Single vs multi-core performance in transcoding

[Stylish Suidae]

I've got an old computer I'm using as a server, it came with a processor that's 3.5 GHz, with 4 cores and 8 threads, and I've been experiencing some stuttering (primarily on 4k content) that I'm pretty sure is down to the processor struggling to transcode the video quickly enough. I've found a cheap processor on ebay with the same socket as my current one that's got 14 cores and 28 threads, but its clock speed is only 2.4 GHz. I'm not sure how significant an upgrade, if any, that would be for its transcoding performance.

[Deleted User]

for the best transcoding experience you need a capable GPU, CPU's are used for computation and are not really the best at graphics

see https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/admini...-selection

and https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/admini...celeration

in my own opinion, it would be a lateral movement trying to upgrade a CPU to make transcoding better

[calebm]

What CPU are you currently running? If it is a recent enough Intel, switching to quicksync vs cpu transcoding will give you much better performance than almost any CPU upgrade. If it doesn't support quicksync, then a budget Intel CPU that does or a $99 Arc a380 will blow away any CPU bound transcoding/encoding. And as a bonus, would be easier on your electric bill.