System Requirements

Complete technical specifications and requirements for DeepTalk installation and optimal performance. This guide covers hardware, software, network, and external service requirements.

Minimum System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Processor (CPU):

Minimum: Dual-core 2.0 GHz processor
Recommended: Quad-core 2.5 GHz or higher
Optimal: 8+ core processor for large-scale processing
Architecture: x64 (64-bit) required
Notes: Multi-core processors significantly improve processing speed

Memory (RAM):

Minimum: 4GB RAM
Recommended: 8GB RAM
Optimal: 16GB+ RAM for large files and concurrent processing
Usage patterns:
- Basic usage: 2-4GB
- Multiple large files: 8-12GB
- Enterprise/team usage: 16GB+

Storage:

Minimum: 2GB free disk space for installation
Recommended: 10GB+ for content library growth
Optimal: 50GB+ for extensive content libraries
Type: SSD strongly recommended for performance
Speed: 7200 RPM minimum for traditional drives

Network:

Minimum: Stable internet connection for external services
Recommended: Broadband connection (10+ Mbps)
Optimal: High-speed broadband (50+ Mbps) for cloud services
Local: Gigabit Ethernet for local service integration

Software Requirements

Operating System:

Windows:

Minimum: Windows 10 (version 1809 or later)
Recommended: Windows 10 (latest version) or Windows 11
Architecture: 64-bit (x64) required
Updates: Latest Windows updates recommended

macOS:

Minimum: macOS 10.14 (Mojave)
Recommended: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
Architecture: Intel x64 or Apple Silicon (M1/M2)
Updates: Latest macOS updates recommended

Linux:

Minimum: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or equivalent
Recommended: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later
Other distributions: Debian 10+, CentOS 8+, Fedora 30+
Architecture: x64 (64-bit)
Dependencies: See Linux-specific requirements below

Runtime Requirements:

Node.js: Version 16.0 or later (if applicable)
Electron: Bundled with application
System libraries: Platform-specific audio/video codecs

Recommended System Specifications

Performance Tiers

Basic User (Individual, Small Files):

CPU: Quad-core 2.5 GHz
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB SSD
Network: 25 Mbps broadband
Use case: Personal use, small meetings, occasional transcription

Power User (Frequent Use, Large Files):

CPU: 6-8 core 3.0 GHz+
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB SSD
Network: 100 Mbps broadband
Use case: Regular professional use, larger meetings, frequent analysis

Team/Enterprise (Multiple Users, Heavy Processing):

CPU: 8+ core 3.5 GHz+
RAM: 32GB+
Storage: 1TB+ SSD
Network: Gigabit connection
Use case: Team deployment, enterprise usage, high-volume processing

Performance Optimization Hardware

CPU Considerations:

Single-thread performance: Important for real-time processing
Multi-thread performance: Critical for batch operations
Cache size: Larger L3 cache improves performance
Thermal design: Sustained performance under load

Memory Optimization:

Speed: DDR4-3200 or faster
Capacity: Scale with typical file sizes and concurrent usage
Configuration: Dual-channel configuration preferred
Swap space: 2x RAM size for virtual memory

Storage Performance:

NVMe SSD: Best performance for application and working files
SATA SSD: Good performance, cost-effective option
Separate drives: OS on SSD, content library on separate fast drive
Network storage: High-performance NAS for shared team libraries

External Service Requirements

Speaches (Enhanced Transcription)

System Requirements:

CPU: 4+ cores recommended for model execution
RAM: 8GB+ for large models, 4GB minimum for small models
Storage: 5-20GB for model storage depending on models used
GPU: Optional but recommended for faster processing (CUDA-compatible)

Model Requirements:

Model Size           RAM Required    Storage    Processing Speed
─────────────       ────────────    ───────    ────────────────
whisper-tiny        1GB             39MB       ~32x real-time
whisper-base        1GB             142MB      ~16x real-time
whisper-small       2GB             461MB      ~6x real-time
whisper-medium      5GB             1.5GB      ~2x real-time
whisper-large       10GB            2.9GB      ~1x real-time

Network Requirements:

Local installation: No network required after model download
Remote deployment: Stable network connection to Speaches service
Bandwidth: 1-10 Mbps depending on audio file sizes

Ollama (AI Analysis)

System Requirements:

CPU: 4+ cores for reasonable performance
RAM: Varies significantly by model size (see model requirements)
Storage: 5-50GB depending on models installed
GPU: Optional but dramatically improves performance

Model Requirements:

Model               RAM Required    Storage    Use Case
──────             ────────────    ───────    ────────
llama2:7b          8GB             3.8GB      General purpose
llama2:13b         16GB            7.3GB      Better analysis
llama2:70b         64GB            39GB       Highest quality
mistral:7b         8GB             4.1GB      Efficient performance
codellama:7b       8GB             3.8GB      Technical content

GPU Acceleration:

NVIDIA: CUDA-compatible GPUs (GTX 1060+ recommended)
AMD: ROCm support (limited model compatibility)
Apple Silicon: Built-in GPU acceleration (M1/M2)
Performance impact: 5-50x faster processing with appropriate GPU

Cloud Service Alternatives

Cloud Transcription Services:

Network: Stable broadband connection required
Latency: <200ms for optimal experience
Bandwidth: Upload bandwidth proportional to file sizes
Data usage: Consider metered connections

Cloud AI Services:

Network: Stable connection with low latency
API limits: Check service rate limits and quotas
Data transfer: Consider privacy and bandwidth implications
Fallback: Local services recommended as backup

Platform-Specific Requirements

Windows-Specific

Additional Requirements:

Visual C++ Redistributable: Latest version required
Windows Media Foundation: For audio/video codec support
DirectX: DirectX 11 or later
PowerShell: Version 5.1 or later (for automation)

Windows Features:

Windows Subsystem for Linux: Optional, for advanced users
Hyper-V: If running services in virtual machines
Windows Defender: Exclusions may be needed for performance

Performance Considerations:

Antivirus: Configure exclusions for DeepTalk directories
Power management: Use “High Performance” power plan
Background apps: Disable unnecessary startup applications
Storage sense: Configure to avoid interference with processing

macOS-Specific

Additional Requirements:

Xcode Command Line Tools: Required for some external services
Homebrew: Recommended for external service installation
Rosetta 2: Required for Intel apps on Apple Silicon
SIP (System Integrity Protection): May affect some integrations

macOS Features:

Gatekeeper: Configure for external service installation
Privacy permissions: Grant microphone and file access
Spotlight: Exclude processing directories for performance
Energy Saver: Configure for sustained performance

Apple Silicon Considerations:

Native support: Check if external services support Apple Silicon
Rosetta 2: Performance impact for Intel-only applications
Memory efficiency: Apple Silicon uses unified memory architecture
Thermal management: Excellent sustained performance characteristics

Linux-Specific

Distribution Requirements:

Distribution        Version         Notes
────────────       ─────────       ─────
Ubuntu             18.04+          LTS recommended
Debian             10+             Stable release
CentOS/RHEL        8+              Enterprise deployment
Fedora             30+             Recent packages
Arch Linux         Rolling         Advanced users
openSUSE           15.0+           Enterprise alternative

Package Dependencies:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential curl git python3 python3-pip
sudo apt install ffmpeg libasound2-dev libglib2.0-dev
sudo apt install libgtk-3-dev libnotify-dev libnss3-dev

# CentOS/RHEL/Fedora
sudo dnf install gcc-c++ make curl git python3 python3-pip
sudo dnf install ffmpeg alsa-lib-devel glib2-devel
sudo dnf install gtk3-devel libnotify-devel nss-devel

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S base-devel curl git python python-pip
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg alsa-lib glib2 gtk3 libnotify nss

System Configuration:

Audio system: PulseAudio or ALSA properly configured
Display server: X11 or Wayland with appropriate permissions
User permissions: Audio group membership for audio access
SELinux/AppArmor: Configure policies if enabled

Network and Connectivity

Bandwidth Requirements

Upload Bandwidth:

File Size          Upload Time (10 Mbps)    Upload Time (100 Mbps)
─────────         ─────────────────────    ──────────────────────
10MB (10 min)     8 seconds                <1 second
50MB (50 min)     40 seconds               4 seconds
200MB (3 hours)   2.7 minutes              16 seconds
500MB (8 hours)   6.7 minutes              40 seconds

Download Bandwidth:

Model downloads: One-time large downloads (1-40GB)
Software updates: Periodic smaller downloads (100MB-1GB)
Cloud services: Ongoing API communication (minimal)

Network Configuration

Firewall Configuration:

Service           Port      Protocol    Direction
─────────        ──────    ────────    ─────────
DeepTalk         3000      TCP         Inbound (if web interface)
Speaches         8000      TCP         Inbound/Outbound
Ollama           11434     TCP         Inbound/Outbound
SSH (optional)   22        TCP         Inbound (for remote access)

Proxy and Corporate Networks:

HTTP/HTTPS proxy: Configure for external service access
Corporate firewall: Allow traffic to required services
VPN considerations: Ensure VPN doesn’t block local services
DNS configuration: Resolve localhost and service names correctly

Security Considerations

Local Network Security:

Firewall rules: Restrict access to local services as needed
Authentication: Configure service authentication if exposed
Encryption: Use HTTPS/TLS for external communications
Access control: Limit service access to authorized users

Data Protection:

Local processing: Most data processed locally for privacy
Cloud services: Understand data handling policies
Encryption: Data encrypted in transit and at rest
Backup security: Secure backup and archive procedures

Performance Benchmarks

Processing Performance

Transcription Performance (Speaches):

Model Size        Real-time Factor    1-hour File Processing
────────────     ────────────────    ──────────────────────
whisper-tiny     32x                 ~2 minutes
whisper-base     16x                 ~4 minutes
whisper-small    6x                  ~10 minutes
whisper-medium   2x                  ~30 minutes
whisper-large    1x                  ~60 minutes

Analysis Performance (Ollama):

Model Size        Tokens/Second    Analysis Time (1-hour transcript)
────────────     ─────────────    ──────────────────────────────
7B parameters    10-50            2-10 minutes
13B parameters   5-25             4-20 minutes
70B parameters   1-10             10-60 minutes

System Performance Indicators:

Memory usage: Should not exceed 80% of available RAM
CPU usage: Sustained 70-90% during processing is normal
Disk I/O: SSD recommended for processing-heavy workloads
Network usage: Minimal for local processing, variable for cloud

Scalability Metrics

Single User Performance:

Concurrent files: 1-3 files processing simultaneously
File size limit: 2GB per file recommended
Daily throughput: 50-200 hours of audio per day
Storage growth: Plan for 10-50GB per 1000 hours of content

Team Performance:

Concurrent users: 5-20 users per server deployment
Shared processing: Queue management for multiple users
Storage sharing: Network storage for team content libraries
Resource scaling: Linear scaling with user count

Troubleshooting Performance Issues

Common Performance Problems

Slow Processing:

Insufficient RAM: Upgrade memory or process smaller files
CPU bottleneck: Use faster processor or enable GPU acceleration
Disk I/O: Switch to SSD or optimize disk configuration
Network latency: Use local services instead of cloud when possible

Memory Issues:

Out of memory errors: Reduce file size or increase RAM
Memory leaks: Restart services periodically
Swap usage: Monitor virtual memory usage
Resource monitoring: Use system tools to track memory usage

Storage Problems:

Insufficient space: Clear temporary files and old content
Slow disk access: Defragment drives or upgrade to SSD
Network storage: Optimize network storage configuration
Backup management: Implement efficient backup strategies

Performance Optimization

System Optimization:

# Linux: Monitor system performance
htop                    # Real-time process monitoring
iotop                   # Disk I/O monitoring
nethogs                 # Network usage by process
df -h                   # Disk usage

# macOS: Monitor system performance
top -o cpu              # CPU usage monitoring
top -o rsize            # Memory usage monitoring
iostat                  # Disk I/O statistics

# Windows: Use built-in tools
Task Manager            # Resource monitoring
Resource Monitor        # Detailed resource tracking
Performance Monitor     # Historical performance data

Service Optimization:

Model selection: Use appropriate models for quality vs. speed needs
Batch processing: Process multiple files during off-peak hours
Resource allocation: Configure services for available hardware
Monitoring: Track performance metrics and optimize accordingly

Hardware Upgrades (Priority Order):

RAM: Most immediate impact for large files
SSD: Dramatic improvement in file operations
CPU: Better performance for processing-intensive tasks
GPU: Significant acceleration for supported operations
Network: Important for cloud services and team collaboration

System Check: Use the diagnostic commands provided to verify your system meets requirements before installation, and monitor performance during operation to identify optimization opportunities.