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Is 3 hours+ computer time too much?


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I'm processing 6-3/4 hours of digital content composed of 174 separate files. To upscale it and spit out a finished file it takes 3+ hours. Does that sound right or is my computer way behind? It is a new desktop, albeit lower end model with added RAM.

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No, that is fast. My computer takes 45 minutes to export a 2-1/2 minute 4K video of about 660MB at 40,000 kbps. But it depends on the resolution, the kbps,  and file size. I think the file size is the biggest factor.

Edited by Bob Speziale
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Wow! I read a still photog's computer took 15 minutes to process 1 photo. Guess it all varies.

My little computer feels like a blow dryer when I walk by it when it is processing big runs. I got a mini fan to blow air into it to help cool it down. 

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Resizing especially if your working with compressed files can be processor intensive.

Heat is a factor - on long renders the heat builds up and it could be more then your processor's fan can dissipate it. In those situations the computer throttles the processor speed back to prevent overheating. This is often an issue with Fruit based laptops, the components are packed so tight with limited air flow. So you may only be getting 50% speed on throttled processor.  I've resorted to frozen gel packs to improve the reliability/speed of my laptop on big renders. 

iMac's also can overheat on big renders in a warm room as well

Desktops are usually better at thermal management and more able to dump heat

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Good idea Phil.

I'm using a mini HP desktop. I used to use a laptop on my lap in the old days while watching TV. The heat felt like it would burn me sometimes. I gave up on it after I read they give off radio waves or some such thing that are bad for your privates. Now I only use a laptop if traveling.

I much prefer the little mini desktop. I used the laptop as a desktop back then too. I added a big monitor and closed up laptop to use on the big screen. They worked pretty good too. But they cheapened the laptop up (less USBs, no DVD writer) so I gave up on them and went for a  small desktop. 

Edited by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.
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yep laptops can get very hot. I once had a macbook and it warped the battery and bent the case. Probably had a luck escape with it being lithium on the fire risk front - I'd left it rendering and came back to find it wasn't sitting flat on the table. 

The new Macbooks don't seem to get as hot or crank the fans as loud - so I suspect they are throttling the processor more. I haven't had a desktop since my G5 died, laptops are more practical for the way I work. But they are a pain on renders, luckily I mostly edit short form so the exports are usually less then an hour. I also buy frozen dog food that comes in flat pouches, perfect for being defrosted by my macbook - gives about 45 mins of cool running. 

I don't think I'll buy another Apple computer anyways, the lack of ports, cooling and price rises - don't make them worth it anymore. 

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On 6/23/2019 at 4:22 PM, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:

Wow! I read a still photog's computer took 15 minutes to process 1 photo.

That sounds very unlikely, at least for anything you'd want to do normally. I use a tiny years old fanless PC for writing - because it's convenient and silent. It has 1/10 the power of a current desktop. And it will still do typical stills processing - applying a curve, resizing, sharpening - in a few tens of seconds.

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On 6/23/2019 at 8:27 PM, Phil Connolly said:

yep laptops can get very hot. I once had a macbook and it warped the battery and bent the case. Probably had a luck escape with it being lithium on the fire risk front - I'd left it rendering and came back to find it wasn't sitting flat on the table. 

The new Macbooks don't seem to get as hot or crank the fans as loud - so I suspect they are throttling the processor more.

Not necessarily. Different processor, better heatsinking.

That said, buying Apple for - well, anything makes less and less sense. A lot of techies favour Thinkpads, especially the X-series. Boring to look at, but super tough. Big companies buy them, run them three years, then cycle them out - and they still have a decade of wear left on them.

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