dilberb

I'm currently using 2 Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I cameras with the iVMS-4200 PC-NVR software that is available for free. I'm running this on a dual core Intel Atom, with 4 GB memory, an SSD for Windows 7 Home Premium, and a 4 TB Western Digital Green AV hard drive. I have my cameras set to 10 FPS, at 1080p resolution. The PC-NVR is set to record on motion. This works well for my setup, as long as I don't view live streams or review footage on the NVR itself, it seems to idle right around 5-10 percent. I use my desktop PC with the iVMS-4200 client and a Samsung Galaxy S3 running the iVMS-4500 mobile software. It seems that most of the video rendering is done on the client side, but I have not watched CPU utilization while I'm viewing/reviewing video from the client. This setup seems to work well. According to the iVMS-4200 PC-NVR documentation this software will run on a Pentium 4. It will also record up to 64 cameras. It also states that more cameras will require a better/faster processor. When I'm done, I'll have up to 12 cameras when I'm done, all setup in the same manner as my first 2. I figure that I'll keep adding cameras until this system bogs down and then upgrade. I've had my setup running for about 8 months and aside from a hard drive failure (it was used when I installed it) I have not had any reliability problems. It also sips power, I figure the system sips about 30 watts of power when running. I feel that a PC-Based NVR will be more flexible in the long run. There are multiple software packages to choose from with a range of costs. Hikvision's software is free, does not require a lot of processing power, but only works with their cameras. Blue Iris is around $50, requires high processing power, but will work with many cameras on the market. There are other software packages out there that range in price with different feature sets. The key is finding one that works for your needs, if you go down the PC-based NVR path. With a hardware NVR the cost may be the same as a PC, but you are stuck with the platform you buy, there may be cameras that will work with it, but the compatibility may be limited, and it is unlikely that there will be any new development or enhancements. Just my $0.02