[mythtv-users] Re : Faster CPU and more RAM in SD frontend or backend?

manu eallaud at yahoo.fr
Tue Jun 3 02:03:40 UTC 2008


Le 02.06.2008 21:13:28, Johnny Russ a écrit :
> I currently have a combined frontend/backend for SD only. It is a 
> PIII
> 1
> GHz, 384 MB of RAM, PVR-150 tuner, and 2 x 160 GB PATA drives. It
> barely
> manages to get by. I can't record and watch TV at the same time 
> unless
> I use
> XvMC. A friend just gave me an old system he didn't need. So I am
> thinking
> about finally having a separate frontend and backend. The donated
> system has
> a 2.4 GHz Celeron, 768 MB of RAM, 40 GB PATA drive and 2 x 250 GB 
> SATA
> drives. I would like to hear some opinions on the best way to split
> the
> hardware up between the sytems.
> 
> Currently I am planning on putting the 2 160 GB drives and the 2 250
> GB
> drives into a software RAID array, with the PIII and 384 MB of RAM, 
> on
> the
> backend and tucking it away with the router in the basement. Then use
> the 40
> GB drive with the Celeron and the 768 MB of RAM in the frontend. The
> frontend will connect wirelessly from the living room. I feel most
> uncertain
> about where the CPU/RAM will affect my overall performance the most. 
> I
> am
> not sure what kind of CPU/RAM requirements the software RAID has. I
> would
> occasionally be simultaneously streaming to the Mythfrontend and to
> XBMC on
> an old Xbox. I also occasion transcode some stuff to Xvid for long
> term

Well the only task that needs some CPU power is the transcoding. I am 
not quite sure how much though when transcoding from MPEG2 to Xvid in 
SD.
But in any case transcoding can be done in the background as it is not 
time critical, so I would not say its a big deal.
The frontend must be capable though. That means RAM and CPU, though 
this depends on whether or not you're using XvMC (but for now it is 
limited to MPEG2 decoding).
Others with actual experience and hardware can elaborate a bit.
Bye
Manu



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