Quote: I'm currently using an AMD Phenom II X4 setup (see my signature below).

I typically produce videos around 2 hours long in 1080p60 m2ts 24Mbps format. Each file is around 22Gb. It takes around 4 to 4 1/2 hours to produce the file using CPU software rendering (no SVRT or hardware encoding). Reason is to obtain best picture quality.

I'm considering upgrading to an Ivy Bridge i7 3770 setup. All other hardware will remain unchanged. Motivation is to reduce the video production time and power consumption. My current processor is rated at 125W. I'm hoping the i7 (with 8 hyper threads) will reduce the production time by 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Would appreciate if experienced users, especially existing i7 owners, could advise whether the upgrade is worthwhile in terms of video production time i.e. is there significant reduction in production time?

Thank you.

There may be some reduction in the time it takes to produce a given video.

The AMD 965 CPU is a fast CPU, but not as fast as some of the Intel i7 CPUs.

Here is a good benchmark site where you can compare the relative speed of various CPUs.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

Speed of production depends on not only the CPU, but on many other factors, the GPU, Memory and Hard Drive can play a large role.
Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

Thanks Carl, for your reply.

I'm just curious whether the i7 3770 will be able to shave off at least 1 hour from production time.

From the benchmark you've provided, the score for i7 3770 is more than twice that for my AMD. Whether that translates to halving the video production time, I don't know.

My current processor does the job, albeit slower than quad core Intels. There's also the hassle of hardware re-installation, wiring and Windows re-activation. I understand that once the motherboard is changed, Windows consider it a "new" computer and possibly won't boot with upgraded hardware. I'd probably have to spend to get a new license, unless I manage to bluff my way through via phone activation.

I do have a soft spot for the 965, especially with a super-gigantic Zerotherm Nirvana 120 cooler installed. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Nonetheless the hassle is worth it if there is SIGNIFICANT production time savings. Not to mention the power saving (Intel vs AMD) letting the PC run for 4 hours producing the video. If it's just faster by 30 mins or so, I probably won't bother. Problem is I don't know, unless some i7 PD users testify.

The question to i7 3770/2600 PD users: how long does it take you to produce a 2 hour video based on similar parameters as described in my OP?
Intel i7 3770 CPU
Asrock H77 Pro4/MVP Motherboard
16 GB Kingston DDR3 PC3-10600 1333Mhz RAM
EVGA GTX 660 Superclocked 2GB Video Card
Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 7200rpm SATA2 Harddisk
ANTEC EarthWatts 500W Power Supply
Windows 10 Home 64-bit OS

Quote: Thanks Carl, for your reply.

I'm just curious whether the i7 3770 will be able to shave off at least 1 hour from production time.

From the benchmark you've provided, the score for i7 3770 is more than twice that for my AMD. Whether that translates to halving the video production time, I don't know.

My current processor does the job, albeit slower than quad core Intels. There's also the hassle of hardware re-installation, wiring and Windows re-activation. I understand that once the motherboard is changed, Windows consider it a "new" computer and possibly won't boot with upgraded hardware. I'd probably have to spend to get a new license, unless I manage to bluff my way through via phone activation.

I do have a soft spot for the 965, especially with a super-gigantic Zerotherm Nirvana 120 cooler installed. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Nonetheless the hassle is worth it if there is SIGNIFICANT production time savings. Not to mention the power saving (Intel vs AMD) letting the PC run for 4 hours producing the video. If it's just faster by 30 mins or so, I probably won't bother. Problem is I don't know, unless some i7 PD users testify.

The question to i7 3770/2600 PD users: how long does it take you to produce a 2 hour video based on similar parameters as described in my OP?

I doubt you would get a great reduction in rendering time. A two hour video would take a little over 2 hours if nothing special on the timelline.
Hardware acceleration will cut down the time some, but that requires a very good video card and good drivers. Not all drivers work good.

If you notice, my Sig, My CPU is the same AMD 965. I think I have good render times.
I do 1280x 720P renders for Youtube upload from 1920x1080i 17 Mbps videos.

Does not seem to take a long time.
Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.