[mythtv-users] CPU for dedicated backend

[jedi]

On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 05:32:28PM +0200, Hika van den Hoven wrote:
> Hoi Eric,
> 
> Friday, September 12, 2014, 5:19:05 PM, you wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 10:12 AM, jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote:
> >> On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 10:50:44PM -0400, Joseph Fry wrote:
> >>> > Hoi Joseph,
> >>> >
> >>> > Thursday, September 11, 2014, 11:21:25 PM, you wrote:
> >>> >
> >>> > >> I have a little question about it. I have a ION board frontend and the
> >>> > >> backend in the same place, is it a good idea to join both frontend and
> >>> > >> backend in the same machine? This CPU could manage both service very
> >>> > >> good, I could add a dedicated GPU.
> >>> >
> >>> > >     I would keep the frontend separate. You are bound to do things with
> >>> > > the backend that are likely to generate heat and noise and be disruptive
> >>> > > to your playback environment.
> >>> >
> >>> > >     If the backend is somewhere else entirely, you can let loose with it
> >>> > > and do whatever you want.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > > He said that he has the backend and frontend in the same place...
> >>> > > he wasn't proposing to move the backend elsewhere.  If the backend
> >>> > > is going to be there anyway, why have a separate frontend  right next to
> >>> > it... just combine them.
> >>> >
> >>> > While his machine should be powerful enough to do both I don't like
> >>> > them to be in the same machine.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I respect your opinion, and while we all wish we had unlimited resources
> >>> where we could dedicate a computer to single purpose, you must admit it is
> >>> a bit wasteful.
> >>
> >>      If you aren't worrying about supporting any backend features, you can
> >> easily get suitable low profile machines with a proper graphics card for
> >> cheap.
> >>
> >>      If you aren't worrying about the machine being small or quiet or even
> >> having a decent video card, you can get some really good deals on hardware.
> >>
> >>      Combining the two complicates both and can escalate prices dramatically.
> 
> > I'm having a very hard time imagining a case where a combined FE/BE
> > system is more expensive/complicated than a dedicated FE and a
> > dedicated BE purchased separately, even if the cost of the combined
> > FE/BE machine is higher than either the FE or BE alone.
> 
> > It's hard to put together a decent FE system for under $200, where
> > it's easy to upgrade a BE to a quiet FE/BE for less than that.  I have
> > a Corsair water cooler block on mine (~$50) and I replaced the single
> > fan it came with with two new ones ($9 each) in a low speed push-pull
> > configuration.  The machine is quiet enough for the living room
> > without being noticeable,  despite the 8-core cpu in the box.

     Acceptable is a matter of opinion. This includes size and appearance
and noise levels. A system that seems quiet enough may be intolerable to the
next person. A giant ugly PC in the middle of the living room may simply be
not an option. As soon as you start dealing with smaller form factors, you 
lose a lot of flexibility and prices tend to increase dramatically.

     2 simple boxes versus a more complex one is not wasteful. Each can be 
optimized for their own requirements. They can be isolated from each other.
One can be completely disconnected from power without impacting the other.

     The fact that you don't need to cram everything into a single box is 
one of the key advantages of MythTV. 

> It's all a choice. When I started just over a year ago I started with
> a combined BE/FE on an old machine. At the same time I have for years
> a server running that could easily take on the backend. That server
> together with my linuxrouter is sitting on a shelf in the top of my
> toilet. 
> Yes even in a small home you can find place to isolate a louder 24/7
> machine. So within a month I moved over the backend and later replaced
> the frontend with a nice silent HP with an extra nvidia card that is
> perfect but way to small to hold my capturecards. Not to speak of the
> extra cooling needed for those capturecards. Also while fine-tuning
> both the frontends I had very often had to reboot and have had periods
> where the frontend wasn't so stable. When it was still combined I have
> accidentally interrupted recordings that way.
> Also when I had the frontend with a slave backend configured to take up
> jobs like commflagging I noticed it to sometimes react sluggish to the
> remote. This while it's a core2 dual!
> So that is together with smaller considerations why I don't like to
> combine them in one machine. The one is a server application the other
> a desktop one needing among other different kernel configuration to
> optimize functionality.
> 
> Tot mails,
>   Hika                            mailto:hikavdh at gmail.com
> 
> "Zonder hoop kun je niet leven
> Zonder leven is er geen hoop
> Het eeuwige dilemma
> Zeker als je hoop moet vernietigen om te kunnen overleven!"
> 
> De lerende Mens
> 
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