Video Encoding
Video transcoding and encoding performance for media processing pipelines.
FFmpeg H.265 Encoding
Higher is better -- sorted by performance
Our Recommendations
High-throughput hardware encoding for streaming
NVIDIA NVENC hardware encoding at 240 fps blows away CPU encoding. Quality is excellent for streaming and delivery. If throughput matters more than maximum quality control, this is the answer.
High-quality CPU encoding at scale
88 vCPUs with the highest multi-core performance on GCP. 128 fps H.265 encoding with libx265. Best choice when you need CPU-based encoding with maximum quality control.
Efficient CPU encoding for moderate workloads
Best per-core encoding speed at 34 fps on 8 threads. Strong single-core performance helps with encoding efficiency. Good balance for moderate encoding workloads.
30 fps H.265 at a lower price point than C3. AMD EPYC processors offer good encoding performance per dollar. Scale up to 360 vCPUs if you need more throughput.
Price-Performance: FFmpeg H.265 Encoding
All Benchmark Data
| VM Series | Machine Type | Metric | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2 | e2-standard-8 | FFmpeg H.265 Encoding | 12 fps | 1080p source, libx265 medium preset, 8 threads |
| N2 | n2-standard-8 | FFmpeg H.265 Encoding | 22 fps | 1080p source, libx265 medium preset, 8 threads |
| C3 | c3-standard-8 | FFmpeg H.265 Encoding | 34 fps | 1080p source, libx265 medium preset, 8 threads |
| C3D | c3d-standard-8 | FFmpeg H.265 Encoding | 30 fps | 1080p source, libx265 medium preset, 8 threads |
| H3 | h3-standard-88 | FFmpeg H.265 Encoding | 128 fps | 1080p source, libx265 medium preset, 88 threads |
| G2 | g2-standard-8 | FFmpeg H.265 Encoding (NVENC) | 240 fps | 1080p source, NVENC hardware encoding, single L4 GPU |