Table of Contents
CPU Recommendations
CPU power is the single biggest factor in how many cameras a TetherBox can handle. This page covers how to size a CPU, a reference table of common CPUs, and how camera configuration changes effective capacity.
For RAM, storage, and GPU see Hardware Specifications. For storage hardware specifics see Storage Hardware Recommendations.
Sizing a CPU
Rule of thumb: ~150 GeekBench 6 Multi-Core points per 4K camera.
To estimate camera capacity for any CPU:
- Search the CPU on GeekBench Browser or CPU Monkey
- Read the GeekBench 6 Multi-Core score
- Divide by 150
The 150 points/camera figure assumes the recommended configuration: 4K H.264 High profile recording at 4 Mbit, plus a 720p @ 5 fps H.264 Baseline analytics secondary stream - the same configuration applied automatically by Automatic Configuration and documented in Manual Camera Configuration.
Warning: Use GeekBench 6 scores only. GeekBench 5 scores are not comparable. All scores in this document are verified GeekBench 6 Multi-Core (January 2026).
CPU Reference Table
Common CPUs deployed in TetherBoxes, sorted highest to lowest. We still support and update systems running CPUs over 10 years old.
| CPU Model | Cores/Threads | Year | GeekBench 6 Multi | Est. Cameras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple M4 Max | 14C/32T | 2024 | 25,616 | 171 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X | 64C/128T | 2023 | 25,211 | 168 |
| Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | 24C/24T | 2024 | 22,580 | 150 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | 16C/32T | 2024 | 21,440 | 143 |
| Apple M3 Max | 14C/30T | 2023 | 20,933 | 140 |
| AMD Ryzen 9 9900X | 12C/24T | 2024 | 19,786 | 132 |
| AMD EPYC 9654 | 96C/192T | 2022 | 19,181 | 128 |
| Intel Xeon w9-3495X | 56C/112T | 2023 | 18,656 | 124 |
| Intel Core i5-14600K | 14C/20T | 2023 | 16,065 | 107 |
| Intel Core i5-13600K | 14C/20T | 2022 | 14,997 | 100 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 7700 | 8C/16T | 2023 | 14,828 | 99 |
| Apple M4 | 10C/10T | 2024 | 14,673 | 98 |
| Intel Core i7-13650HX | 14C/20T | 2023 | 13,939 | 93 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X | 24C/48T | 2019 | 13,167 | 88 |
| Apple M3 | 8C/8T | 2023 | 11,679 | 78 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | 8C/16T | 2022 | 8,860 | 59 |
| Apple M1 | 8C/8T | 2020 | 8,344 | 56 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X | 16C/32T | 2017 | 7,988 | 53 |
| Intel Xeon E-2336 | 6C/12T | 2021 | 7,772 | 52 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 5600G | 6C/12T | 2021 | 7,671 | 51 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 5500 | 6C/12T | 2022 | 7,652 | 51 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650G | 6C/12T | 2021 | 7,256 | 48 |
| Intel Xeon Silver 4309Y | 8C/16T | 2021 | 7,051 | 47 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G | 6C/12T | 2020 | 6,106 | 41 |
| Intel Xeon E5-2670 v3 | 12C/24T | 2014 | 5,959 | 40 |
| Intel Core i5-8500 | 6C/6T | 2018 | 4,867 | 32 |
| Intel Xeon E-2224 | 4C/4T | 2019 | 4,163 | 28 |
| Intel Core i3-9100 | 4C/4T | 2019 | 3,653 | 24 |
| Intel N100 (most popular) | 4C/4T | 2023 | 2,840 | 19 |
| Intel Core i3-7100T | 2C/4T | 2017 | 2,228 | 15 |
| Raspberry Pi 5 B | 4C/4T | 2023 | 1,600 | 11 |
| Intel Pentium Silver N6005 | 4C/4T | 2021 | 1,435 | 10 |
| Intel Core i3-5010U | 2C/4T | 2015 | 1,336 | 9 |
| Intel Celeron N5105 | 4C/4T | 2021 | 1,264 | 8 |
| Intel Core i3-4010U | 2C/4T | 2013 | 1,062 | 7 |
| Intel Celeron J4105 | 4C/4T | 2017 | 928 | 6 |
| Intel Celeron J3455E | 4C/4T | 2017 | 796 | 5 |
| Intel Celeron N4505 | 2C/2T | 2021 | 763 | 5 |
| Intel Celeron J3455 | 4C/4T | 2016 | 745 | 5 |
| Raspberry Pi 4 B | 4C/4T | 2019 | 640 | 4 |
| Intel Celeron J1900 | 4C/4T | 2013 | 523 | 3 |
| Intel Celeron J3160 | 4C/4T | 2016 | 503 | 3 |
| Intel Celeron N2830 | 2C/2T | 2014 | 276 | 2 |
| Intel Celeron N3050 | 2C/2T | 2015 | 266 | 2 |
Tip: The Intel N100 (19 cameras) is our baseline reference at 2,840 points (150 points/camera). Actual capacity varies with camera resolution, motion percentage, and analytics configuration - see below.
Deployment Size Quick Picker
| Cameras | Minimum Score | Example CPUs |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 350+ | Intel Celeron N2830, Intel Celeron J3160 |
| 3-4 | 700+ | Raspberry Pi 4 (4 cam), Intel Celeron J3455 (5 cam) |
| 5-8 | 1,250+ | Intel Celeron J4105 (6 cam), Intel Celeron N5105 (8 cam) |
| 9-16 | 1,600+ | Raspberry Pi 5 (11 cam), Intel Core i3-7100T (15 cam), Intel N100 (19 cam) |
| 17-32 | 5,600+ | Intel Xeon E-2336 (52 cam), AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (51 cam) |
| 33-64 | 11,200+ | Intel Core i5-13600K (100 cam), Apple M3 (78 cam) |
| 65-128 | 22,400+ | Intel Core i5-14600K (107 cam), AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (143 cam) |
| 129+ | 45,000+ | AMD Threadripper 7980X (168 cam), Apple M4 Max (171 cam) |
Capacity vs Camera Configuration
Recording streams affect storage, not CPU. Analytics streams are the dominant CPU driver - resolution, framerate, codec, and profile each move per-camera CPU load up or down.
See camera configuration for the recommended analytics defaults and the relative CPU cost of changing them - applied automatically when automatic configuration is enabled.
Worked example - Intel N100 (2,840 pts)
- 19 cameras at recommended config: 4K recording + 720p @ 5 fps H.264 Baseline analytics
- 28-38 cameras with analytics dropped to ≤480p @ 5 fps - field-validated
- 9-10 cameras with analytics at ≥1080p @ 5 fps
Diagnosing High CPU
If a TetherBox shows high CPU or load despite being within camera recommendations, check IO wait on the dashboard:
- IO wait > 20% indicates a storage bottleneck, not a CPU problem. Replacing the CPU will not help - replace the drive or USB enclosure. See Storage Hardware Recommendations.
- IO wait < 15% with CPU sustained > 80% indicates genuine CPU saturation. Either reduce per-camera load (analytics resolution/profile/codec - see above) or upgrade the CPU.
For the full diagnostic walkthrough, see TetherBox troubleshooting.
References
- GeekBench Browser - search specific CPU benchmarks
- CPU Monkey - compare CPUs across generations
Referenced in: