AMD Threadripper™ CPUs Unlock up to 215% Faster HandBrake Transcoding

AMD engineers identified and fixed two threading bottlenecks in HandBrake that were leaving performance on the table on high-core-count systems. The result: up to 181% higher transcoding performance on AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO systems and up to 215% higher transcoding performance on AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ systems, with the improvements now included in HandBrake 1.11.0 and later.

Video transcode applications can benefit from more cores, but only when the software can keep those cores busy. During testing, AMD found cases where HandBrake performance dropped instead of scaling, especially in lower-resolution workloads where overhead consumed too much CPU time.

AMD proposed fixes to improve how HandBrake manages work across many CPU cores. Those changes were accepted by the HandBrake project and are included in HandBrake 1.11.0 and later.

The problem AMD found

During testing on AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ systems, AMD found cases where HandBrake performance dropped instead of scaling as more CPU resources were available. In some workloads, performance dropped by up to 60%, especially at lower resolutions where overhead can take up more of the total processing time.

Two issues stood out.

• Limited scaling beyond 64 logical processors: HandBrake was not designed to efficiently manage systems with more than 64 logical processors. On high-core-count CPUs, this meant the application could leave available compute resources underused instead of keeping all available processor cores busy.
• Work split into overly small jobs: Some workloads were divided into pieces that were too small. This created extra scheduling overhead, especially in 720p tests, where the CPU could spend too much time coordinating work instead of doing the transcode itself.

What changed

AMD improved how HandBrake manages work across high-core-count CPUs. Before the update, HandBrake was not efficiently scaling beyond 64 logical processors, which could leave available CPU resources underused or create overhead that reduced performance.

AMD’s changes improve thread management and job scheduling so HandBrake can divide transcode work more effectively across many cores. Instead of spending too much CPU time coordinating small jobs, HandBrake can keep more cores busy with transcoding work.

For users on high-core-count AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ processor systems, that means better scaling and faster transcode performance in the tested workloads, with no workflow changes.

Version comparison

Performance improved by up to 181% on the tested AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 9995WX 96-core processor system and up to 215% on the tested AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ 7980X 64-core processor system, depending on workload. Both test systems used an AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT GPU, and AMD compared HandBrake CLI 1.11.1 against HandBrake CLI 1.6.1.

HandBrake CLI 1.6.1 was selected as the baseline to avoid mixing the threading improvements with later AMF default preset changes. Those later preset changes were targeted at improving encode quality on the tested Radeon RX 9070 XT configuration, so using 1.6.1 helps keep the comparison focused on AMD’s threading work.

Workload names

The workload names shown in the charts, including Perfume, Yozakura, chimei_demo, LG_8K, and Short_Hair, refer to specific test vectors used to measure transcoding performance.

Each test vector represents a defined encode scenario. For example, LG_8K HEVC 8-bit 4320p refers to 8K content encoded with the HEVC codec at 8-bit color depth. The full set of test vectors covers a range of codec, resolution, and bit-depth combinations, including H.264, 720p through 4K and HEVC, 720p through 8K, and 8-bit and 10-bit HEVC workloads.

What the results show

Threadripper PRO results

In AMD testing on an AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 9995WX 96-core processor paired with an AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT GPU, the updated logic improved transcoding performance by as much as 181%, or 2.81x, depending on the workload.

The largest gains in the Threadripper PRO data shown were:

• Perfume H.264 720p +181%
• Perfume HEVC 10-bit 2160p +151%
• LG_8K HEVC 8-bit 4320p +149%
• LG 8K 60fps HEVC 10-bit 4320p +145%
• Perfume HEVC 10-bit 1080p +91%

AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ HEDT results

AMD also tested an AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ 7980X 64-core processor system with 128GB DDR5-5600 memory and an AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT GPU. In those tests, the updated logic improved transcoding performance by as much as 215%, or 3.15x, depending on the workload.

Across the HEDT results shown here, improvements ranged from 16% to 215%.

The largest gains in the Threadripper HEDT data shown were:

• Perfume H.264 720p +215%
• LG_8K HEVC 8-bit 4320p +203%
• LG 8K 60fps HEVC 10-bit 4320p +105%
• Perfume HEVC 10-bit 1080p +73%
• Perfume HEVC 10-bit 2160p +63%

What users get from this update

High-core-count CPUs are built for demanding workloads like video transcoding, but software still has to be tuned to keep those cores busy. With these updates in HandBrake 1.11.0 and later, users on AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO and AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ systems can see better scaling and faster encode performance in supported workloads.

For creators, editors, and professionals running large transcode jobs, that can mean shorter waits and better use of the hardware already in their system.

There are no new workflow steps, presets, or settings to manage. Users can update HandBrake and keep working the way they already do.

Community collaboration

AMD contributed these improvements upstream to the HandBrake project, so users can benefit through the standard HandBrake release instead of relying on a special build or workaround.

This reflects AMD’s ongoing work with open-source software communities to help improve performance on real applications used by creators, developers, and enthusiasts.

Get the HandBrake update

The HandBrake threading improvements are included in HandBrake 1.11.0 and later. Download the latest version from the official HandBrake releases page.

To see how AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ processors support demanding creative and video workflows, visit AMD.com.