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mikavellini  
#1 Posted : Friday, July 1, 2022 3:51:04 AM(UTC)
mikavellini

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Poland

As the title says - we currently use some old intel i7-4800/900-ish machine with 16GB ram and Quadro 4000M or so - it has single 8K Pro installed and it works surprisingly well.

The thing is - we are at the point where we need to install 2nd 8K Pro and replace everything else due to current lifespan of the machine (for safety)

So far I've come up with either Threadripper (the last non-server in the lineup for current-gen CPUs) with one of 1K USD motherboards, or just going to Epyc/Xeon configurations.
While I can safely say that 10K USD/EUR (or 50K PLN) would be a relative non-issue for upgrade, I'd prefer to save a bit, if possible, for other things I might have to buy in this fiscal year (we're not a full fledged video production company, just a corp and I'm one of the gears that "get's stuff done").

So, our current setup works with keying 3 4K cameras really well (up to vMix chroma limitations of course) and external to Hyperdeck; but we lack any leeway when it comes to new projects such as 4th-5th fixed camera for more "guests on green"; or simple presentation source/remote guest via Zoom/Webex/Meet/other. Due to nature of our guests, some have only one solution available, and it's often not vMix Call.

We've also encountered some stability issues, though never when live streaming - due to nature of what we stream, "failure is not an option".

I'm in the process of making a quota for Blackmagic Ultimatte +accessories, but that's already in 50K USD/EUR zone, and I imagine it may go up to 100K with everything that may be needed for relatively easy workflow.

So, what kind of CPU/motherboard/"of course Quadro GPU" should I choose to have it work relatively well? Again, GPU + 2 Decklinks 8K Pro (maybe 3, better safe than sorry)
IceStream  
#2 Posted : Friday, July 1, 2022 8:54:45 PM(UTC)
IceStream

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@ mikavallini

Some of that was discussed in the most recent "Fun Time Live Show" and may be worth a watch:





Ice
mikavellini  
#3 Posted : Saturday, July 2, 2022 11:45:10 PM(UTC)
mikavellini

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Poland

I saw that video and honestly I got through analysis of sorts like they a year or ago, when PCIe lanes started dissappearing :)
What I'd like to hear (and probably few other vMix users) is what specific configuration some of you prepared with current-gen high-PCI CPU that works.
- maybe one motherboard was tricky for some reason (Chipset/Bios/manufacturing issue)
- which current Quadro model is/might be an optimal for 4 4K/25fps chroma keys and few multimedia assets (no more than 10)
- is Epyc/Xeon more reliable (and which of 100 Xeons on Intel website is the one I should look into)
- should I maybe get deeper into pockets for AJA Kona 4 or 5 for increased stability/other perks (though I've used 13 Decklinks over 9 years and they haven't failed me - not even once)
paco3346  
#4 Posted : Sunday, July 3, 2022 12:37:52 AM(UTC)
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I've done 2 high-PCIe lane machines both on Xeon with great success.

The first was a Dell R7610 (released 2013) with dual Xeon E5-2667V2 CPUs, 32GB RAM, 1070ti, and dual Decklink Duo 2s. This machine uses every SDI in/out, runs IMAG, and the youtube stream.
Personally I wouldn't hesitate to drop a DeckLink 8k Pro in there and jump to a 3000 series GPU. Unless you're doing CPU intensive tasks (NDI, SRT, web browser input) you don't really need much. This machine is still in use by a church and the CPU tends to sit between 2-5% during their streams.

The second build I just completed 2 months ago is a Dell 7920 (release 2017) with dual Xeon Silver 4215R CPUs, 64GB RAM, an RTX A6000, and dual DeckLink 8k Pros. This is used to run a 3840x1080 LED wall as IMAG and that's it. (The church wanted something super future-proof.) We don't even begin to touch the CPU on this build.

On both machines I've had 0 issues in terms of CPU compatibility and them being Xeons. The rack mount workstations have been awesome because they have PCIe lanes & slots for days. (Also, you can pick up an R7610 for super cheap these days.)

Here's a recent spec I put together for someone who already had DeckLink cards and just wanted a chassis. (And had some other specific requirements for their audio mixer.)
https://docs.google.com/...bespZp9k1i5k4V5qvK_2z3ZQ

A note on the Quadro cards- I wouldn't recommend them unless you really need all the extra horsepower, need the soft-cap on H.264 encoders lifted, or need some other workstation specific feature like Mosaic.
You should mostly be looking at the Cuda core count to determine how good an nVidia GPU will be for vMix:
https://docs.google.com/...ZJ1NeNgC5dUxp5258GKUBRMY

You can get a lot more bang for your buck if you stick with gaming cards (in general, not as a rule).
PiKap  
#5 Posted : Wednesday, November 16, 2022 11:06:22 PM(UTC)
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Hi,
I am very interested in the dual Xeon architecture for vMix.
I address a question to all the high end users using multiple CPU and "many PCIe cards" machines. ;-)

Since some of the PCIe slots need the second CPU installed, does a single CPU software like vMix can use all the PCIe slots?

I am focusing on the HP G4 Z8 solutions, which PCIe specs are the following:
• Slot 1: PCIe Gen3 x4 (Transforms to PCIe Gen3 x8 when 2nd CPU is installed)
• Slot 2: PCIe Gen3 x16
• Slot 3: PCIe Gen3 x16 (Available ONLY when 2nd processor is installed)
• Slot 4: PCIe Gen3 x16
• Slot 5: PCIe Gen3 x4
• Slot 6: PCIe Gen3 x16 (Available ONLY when 2nd processor is installed)
• Slot 7: PCIe Gen3 x4

I have no experience on multiprocessor workstations, so I am not sure that CPU1 can use the PCIe slots managed by CPU2.
I guess the synergy exists, since the slot #1 can be used as 8 lanes splitting 4 lanes to CPU1 and 4 lanes to CPU2, but I really have to ask before wasting money. :-)

I don't want to buy an expensive workstation which cannot meet our requirements.

I'd need to build a workstation with 2 x Decklink quad HDMI recorder (2x 4x HDMI IN) + 1 x Decklink quad 2 (8 x SDI IN/OUT).
That's for a big conference room with NDI + SDI + HDMI connections and a lot of different use cases, including multiple cameras, simultaneous conference calls on different platforms, public streaming, multiple language simultaneous interpretation and so on...

I need at least 1 x (PCIe g3 16 lane) + 3 x (PCIe g3 8 or 16 lane).

Thanks a lot to anyone answering
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