SDRconsole and CPU core use

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on2ron
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 4:14 pm

SDRconsole and CPU core use

#1

Unread post by on2ron »

Hi Simon,

As I wrote before I am planning a new pc. I already ordered an MB, which was not simple due to the many chipsets on the market.

Now I have to decide on what CPU to use. I know, The more cores a CPU has the better (faster) it can do its job, but I got stuck on the way the console uses the cores. Does the console devide's the workload between the physical cores or do they also work with the logical cores or is the console mainly a one thread program?

I do however plan to use the GeForce 1650 super graphics card on this MB.

So how can I choose the best suitable CPU? I have chosen a Gigabyte B550 mid range MB so it will use an AMD CPU, and I was aiming at the new Ryzen 5 5600x CPU based on the ZEN3 architecture which has 6 physical cores on board.



Can you give some info?

73' Ron

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Simon G4ELI
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Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:27 am
Location: Mawnan Smith
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Re: SDRconsole and CPU core use

#2

Unread post by Simon G4ELI »

Ron,

I am not familar with AMD, I only have Intel systems.

SDR Console is a multi-threaded program, Windows manages the threads.

Ryzen™ 5 5600X looks great!
Simon Brown :shock:
www.sdr-radio.com

Do not send me direct e-mail, thank-you!

jdow
Posts: 800
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:17 pm

Re: SDRconsole and CPU core use

#3

Unread post by jdow »

From my own SDR plaything I have noticed that the typical SDR load is very front heavy. The further down the processing chain you go the lower the demand. I've come to the tentative conclusion that the only meaningful threading split is between FFT and Receivers. For a single receiver configuration that is two threads. You can in theory divide it quite a bit more; but, the threads will have very low loading. So if you run few receivers at a time a faster CPU with fewer cores. I've not reached any conclusion between HyperThreading on or off. Hyperthreading does not provide full support for two threads per CPU. So you may get an effective 1.5 threads or less.

I run just a whole boatload of things on my computer at the same time and seldom fewer than four receivers usually closer to 9 or 10 when in listening mode. So I got a chip with a lot of processors as it seems to fit better with what I do.

8 CPU cores with hyperthreading enabled is how I work here. I've not found a need to optimize it with a 9th gen i7.

{^_^}

on2ron
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 4:14 pm

Re: SDRconsole and CPU core use

#4

Unread post by on2ron »

Hi Joanne,

I have looked a bit deeper in the CPU material the past days. I do not like to count on CPU threads but honestly find physical cores a value for pure processor power as I noticed between my used pc's.

The same here, an Intel i5-8259U with 4 physical cores and 8 hyperthreading enabled is my best pc.

I'm busy rebuilding my old tower pc with a new MB, CPU, Memory and some NVMe SSD's. Just waiting on the release of the ZEN3 CPUs from AMD. I was always an Intel user in the past. But the way AMD has played catch-up during the past 4 years is showing its merits.

Still waiting for some components to be delivered, but the CPU will take at least a week before its earliest availability and that is in the USA. Here in Europe we mostly have to wait a bit longer, but we are used to it ;-)

73' Ron

jdow
Posts: 800
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:17 pm

Re: SDRconsole and CPU core use

#5

Unread post by jdow »

The US release is for proper beta testing for the rest of the world?

{O,o}

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