CPU usage

CPU usage is the percentage of CPU power being used. CPU usage is affected primarily by the complexity of the output encode.

Measuring CPU usage from the command line

To measure CPU usage, use one of these utilities:

• top, which is the default command line utility in the Linux operating system.

• htop, which is a Linux utility that you must install.

Measuring CPU usage on the web interface

The status bar at the top of the Elemental Live web interface includes a CPU usage indicator. Hover over the indicator to view the percentage of CPU power that's being used.

Expected CPU usage for 4K workflows

4K workflows can be run only on specific L8xx appliances. Don't run 4K workflows on unsupported appliances.

When you monitor the CPU usage (using top or htop), you will notice that the CPU load is always below the maximum. When you monitor core usage (using htop), you will notice that the load for individual cores is also below the maximum. However, do not assume that you can increase density.

The CPU on these appliances is optimized for 4K workflows. As the event runs, there will be spikes in the CPU usage, due to the nature of a 4k workflow. Therefore, there must always be a buffer of CPU for these peaks.

You might be able to add one more 4K encode if the appliance is showing under the following CPU usage:

• 40% to 45% per CPU.

Expected usage for SD and HD workflows in L8xx appliances

With these workflows, the measured CPU usage is a good guide to the possible number of events. You might be able to add one or more events if the appliance is showing under the following CPU usage:

• 80–85% on GPU-based machines.

• 70% on CPU only encoders (L8xxx)

If you add more events, consider refining the encoding on the existing events. See Encoding parameters that affect performance.