[ANSWERED] is isadora lean more on GPU or CPU processing?

thatmattrogers

I'm deciding which of 2 machines to use for a project.

one has a more capable CPU that the other but is using integrated graphics so is far less capable on the GPU side.

the other has an older CPU that's quite a bit less capable, but has a discreet graphics card.

in a general case should I prioritise power from the GPU or CPU?

mark

@thatmattrogers

I would say you want a balance of the two. Getting a super high-performance gaming GPU isn't worth the money, because at a certain point it's giving you extra-high performance for games, but not necessarily for video processing. In other words, get the best of both but don't break your wallet on the GPU.

Best Wishes,
Mark

thatmattrogers

@mark

That's always the ideal, but in this case I have to choose between 2 physical machines that are in the building.

obviously some actors are more gpu heavy compared with others, and the what will dictate the demand to some extent but in this case I'm choosing between the following two machines...

MACHINE A: an AMD 1700x paired with a ryzen 580 gpu and 32gb ram

MACHINE B: an AMD 5900HX APU paired with 16GB ram.

MACHINE B has an much more capable CPU but vastly reduced GPU performance... and the MACHINE A has the opposite pros and cons with the added bonus of having dedicated Vram and 16GB extra general purpose RAM.

which of these 2, would be the better hardware for isadora to run on?

DusX

@thatmattrogers

What type of work are you planning to do? Do you use a lot of video effects? If you are gong to stack many effects and GLSL the video card will help, but my gut says you will go further with more CPU. I have a gtx1070 in my laptop and I seldome get it to 50% gpu usage (even running a number of effects) but can max at least one cpu core more regularly (i7 with 2.2 ghz)

liminal_andy

@thatmattrogers The other thing to think about, a tad tangential to Isadora perhaps, is your upgrade path. If you go for the 1700X system, you would need to replace the GPU in order to upgrade, but if you get the APU today, you can buy a GPU later (after the supply shortage!) and add it in without needing to replace anything. Maybe that presents more value to you?

thatmattrogers

@dusx

This project isn't particularly heavy on effects per se. But I am regularly showing several video inputs at the same time, and in one particular moment I'm using the same video feed 9 times with different delays applied.

in the case of that specific scene would the extra VRAM on the RX580 be preferable to an APU?

thatmattrogers

@liminal_andy

in this case both systems are already owned by the company, I'm just looking for advice as to which one of the 2 would be better to use.

In some ways if the difference in performance would be minimal then the 5900HX APU system might be preferable in terms of keeping the size of the touring gear to a minimum, but it's not worth it if that means sacrificing performance.

DusX

Isadora doesn't usually need the 3D processing power of the highest-end GPUs at this time, but the VRAM does come in handy.

If you have the project file already (or can make a comparable test file) run it and watch the video ram usage in Task Manager. That should let you know if the APU has enough available.

It's possible to each up a lot with video delay.