CPU: How Many Actual and HyperThreaded Cores Are Useful For DVD Conversion Software?

[TomBrooklyn]

How many computer Central Processing Unit (CPU) cores can DVD conversion software take advantage of? :confused:


Most common PC CPUs now contain two to six cores (up to 4 for Intel, and 6 for AMD), and some of them are HyperThreaded (HT) creating double that amount in virtual cores. ;)

As for HyperThread cores, it seems very few software applications can actually take advantage of them. One of the few areas I keep hearing in internet forums :cool:that they are useful for is video encoding. :eek:

The software apps I am particularly interested in finding out about are:

DVDD
RipIt4Me
MenuShrink
VobBlanker
IfoEdit
DVDRB
DVD Shrink
ImgBrn
:D

[J_Darnley]

About half of the things you listed don't do any encoding or any intensive processing so they don't need 99 cores. The programs like DVD Shrink will use the CPU more but I don't know if they're multi-threaded, someone else will have to comment on that.

As for video encoders, x264 makes very good use of multiple core and hyper-threading. The useful limit of threads is around height/40, so for PAL DVD that means: 576/40 = 14.4, 14.4*2/3 = 9.6, so nine or ten (virtual) cores would be the useful limit for x264 encoding a PAL DVD. Other encoders are less effective when it comes to multi-threading.

[Ghitulescu]

DVDD
RipIt4Me
MenuShrink
VobBlanker
IfoEdit
DVDRB
DVD Shrink
ImgBrn
:D
They work just perfect on a single-core P4. :) I also used IfoEdit, long time ago, on a PI 200MHz with no noticeable delayed response.
I don't know of DVDRB, I never used it but I don't think it needs 1001 cores.
For all aforementioned tools, with the exception of DVDShrink and DVDRB in reencoding mode, the HDD access and read/write speed are much more important than CPU use.