[mythtv-users] Core i5 or i7 processor for combined BE/FE?

[John Stepien]

I would like to build an Ubuntu box that will serve as a back end for Myth, and I **MAY** make it a front end at some point as well. If it ends up serving as a FE, it will get a discrete nVidia GPU. Size and noise is not a concern with this box, as it will sit in another room from the TV. Here is what I would like to do with this box:

1). MythTV backend.
2). Commercial flagging.

3). Mythweb server.
4). Run sshd so I can get in from work.
5). Syslog server for DD-WRT router logs.
6). Transmission bittorrent server.
7). Storage for media such as photos and music. Music will be accessed by a Windows PC with iTunes for synchronization with iPhone.

For MythTV, I have an HDHomeRun Prime (3 tuners), which I believe sends MPEG2 directly to Myth, so there is no encoding that Myth needs to do with this if I am correct. All content is HD, and I do routinely record HD with all three tuners at once. While recording is taking place, I may be viewing HD recordings on up to 2 frontends at once. Live TV is not used at this point, and I do not anticipate needing it. 

The processors I'm considering are either a Core i5-2405S Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 65W or a Core i7-2600S Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 65W, and there is about a $90 price difference between these two processors. 


So my question is, will the i5 handle these tasks with a little room to spare, or do I need the i7? I don't want to pay for CPU that won't get used, but I don't want to come up short, either. 


Thanks in advance for any advice!

--John
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