From the top, we gradually worked our way down to the class of the iconic Pentium. Its design is quite conservative by today’s standards. The performance of the dual-core processor is at the limit, which begins to complicate the actual execution of the tests. One of the biggest appeals is the low power draw, but that may not be worth much if your processor can’t handle your demands in real time. Or can it?
Audio encoding
Test environment: Audio encoding is done using command line encoders, we measure the time it takes for the conversion to finish. The same 42-minute long 16-bit WAV file (stereo) with 44.1 kHz is always used (Love Over Gold by Dire Straits album rip in a single audio file).
Encoder settings are selected to achieve maximum or near maximum compression. The bitrate is relatively high, with the exception of lossless FLAC of about 200 kb/s.
Note: These tests measure single-thread performance.
FLAC: reference encoder 1.3.2, 64-bit build. Launch options: flac.exe -s -8 -m -e -p -f
MP3: encoder lame3.100.1, 64-bit build (Intel 19 Compiler) from RareWares. Launch options: lame.exe -S -V 0 -q 0
AAC: uses Apple QuickTime libraries, invoked through the application from the command line, QAAC 2.72, 64-bit build, Intel 19 Compiler (does not require installation of the whole Apple package). Launch options: qaac64.exe -V 100 -s -q 2
Opus: reference encoder 1.3.1, Launch options: opusenc.exe –comp 10 –quiet –vbr –bitrate 192
Ahaha, it beat my old 3770K
Yeah! G7400 is a monster, haha.
HW video encode AV1 – is not a mistake?
No. The results are certainly correct. Pentium’s video encoding performance is significantly slower than Core i3 Alder/Comet Lake. It has half the number of cores/threads and lower clock speeds.
I mean the last table with hardware encoders/decoders.
Yes, I know. This one, right?
https://www.hwcooling.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/intel-pentium-g7400-g328.html
No, it looks like the it is done In software in that chart.
If it has hw encoders and they are utilized, it will be faster than a Ryzen that
lacks hw encoders and decoders.
You’re right. I overlooked that Victor was asking about hardware encoding. This is still not supported by current processors for AV1. So yes, these tests capture the performance of software encoding.
In Febarary 2025 a desktop computer with g7400, 8 GB ram and 512GB SSD sells new for 135 USD. Now i bought one with discount for 98 USD. A Lenovo.
Is it worth the price?
Personally, I think it is a very attractive offer, if it is an office computer or a build for simpler applications. 🙂