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ATI vs. NVIDIA – Does video card matter?
Heylo!
I’m about to jump into the Final Cut Pro camp and going to purchase a PowerMac Dual 2ghz G5 soon! My question is: does the video card on the G5 matter in terms of video editing performance? Since Apple announced the new PowerMac lineup, my school is discounting the current (well I guess the previous) line-up of PowerMacs. Is the ATI Radeon 9600 worth paying extra for or the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra be more than sufficient for FCP and After Effects?
My impression is that video cards today are pretty much at its peak for 2D usage (which I would I think falls under FCP and After Effects) and that difference in cards today are mostly its 3D? I don’t plan on playing any games or doing 3D on this system, it’s mostly for video editing and apps like After Effects. Would I see any real world performance boost going with the ATI? Please correct me if I’m wrong and any suggestions/recommendation would be appreciated. Thanks!!!
-Wes
P.S.: The price difference between the old and new Dual 2ghz G5 would be $300
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20 Replies
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Shaders! That’s the word you need to know. Video graphics processing is moving to the GPU on the graphics card, with apps like Motion etc, and look at what Final Touch is doing – real time CC on 2k, HD etc, all using the GPU on the graphics card. I’ve got a ATI9800 128MB ram, and that’s too slow, so I’ve put an order in for the X800. Get the best card you can afford if you want to be on the new wave of new GPU based apps.
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects for FCP
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FCP 5 sounds like it will lean on the Graphics card much like Motion does right now so yes, the video card matters. I’m running the nVidia Ultra 6800 and Motion went from puttering along to giving me awesome realtime performance even in full resolution. You’ll see the same with FCP 5.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Note too that app’s like Silicon Color’s Final Touch REQUIRE very specific video cards to run
( that case being either the 9800XT or ATI X800 card) so the requirements of these new apps is going to force the issue of GPU processors for the newer apps.the x800 card runs the 30’in display and makes silicon color just scream!
ga
gary adcock
Studio37
HD and Film Consultation -
[gary adcock] “the x800 card runs the 30’in display and makes silicon color just scream! “
Good to hear you like the app as I’m about to add it to my facility for an HD series we’re cutting. So Final Touch HD will NOT run period on the nVidia Ultra 6800?
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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That’s right Gary! And that’s indeed why the x800 is on order. Also, it doesn’t take up two slots, which is important to me. I’m just starting to write plugins for Final Touch, and it’s fun – but I think a better card would make it more so, and then there’s Doom 3 to think about after work.
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects for FCP
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Only the ATI cards at the moment. I think it’s some sort of driver issue or something like that. AFAIK, they’re hitting the hardware fairly hard to drive the real time.
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects for FCP
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I don’t think FCP5 is doing much in the way of GPU accelleration or else you’d find it very slow to see what you’re doing out of your capture card, due to the slow speed of the AGP buss going backward. I think we’ll have to wait for PCI-Express before we get good GPU stuff in FCP.
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects for FCP
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Is the X800 approved and/or optimized to work with FCP5? Should we all be taking the leap if we can afford it ($500)?
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As I say, I don’t think FCP itself is going to benefit, but we’ll know soon, eh? As for compatible – I’ve not head anything to the contrary, and again, I’ll know better when it arrives and I have it installed.
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects for FCP
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I completely agree with Graeme (when don’t I?). FCP isn’t going to really see any gains right now, but I have to believe it will in due time. It makes a lot of sense for it to use help from the GPU.
And to add to Graeme, the available display cards for our G5s are currently CRAP. Sorry to be so blunt, but in my other clone-life, I do 3D animation on Windows where 3D cards are like the Space Shuttle and the 9800 and X800 are like rubber-band propellor airplanes. For our G5’s to really get into the serious OpenGL ballgame, we need to (1) get PCI-Express and (2) have nVidia/ATI/3DLabs write drivers for their top-end PCI-E cards for OSX. HP currently offers a workstation that has dual PCI-E slots for displays. This means you could tie two nVidia FX4400 cards together (there’s a bridge ribbon that clones them together internally). This would make any power-hungry geek fall in love.
So yes, by going by those standards, our current single-slot AGP configuration is, well, totally weak.
=(
Marco Solorio | OneRiver Media
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