FFMPEG
This is what I noticed using ffmpeg on the 16 core Talos II and on a 9 year old x86 4core something or other.
I used ffmpeg first on the x86 and the file I was converting took 34+ minutes to do the work. Then I put the same file on the Talos II and, surprize surprize, it only took 34+ minutes. HUH?
I then went thru the same proceedure on both computers and this time I pulled up the system monitors. the x86 was using all 4 cores, while over on the Talos II only one core was being used with all of it's 4 slices cooking away.
Also, on the TalosII, every time I do this the cpu fan for chip0 cranks up very high. Checking with ipmitool shows that cpu0 getting up to 57 degrees and of course the other cores in that chip are hotter than usual. Whereas chip 1 is running still around 35-37 degrees as they are not doing anything.
You would think the 16 cores would destroy the 4 core x86 in a race to the finish. Is it the ffmpeg program where the brakes are dragging ?. Or is it that ffmpeg was simply dragged over from x86 and not tuned to POWER 9?
I wonder the speed of this is down at OakRridge ?
I am running the Talos II on the Aspeed VGA and wonder if having a GPU card would improve performance?
( I might give that a try)
Check this from @MauryG5
https://forums.raptorcs.com/index.php/topic,364.msg2939.html#msg2939