase,that's why I said if you are ok with current performance.
I was just trying to say that no matter how old or new or how many or few cores you have,if you don't put the encoding on low priority you will have lag.

 

[JeffMD]

I'll chime in on my experiences as well. Encoding takes advantage of the 6/8 execution cores on the FX series of chips and does not need to hit up the math co processor, so they never fight. Hyperthreading on the intel side might be faster then no hyperthreading at all (since there is a lot of data continuously loading in and out) but it is simply no match and no comparison to a cpu that has twice the execution units.

FX units are second rate when it comes to per core power, and that makes all the difference in games where one of your main threads is always hitting that %100 mark on a core, but when it comes to encoding then the more execution units the better.

 

[bluetech]

I have went with the AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor and the G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory RAM. Thank You everyone who chimed in it was greatly appreciated. The parts should arrive Tuesday.

 

[bluetech]

Turns out my Cooler cannot cool this CPU as it generates too much heat. I am unable to encode with all 8 cores running nor with only 4. At first boot I tried encoding with all cores and it was hella fast but then the heat dominated and my motherboard I believe shut my PC down for protection.

This is a screenshot taken while encoding using 4 cores set in affinity.

Can anyone recommend a cooler to replace my CoolerMaster Hyper N520. I'm thinking the only thing that could work is some sort of water cooling. I would prefer something simpler than whole system like the Corsair Hydro Series H110i GT High Performance Water / Liquid CPU Cooler.

 

[Ken g6]

Well that shouldn't be a problem. Your old and new CPUs have the same TDP. Are you sure the cooler is properly seated with a proper amount of TIM? Does it get warm to the touch?

 

[LTC8K6]

Yes, both chips are 125W, so the cooler should be okay.

http://us.coolermaster.com/product/Detail/cooling/hyper-series/hyper-n520.html

You must have some other problem?

 

[LTC8K6]

I only see one fan speed reported.

Are your case fans working okay?

Is the airflow through the case good?

 

[bluetech]

All fans are working, and yes the cpu cooler was very warm to the touch. The cooler is placed neatly onto the cpu. I have place a proper amount evenly covered on the CPU.

Update:BTW I have read here and there that this CPU gets hot easily. Mentions of getting a better cooler due to the stock one the CPU comes with not being able to cool it it. With normal use the cooler is cool to the touch and temps are: Temp 2 38C, Temp 3 30 C. Should my cpu be not so hot when encoding with using all 8 cores with this cooler?

 

[bluetech]

I see temp hikes when opening programs. I saw my temps at 51 C during firefox browsing and when I opened chrome the Temp 2 jumped to 54 C and Temp 3 jumped to 50's C. After the jump with no pages loading without browsing Temp 2 is 44-46 C. No more hikes though after loading chrome. I believe the temp hike was just random as I cannot reproduce a hike even when opening guitar pro.

Here are pics of my cooling fan setup.

I have 2 120mm Fans at the bottom of my case but for some reason that picture will not upload.

 

[Ken g6]

That fan sure is dusty. Blowing out the dust might help.

If I'm looking at this properly, your airflow is back-to-front? That's OK as long as it's consistent. But it looks like both fans on the tower cooler are blowing outward? That won't work well. One should be blowing inward, and they should all point the same direction as that case fan next to them.

Edit: Oh, and in that last picture, how come the case fans seem to be blowing but the tower cooler fans aren't?