Intel i9-9900k vs Intel Xeon E-2186G. Help me choose.


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I am planning an upgrade to my existing system in order to get hardware decode for UHD files in Plex (I am aware of the HDR limitations at this time but I am okay with the transcodes maintaining HDR). I am also hoping to get a more efficient machine in the form of heat that the server outputs. I am planning on using the Gigabyte C246-WU4 for the motherboard. I am a little sad about losing IPMI compared to the SuperMicro boards I have used in the past but the additional PCI-E Slots are worth it to me. That leads to the real question that I would love for some other forum members to weigh in on. I can't decide which processor to use between the Intel i9-9900k or the Intel Xeon E-2186G.

 

Just so people know I am coming from an Intel Xeon CPU E5-1650 v3 on a Supermicro - X10SRA-F motherboard.  I realize I am drastically reducing the number of PCI-E Lanes available but my grand plans of multiple VMs never really came to fruition once Docker hit its stride. This machine is still working great except that a UHD file re-encode via Plex maxes out the CPU. It also produces plenty of heat when I've got a couple of Plex streams going. A friend offered to buy it so I find myself planning an upgrade. 

 

My initial plan was to use the Intel Xeon E-2186G for the ECC memory support but the additional 2 cores on the i9-9900k are very tempting for possible future gaming VM or a possible WinVM for Dynamic HDR to SDR conversion for my projector . The cost difference between the two is not really an issue. I think it really boils down to two questions for me:

  • Are there any other chip differences I should consider besides the core count or does it mostly just come down to ECC Memory or non-ECC Memory?
  • What are people's thoughts about running non-ECC memory?

 

All opinions/thoughts are welcome and very much appreciated!

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Well, I had some more time and so I did some more digging using the search on the forum.

  • On the ECC front: Looks like most would recommend ECC Memory but if one does enough testing of their memory then they can avoid at least the potential pitfall of bad memory. You still leave yourself open to a bad bit at some point so one needs to make a personal decision on that point.
  • On CPU front: besides the lack of support for ECC memory with the i9-9900k the other potential issue, at least for the near future, is that the iGPU on the 9900k will not be supported until UNRAID upgrades to the 4.20 Linux kernel. UNRAID 6.7.0 will likely come relatively soon but at least one post by the developers suggests that 6.7.0 will not have the 4.20 Linux kernel. Kind of a bummer but it will happen someday I imagine. 

Based on those findings, I am leaning more towards the i9-9900k.

 

With that in mind does anyone have any thoughts on a different motherboard or should I stay with the Gigabyte C246-WU4?

 

 

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18 hours ago, Bahndit said:

With that in mind does anyone have any thoughts on a different motherboard or should I stay with the Gigabyte C246-WU4?

There are motherboards from Supermicro, ASUS and ASRock that also support the C246 chipset.  Supermicro and some ASRock boards support IPMI if that is of interest.

 

It all depends on what you need as they all have slightly different configurations and features.

Edited by Hoopster
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1 minute ago, Hoopster said:

There are motherboards from Supermicro, ASUS and ASRock that also support the C246 chipset.  Supermicro and spme ASRock boards support IPMI if that is of interest.

 

It all depends on what you need as they all have slightly different configurations and features.

Thanks for the input Hoopster. I've looked at the Supermicro options, like the X11SCA-F , but I have not looked at ASRock yet. Thanks again for the input. It is very appreciated!

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4 minutes ago, Bahndit said:

Thanks for the input Hoopster. I've looked at the Supermicro options, like the X11SCA-F , but I have not looked at ASRock yet. Thanks again for the input. It is very appreciated!

Check out the thread linked below.  In the post I referenced, I linked to a few Mini-ITX boards supporting the C246 or C242 chipset as one user was particularly interested in that form factor.  The manufacturers I mentioned also have mATX and ATX boards for the C246 with ASRock having the biggest selection.  The whole thread is a discussion of Tybio's saga trying to get a Xeon E-2176G processor but along the way there are also discussions of motherboards that support it.

 

 

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I was considering this as well and my descision is - I will not go the iGPU way. If you're interested, here are my thoughts:

 

What I learned in the past is: Every evolution requires to buy completely new hardware. New audio capabilities at the Dolby front - buy new hardware. New video capabilities - buy new hardware. The current iGPUs are at the edge of 4K transcoding. If Intel decides to leave HDR out, you're left out. The first custom UHDs require over 100Mb/s. I don't know one 4K TV with Gigabit ethernet - they all have 100Mb/s interfaces. So all 4K TVs will require transcoded material with values like that in the future. 8K is the next big thing. What are the requirements then?

 

With that in mind I decided to go the pure power way: I will start with a server grade Xeon and a motherboard that allows up to 2 or 4 CPUs. Start with one CPU that does 17,000 to 20,000. Add one or more CPUs later if neccessary.

 

On eBay there are lot's of server grade old and cheap monsters, approx. 5 years old. Yesterday I looked at some of them. I found some completely assembled for EUR 1,000 to 2,000. If power is no problem look at this at eBay for example:

 

Supermicro SC 848A-R1K62B / X9QRI-F+ / 4 x Intel E5-4650 / 64GB RAM / 64 Threads --> 44,000 passmark at EUR 1,599. Will draw lots of power and cost you an arm and a leg on your monthly bill.

 

 

So your CPU does 13,000. These CPUs are EUR 250 to 350 on eBay used. I don't have any skills on motherboards, somebody else must find a matching one that does 2-4 CPUs of that type. Add memory and cooler if needed. That would be my way.

 

Just to round it up. Here's what Plex says about transcoding requirements:

 

https://support.plex.tv/articles/201774043-what-kind-of-cpu-do-i-need-for-my-server/

 

Just my 0.02 USD.

 

Edited by hawihoney
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Sorry about my saga in the other thread, but it is finally over!

 

Honestly, if I were to do this again I'd seperate transcoding from the processor totally.  I'd get a P2000 or P4000 and run it in a VM for PMS and then I could focus my processor on what I need for other things.  Finding a single solution with the hardware today is just not going to really happen, even the landscape is changing so quickly (like with more content on Dolby Vision and HDR+ etc).  

 

That would have also opened up the AMD side of the house, and there is a lot to like about their processors from a PCI-E lane perspective, which is the biggest trade off I'm suffering with at the moment.  

 

Anyway, as I don't think there is a good answer right now...why not see if brute power will work, I think it will quickly break down, but what do I know?! ;)

 

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