PC Hardware Issues - Frame Rate in Preview (on a laptop)

[timb]

Hey all,


Hope someone can help with my query about PC hardware for BI.


I have been using BI for about 6 months now with a single 1080 ptz camera, and it has worked great. I've been using a core2duo laptop with a 9600GT graphics chip.


However, when I tried to add a 720 camera too, I pushed the CPU usage up to 100% and screen update started to lag, so I figured I would get a new laptop.


Long story short...I bought a new i7 laptop with a 850M GPU and now BI runs WORSE than it did on my old laptop.


Recording is unaffected as I'm recording the raw steam...but the preview is laggy. When I zoom in and out, the screen stutters etc. it is almost perfectly smooth on my old laptop.


CPU usage is only hitting 15%.


However...I have now discovered that the default GPU in my new laptop is an Intel HD 4600. The 850M only appears to be used for DirectX applications. So I am thinking this must be the issue?


The developer has confirmed that BI uses standard Windows calls, and not DirectX.


However I have also noticed threads on here advising that a dedicated GPU is not required for BI? Does this mean a lot of you are using integrated graphics, and experiencing smooth frame rates in preview when zooming etc?


Thing is...I've proven that BI does utilise the 9600GT on my old laptop...I assume because it is the only GPU it has. It uses 20% of the GPU constantly while outputting a 1080 preview.


So...I am now thinking that I needed to pick a laptop with only a Geforce GPU? I did not realise this laptop had an Intel HD 4600...it is onboard the i7 and was not in the specs. I understand (now) that some of the newer i7's have integrated graphics onboard.


Please can anyone make any sense of this?


Many thanks


Tim.

 

[fenderman]

Check options>cameras> limit live preview, make sure its unchecked. Something is wrong..it should be smooth.
You are correct, you dont need a dedicated gpu, it wont help. Most of us are running integrated gpu's with no issues even at 20 megapixels as long as the cpu has enough power.

 

[nayr]

Laptops make horrible NVR's, you should use a dedicated desktop PC for a NVR Server.

And yes; displaying multiple 1080p h264 video streams is going to need some GPU acceleration.. You could try viewing the substream when multi-window.. that helps alot.. viewing 4x substreams SmartPSS uses like 60% CPU.. viewing 4xMain Streams it uses like 250% CPU.. I am using a 9400GT which is quite antiquated so I have a new video card coming tomorrow to help alleviate some of that load.

Your not on WiFi are you? That could cause problems; especially with more and more video streams.

 

[fenderman]

OP has a , then there should be no issue with the load in the OP. I have a older 2nd generation i3 that i use a backup and also to display video (on the screen as well as on a mirrored lcd panel) that has been running with zero issues for over two years. The last time i rebooted the machine was 71 days ago to do updates...(its not exposed to the net so i don't generally update it). Since the cpu is only at 15% and the hd4600 is more than capable of display 3mp of video something else is wrong. OP is using BI so you cannot just change to a substream when in full screen, you would need to create a separate camera then hide the main camera. Bottom line is the laptop can easily handle the load and there is something else wrong.

 

[timb]

Thanks for the info guys...will try tweaking some stuff!

 

[bp2008]

@timb,
Your lag has nothing to do with the graphics abilities of the laptop. Blue Iris is all about CPU usage, which is excellent at 15%.

Have you investigated the possibility that your WiFi is the problem? Are any of the cameras using WiFi, or just the laptop? What speed do you get if you run an internet speed test (assuming your internet speed is > 20 Mbps this might help diagnose a slow-wifi problem). Try the speed test with and without Blue Iris running.

Can you try plugging in and disabling WiFi to see if that helps?

 

[nayr]

2x on WiFi.

I mentioned it before briefly but most people's home WiFi sucks ass and is not capable of delivering full internet speeds let alone LAN speeds.

 

[icerabbit]

3x

I've got pretty decent wifi speeds and coverage inside and outside of my house, with multiple access points, but you'll find me plugging laptops into ethernet (if physically possible) for anything serious or sustained.

 

[timb]

It was the 'limit live preview' tick...forgot I changed that on the old laptop...doh! All smooth again now, and yep, smoother than the old laptop!

Thanks for the reminder