Sorry to start a new graphics card thread, but I’m confused.

[Bob Peterson]

Based on what I saw, Photoshop uses the GPU for things like Warp, Liquify, Paint and other special functions. Perhaps you use these things for 200-300 photos at fashion shows or weddings. If so, perhaps a GPU will give you a speed boost. I suspect most photographers are like me. These functions are used rarely when there is a very special need. For the vast majority of photos, they are irrelevant. However, if GPU was used for all raw processing, or all rendering of an image, there would be a more substantial case. I did not see this mentioned in the specs I saw for functions which utilize the GPU. Perhaps someone has a link to a more comprehensive discussion of this topic?

[Heinrich Himmel]

I would go AMD R9 series now. There are good deals out now and they perform very well.

Adobe uses OpenCL as well. My R9 280x is about 20% slower than GTX 580 in GPU acceleration.

Photoshop runs pretty fast on all my systems… Heck it runs fast on my laptop and Surface pro. I generally only work on 1 photo/image at a time in Photoshop. Only for certain edits. For something like Wedding Photos, I use Lightroom. It is maybe 50x-100x faster workflow. Editing and exporting 1000 photos takes 3 hours vs days/weeks in photoshop…

John Rofrano’s build is similar to mine, just a half generation older. It is a good start for someone looking to have a strong PC for editing. At this point, I would do x99 system with 5820K and an R9 card. No sense getting better CPU unless you have use for the extra PCI lanes (multiple GPU, RAID cards, etc…)

[Luigi Perrotta]

I wish I could understand all the tech stuff about these video cards but I don’t.
I have two simple questions: With a “better video card”, will I see a difference on playback when I preview?
Will I see a big difference in the finished product?
I only edit about a dozen videos a year and I am not pressed for time.
I am using a GeForce GT 640 2 GB. I don’t really see any difference from the card that came with the computer.
I am a musician, when I buy audio equipment I turn my back and let the salesman play, many times I pick the least expensive choice.
I used to edit audio using studio monitors, but then I realize that most people view my video on a TV, now I mix using small inexpensive speakers, I get better results.
I wish I there was a way to audition video cards.

[John Rofrano]

[Luigi Perrotta] “With a “better video card”, will I see a difference on playback when I preview?”

You should. There is no guarantee but in general, a good graphics card like a AMD R9 290x will improve playback performance.

[Luigi Perrotta] “Will I see a big difference in the finished product?”

No. In fact, the finished product could be worse in which case you will need to disable the GPU for rendering. Usually the finish product is the same regardless of video card.

[Luigi Perrotta] “I only edit about a dozen videos a year and I am not pressed for time.”

It’s not a matter of time. It’s a matter of being able to edit the video without annoying stutter. If your timeline playback is stuttering badly it makes it very hard to edit.

[Luigi Perrotta] “I am using a GeForce GT 640 2 GB. I don’t really see any difference from the card that came with the computer.”

What card came with the computer? The encoders in Vegas Pro won’t take advance of the GeForce 6xx series. They are programmed for the 4xx ro 5xx series only. Timeline playback is using Open CL which is better supported by AMD than NVIDIA.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Luigi Perrotta]

Thank you John,
I think the card that came with my computer is embedded in the motherboard.

I didn’t have a stuttering problem, I had an audio out of sync and a crashing problem. The reason I mentioned TIME it is because some of the members were pressed for time. If I did this for a living, I couldn’t put up with crashes I would be pressed to find and resolve the problem even if it would mean dumping Vegas, computer etc. As a musician I carry 2 PA Systems and two keyboards I double everything just in case something fails, I would do the same if I was a videographer.

Let’s hope by installing a new OS and all new drivers the problem is resolved. If the problem persist then I will look for a different card, but I would like a card that in the preview would show me exactly what the finished product will look like.

I think the card you mention above, cost more then $300.

My next multitrack project will be in a few months.

[John Rofrano]

[Luigi Perrotta] “I think the card you mention above, cost more then $300.”

You could go with the cheaper R9 290 (without the ‘x’) or even the R9 280. You just don’t want to get a GPU that’s too weak because at some point your CPU may be more powerful than your GPU adding a GPU won’t matter or can even show you down.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com