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What is best, CPU or GPU? - Printable Version

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What is best, CPU or GPU? - 34626 - 2024-03-04

I wonder what is best, if it's a CPU or GPU. It's not the product price, but more the product power consumption in general im interested in saving, but also being able to handle AV1 and HEVC.
Im looking at the following GPU:
Sparkle Arc A310

or the following CPU:
Intel Core i5-14600KF Raptor Lake-S

What is best for power consumption? Will the GPU clock down when not in use and if, enought compared to the CPU?
How well is the Intel Quick Sync support?


RE: What is best, CPU or GPU? - TheDreadPirate - 2024-03-04

The 14600KF does NOT have an iGPU. You need to get the 14600K (without the F).

If you only need to accelerate AV1 decoding, the 14600K will do nicely and will have much lower power consumption. Currently Intel Arc GPUs do not clock down when idle.

But if you need AV1 ENCODING, you have to get an Intel Arc GPU.


RE: What is best, CPU or GPU? - 34626 - 2024-03-06

Thanks for that info Smiling-face

I might look at AV1, but it depends much on the Jellyfin project, if my server could transcode to AV1 it would help on bandwidth, but might also require somewhat nwer clients, maby especially smartphones and tablets. Do you know if the Jellyfin client on such devices handles AV1 good, im mostly thinking about their power consuption during playback compared to hevc/h264)


RE: What is best, CPU or GPU? - toytown - 2024-03-06

(2024-03-04, 03:56 PM)34626 Wrote: Will the GPU clock down when not in use

Unfortunately the Intel Arc cards consume a lot of power even when idle.  Mine (A380) is currently using around 39watts and its doing nothing (linux server with no monitors plugged in) (ASPM enabled in BIOS and confirmed to be working).  My older Nvidia card used approx 3watts when idle.  Hopefully their next series "Battlemage" fixes it and I'll upgrade immediately.   

One of the biggest issues and it might just be my card, is that due to the power/heat the fan constantly makes a noise as it changes its RPM.  I could attach/bodge a better cooler but i'm hoping to just sell the card on if "Battlemage" works out.

For transcoding though, the Intel Arc are beasts Smiling-face


RE: What is best, CPU or GPU? - 34626 - 2024-03-07

Thanks for that input, i would probably buy another fan that has better cooling, maby even look at closed water cooling systems.. But, i read up on the CPUs, i was looking at "I7-14700K" and "I3-14100". As i understand the I7 has performance and efficienty threads, while I3 only has performance threads, but when i look at the iGPU the I7 has 1,6 Ghz and the i3 has 1,5 Ghz.
My question is then, what part of of the CPU does Jellyfin transcoding benefit from? Is it efficienty or perfomance threads or is it the GPU speed? As i understand, the i3 delivers almost 80 GB/s and the i7 alomst 100 GB/s, why im wondering what specs i should be aware about?

I will definantly also wait for the next Intel Arc generation and see, but i see no reason to put in a GPU that will make the system much warmer then if i only have an CPU with a decent iGPU, but i dont know how much is need for when doing transcoding hevc/av1, but i do understand the more power, the better, but is Jellyfins ffmpeg benefitting from many threads or the clock frequence? The effeicienty threads on the i7 is max 4,3 Ghz but the performance threads is about 5,6 Ghz?