The real test was encoding. Using VirtualDub or StaxRip with the Xvid VFW codec in 2017 felt like stepping into a time capsule. The interface was dated, the bitrate calculators were manual, and the two-pass encoding method was slow compared to modern GPUs.
CPU usage was remarkably low. Unlike modern codecs that rely on GPU decoding, Xvid was purely software-decoded. On a 2017-era Intel Core i3 or i5, playing a 720p Xvid file used less than 5% CPU. For 1080p Xvid (rare, but possible), CPU usage climbed to 15-20%. There were no modern benefits like hardware acceleration, but the codec was so light that it didn’t matter. xvid video codec 2017 for windows 10
Disclaimer: Always download software from official sources to avoid malware. The real test was encoding