A few questions regarding a brand new IP Camera + NVR Setup

Hi guys,

I've been reading the forum for a while and finally getting ready to pull the trigger on a IP camera + recording setup.

Need to install 8 cameras to the exterior of a building and have already ran the ethernet cable to each desired installation spot.

I am thinking of purchasing 8 of the Dahua IPC-HFW4300S 3MP cameras from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VSTG2). Is there something better than this in the same price range?

I will also be purchasing a PoE switch to handle all the cameras.

My main question is about the hardware to use for handling the recording of the camera streams.

I have a Tripp Lite 6U rack (http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-SRW6U-Enclosure-Cabinet/dp/B003K1NFY4) which has currently 3U of free space in it. I would like to have an NVR that runs BlueIris (or any better alternative?) on it and is able to be rack mounted into my box. Ideally it would be a regular PC versus a proprietary NVR so that it would provide more flexibility and upgrade options in the future.

What is the best way to go with something that could be rack-mounted and can easily handle 8 HD quality streams from these cameras?

Alternatively, could I use something like an Intel NUC (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXD54250WYKH1-Core-i5-4250U-Graphics/dp/B00HZDLNWO/) with an i5 Processor and connected to a 4 TB external drive?

If you have any other suggestions about the rest of my setup, I would appreciate your input, thank you!

Blue Iris likes a lot of CPU, and how much it takes would depend on the resolution and frame rate. Best bet is to check over at the BI community forum at cam-it.org, where there's lots of info on how to get the best performance.

A modern i5 or i7 should be able to handle 8 x 3MP cams if you don't go too high on the frame rate. I run an i5-3570k with 9 cams, 13MP, 10 fps, and it could probably handle another 3MP cam. I don't run direct to disk, which reduces CPU load, but someone who does could tell you how much it'll help.

Another option is Milestone Xprotect, which doesn't require as much CPU power but costs more for the software, which may even out.

Both BI and Xprotect are available as demo or free versions, so best bet is to fire them up and see which one you like.

If you have any other suggestions about the rest of my setup, I would appreciate your input, thank you!

Or you could get a dedicated rackable 1U-2U NVR, that can do more than any PC and handle storage/recording to 4-8HDDs. Besides that, DAHUA's ONVIF implementation in NVRs is kind of good, stable, mature and it works well with most of the ONVIF certified cameras.

Less power consumption, almost same price of the hardware of a PC, no software fees, better results and way more performance in FullHD or upper decoding/recording.