[MEncoder-users] mencoder dedicated box

[jago25_98]

(Questions to focus on because they're probably quick to answer have a
* next to them)

I know nothing about the subject really but maybe I can break the
question down into smaller sections.

I suggest looking at articles dedicated to choosing hardware for
compiling.
They may help you answer questions such as:

- how important is RAM; spend more on CPU?
*- how much CPU cache to use? (faster CPU or more L2 cache?)
- CPU - intel Xeon, AMD64 or P4?

Now mplayer specific questions to ask this list after skim reading the
docs and probably news on mplayer site:

- are 64 bit optimisations included in mplayer? just a case of adding
GCC flags or does mplayer need extra code? (or has it already been
dome?)
- hard drives; how much will SATA impact on CPU compared to SCSI
(wouldn't use UATA for this task, that I am sure of)

- mecoder benchmarks would be most useful - that way you can divide
the benchmark score by the price of the hardware to get true value
for the task.

If there's a bootable cd distro with mencoder and ability to benchmark
I could benchmark any spare hardware that passes through my hands over
lunchtimes maybe.

I reckon onboard Gigabit PCI cards/onboard gigabit/cat6 or DVD
rewriter (£12 single layer for burner now!) in box to think about.

If you're doing it on the cheap as I expect I suggest just spending
all the money on the most cost efficient CPU for the task (can't
recommend which as I don't know how important cache is for mplayer),
with 2x256mb sticks of fastest DDR you can, dvd burner to save
network transfers but with cheapest everything else. 

And finally...

- does/can a graphics card speed mencoder speed? (I don't even know
this!)