[mythtv-users] CPU and Tuner recommendations

[Ray Olszewski]

At 05:47 PM 5/29/2003 -0500, Robert Kulagowski wrote:
>[...]
> > Or can I get away with the cheapest solution, the Celeron and the
> > Leadtek?
>
>The problem is that there are so many variables.  However, I'd say
>that a 1.7Ghz CPU (even if it's a Celeron, which isn't nearly the
>"bad thing" today like it used to be since Intel has unified the core
>architecture) is going to be more than adequate for a single tuner
>system.  A 1.7Ghz Celeron is _way_ overkill for a PVR-250; I watch
>8Mbps VBR/16Mbps peak MPEG-2 480x480 on a 450Mhz Celeron A
>(overclocked 300Mhz Celeron, no SSE) with 80% CPU.

I'm running here a 1.7 Celeron with a low-end AverTV card and an nVidia 
GeForce4 MX440-SE, combined frontend/backend single-tuner system for an 
NTCS cable feed, using the prepackaged Debian MythTV (not current CVS).

I'm happy with this system ... but for watching "live" TV, it is more like 
"just barely adequate" than "more than adequate". Using Myth's default 
settings for resolution and such, it typically runs at 90% or higher CPU 
use, leaving little headroom for transients (and occasional stuttering does 
show). In practice, I now run it at lower capture resolution (340x280) with 
no problems and much lower (60%, maybe - I forget) CPU load.