Arc, ReBAR, and Plex transcoding in Ryzen Threadripper 1950x

[rchiwaw]

Greetings. I have an old AMD x399 motherboard and a Threadripper 1950x laying around that I would like to repurpose into a Plex server. I would love to do this with a fleet of Intel Arc a380 cards plugged into that x399 board.

As I understand things the Intel Arc series of GPUs require resizable BAR support for 3d acceleration but it is not clear to me if this is a requirement for video transcoding duty. So I pose the question is resizable BAR required for video transcoding with Arc?

If the answer is a no and using Arc a380 gpus with my threadripper build will work I would also like to know how many simultaneous AVC/x.264, HEVC/x.265 streams will one GPU be able to handle?

Lastly, is Intel considering working with Plex to get the transcoding features of Arc GPUs supported in their server software to this end?

Thanks in advance.

[Robert_Q_Intel]

Hello rchiwaw.

Thank you for using the Intel® Arc™ Community Forums,

We would like to share with you that the Intel® Arc™ Graphics cards were built to take full advantage of the resizable bar. For this reason, the resizable bar must be enabled for optimal performance in all applications, using an Intel® Arc™ Gpu without the resizable bar enabled will reduce performance, this reduction will vary from platform and application used.

When it comes to the simultaneous AVC/x.264, HEVC/x.265 streams that can be handled by the Intel® Arc™ A380 Graphics card and the support for PLEX features with Intel® Arc™ Graphics cards we will check this internally In order to provide you with this information.

[rchiwaw]

I really appreciate the response and totally get that my mileage will vary in my particular case.

I can say with certainty that the Plex subreddit along with the Plex user base in general anxiously awaits what your internal queries can reveal.

Many thanks and I look forward to more info, good or bad, with great anticipation!

[Robert_Q_Intel]

Thanks for your response.

After we can confirm that the Resizable BAR or Smart Access Memory must be enabled for optimal performance in all applications using Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics.

For example, A system that runs without resizable BAR or Smart Access Memory enabled will experience a significant drop in performance this includes all workloads from gaming to 3D rendering.

Please refer to the following article Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics – Desktop Quick Start Guide, this article includes information that goes from an Overview to important FAQs related to Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics.

Link:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000091128/graphics.html.

[Robert_Q_Intel]

Were you able to check the previous post? 

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards, 

Robert Q.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Robert_Q_Intel]

We have not heard back from you, so we will close this thread. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards, 

Robert Q.

Intel Customer Support Technician