The Intel Core i9-7980XE and Core i9-7960X CPU Review Part 1: Workstation
by Ian Cutress on September 25, 2017 3:01 AM ESTBenchmarking Performance: CPU Encoding Tests
One of the interesting elements on modern processors is encoding performance. This includes encryption/decryption, as well as video transcoding from one video format to another. In the encrypt/decrypt scenario, this remains pertinent to on-the-fly encryption of sensitive data - a process by which more modern devices are leaning to for software security. Video transcoding as a tool to adjust the quality, file size and resolution of a video file has boomed in recent years, such as providing the optimum video for devices before consumption, or for game streamers who are wanting to upload the output from their video camera in real-time. As we move into live 3D video, this task will only get more strenuous, and it turns out that the performance of certain algorithms is a function of the input/output of the content.
All of our benchmark results can also be found in our benchmark engine, Bench.
7-Zip 9.2: link
One of the freeware compression tools that offers good scaling performance between processors is 7-Zip. It runs under an open-source licence, is fast, and easy to use tool for power users. We run the benchmark mode via the command line for four loops and take the output score.
WinRAR 5.40: link
For the 2017 test suite, we move to the latest version of WinRAR in our compression test. WinRAR in some quarters is more user friendly that 7-Zip, hence its inclusion. Rather than use a benchmark mode as we did with 7-Zip, here we take a set of files representative of a generic stack (33 video files in 1.37 GB, 2834 smaller website files in 370 folders in 150 MB) of compressible and incompressible formats. The results shown are the time taken to encode the file. Due to DRAM caching, we run the test 10 times and take the average of the last five runs when the benchmark is in a steady state.
AES Encoding
Algorithms using AES coding have spread far and wide as a ubiquitous tool for encryption. Again, this is another CPU limited test, and modern CPUs have special AES pathways to accelerate their performance. We often see scaling in both frequency and cores with this benchmark. We use the latest version of TrueCrypt and run its benchmark mode over 1GB of in-DRAM data. Results shown are the GB/s average of encryption and decryption.
HandBrake v1.0.2 H264 and HEVC: link
As mentioned above, video transcoding (both encode and decode) is a hot topic in performance metrics as more and more content is being created. First consideration is the standard in which the video is encoded, which can be lossless or lossy, trade performance for file-size, trade quality for file-size, or all of the above can increase encoding rates to help accelerate decoding rates. Alongside Google's favorite codec, VP9, there are two others that are taking hold: H264, the older codec, is practically everywhere and is designed to be optimized for 1080p video, and HEVC (or H265) that is aimed to provide the same quality as H264 but at a lower file-size (or better quality for the same size). HEVC is important as 4K is streamed over the air, meaning less bits need to be transferred for the same quality content.
Handbrake is a favored tool for transcoding, and so our test regime takes care of three areas.
Low Quality/Resolution H264: Here we transcode a 640x266 H264 rip of a 2 hour film, and change the encoding from Main profile to High profile, using the very-fast preset.
High Quality/Resolution H264: A similar test, but this time we take a ten-minute double 4K (3840x4320) file running at 60 Hz and transcode from Main to High, using the very-fast preset.
HEVC Test: Using the same video in HQ, we change the resolution and codec of the original video from 4K60 in H264 into 4K60 HEVC.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
152 Comments
View All Comments
mapesdhs - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
Just curious mmrezaie, why do you say "unofficially"? ECC support is included on specs pages for X399 boards.frowertr - Tuesday, September 26, 2017 - link
Run Unbound on a Pi or other Linux VM and block all thise adverts at the DNS level for all the devices on your LAN. I havent seen a site add anywhere in years from my home.Notmyusualid - Thursday, September 28, 2017 - link
@frowertrInteresting - But that won't work for me - I'm a frequent traveller, and thus on different LANs all the time.
But what works for me, is PeerBlock, then iblocklist.com for the Ad-server & Malicious lists and others, add Microsoft and any other entity I don't want my packets broadcast to (my Antivirus alerts me when I need updates anyway - and thus I temporarily allow http through the firewall for that type of occasion).
realistz - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
This is why the "core wars" won't be a good thing for consumers. Focus on better single thread perf instead quantity.sonichedgehog360@yahoo.com - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
On the contrary, single-threaded performance is largely a dead end until we hit quantum computing due to instability inherent to extremely high clock speeds. The core wars is exactly what we need to incentivize developers to improve multi-core scaling and performance: it represents the future of computing.extide - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
Some things just can't be split up into multiple threads -- it's not a developer skill level or laziness issue, it's just the way it is. Single threaded speed will always be important.PixyMisa - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
Maybe, but it's still a dead end. It's not going to improve much, ever.HStewart - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
As a developer for 30 years this is absolutely correct - especially with the user interface logic which includes graphics. Until technology is a truly able to multi-thread the display logic and display hardware - it very important to have single thread performance. I would think this is critically important for games since they deal a lot with screen. Intel has also done something very wise and I believe they realize this important - by allowing some cores to go faster than others. Multi-core is basically hardware assisted multi-threaded applications which is very dependent on application design - most of time threads are used for background tasks. Another critical error is database logic - unless the database core logic is designed to be multithread, you will need single point of entry and in some cases - they database must be on screen thread. Of course with advancement is possible hardware to handle threading and such, it might be possible to over come these limitations. But in NO WAY this is laziness of developer - keep in mind a lot of software has years of development and to completely rewrite the technology is a major and costly effort.lilmoe - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
There are lots of instances where I'd need summation and other complex algorithm results from millions of records in certain tables. If I'm going the traditional sql route, it would take ages for the computation to return the desired values. I instead divide the load one multiple threads to get a smaller set in which I would perform some cleanup and final arithmetic. Lots of extra work? Yup. More ram per transaction total? Oh yea. Faster? Yes, dramatically faster.WPF was the first attempt by Microsoft to distribute UI load across multiple cores in addition to the gpu, it was so slow in its early days due to lots out inefficiencies and premature multi-core hardware. It's alot better now, but much more work than WinForms as you'd guess. UWP UI is also completely multithreaded.
Android is inching closer to completely have it's UI multithreaded and separate from the main worker thread. We're getting there.
Both you and sonich are correct, but it's also a fact that developers are taking their sweet time to get familiar with and/or use these technologies. Some don't want to that route simply because of technology bias and lock-in.
HStewart - Monday, September 25, 2017 - link
"Both you and sonich are correct, but it's also a fact that developers are taking their sweet time to get familiar with and/or use these technologies. Some don't want to that route simply because of technology bias and lock-in."That is not exactly what I was saying - it completely understandable to use threads to handle calculation - but I am saying that the designed of hardware with a single screen element makes it hard for true multi-threading. Often the critical sections must be lock - especially in a multi-processor system.
The best use of multi-threading and mult-cpu systems is actually in 3D rendering, this is where multiple threads can be use to distribute the load. In been a while since I work with Lightwave 3D and Vue, but in those days I would create a render farm - one of reason, I purchase a Dual Xeon 5160 ten years ago. But now a days processors like these processors here could do the work or 10 or normal machines on my farm ( Xeon was significantly more power then the P4's - pretty much could do the work of 4 or more P4's back then )