New processor optimized for converting from x264 to x265 using handbrake.
New processor optimized for converting from x264 to x265 using handbrake.
I've begun converting your media collection to H.265 formats and noticed a significant increase in power usage and processing time on my current system. I'm looking for a guide or benchmarking list to compare CPU performance with the workloads HandBrake generates. Your I7-9700K is a solid choice for this task.
For maximum speed and efficiency, move transcoding to a GPU rather than a CPU. Your Arc A380 runs on a Broadwell Xeon and consistently achieves over 400 FPS when converting full HD to HEVC with Handbrake’s QSV preset. This setup has "Above 4G Decoding" active but lacks ReBAR configuration. Quick Sync Video works too, though the iGPU version in your 9700K is several generations behind Arc Alchemist. While CPU-based x265 can offer better compression with less noise, my tests didn’t reveal a significant improvement.
You're looking to leverage either a dedicated or combined GPU for better performance. Given the minimal size reduction, it's usually more economical to invest in additional storage rather than incurring the cost of extra power usage.
I've noticed NVENC often produces better H264 quality while Quick Sync Video delivers superior H265/HEVC results. Beyond personal experience, I don't have solid data to confirm it. CPU-based encoding usually yields the smallest files for similar perceived quality, but it's less energy-efficient. For me, the speed gains from hardware encoding outweigh the minor size increase. A 1 TB file only uses about 50 MB when re-encoded to HEVC—much more than H264. Switching from source files to HEVC saves significantly more space, especially since HEVC aims to keep compression artifacts intact. Would you consider a power meter such as a Kill-a-Watt? (If unavailable, obtain one—they're very useful.) Try encoding your video using x265 on the CPU, record power use and frame rate, then compare with Quick Sync encoding to see how it stacks up against your current setup.