tegwin
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 05:12 PM |
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OT Computer GPU vs CPU
Anyone know anything about how various programs make use of the PC hardware?!
Specifically I am talking about video editing software and 3D modeling software such as Solidworks.
Where exactly is the information processed? Are ALL graphical elements handled by the GPU (and its onboard memory) or is the mathematical
calculations for the image done in the CPU and handed to the GPU to be "displayed"? IE which chip is getting the bigger workload.
The reason I ask is, I want to speed up my computer for video editing and 3D modeling but not sure how critical a big graphics chip (and graphics
memory) is going to be for the sort of computing I do. If its not critical then the money might be better spent on a better CPU and RAM if that is
where most of the "load" occurs.
Thoughts?
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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flibble
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 05:46 PM |
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A couple of years ago when I had Solidworks, it definatly sucked up CPU/ram, not sure anything went to GPU for processing.
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rodgling
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 06:52 PM |
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Depends entirely on the program. Ultimately either CPU or GPU can do the computation that needs to be done, it's just a case of how the software
is written. The GPU will almost always be used for rendering stuff, whether it's used for other computation will vary. You really need to
contact support for the specific software you're using and ask them.
Alternatively, use the program and if you can see that your CPU is maxed out, that tells you that upgrading your CPU will help; if not, then it
probably won't.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 07:04 PM |
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Video editing also requires a shed load of menory.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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stevebubs
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 08:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Anyone know anything about how various programs make use of the PC hardware?!
Specifically I am talking about video editing software and 3D modeling software such as Solidworks.
Where exactly is the information processed? Are ALL graphical elements handled by the GPU (and its onboard memory) or is the mathematical
calculations for the image done in the CPU and handed to the GPU to be "displayed"? IE which chip is getting the bigger workload.
The reason I ask is, I want to speed up my computer for video editing and 3D modeling but not sure how critical a big graphics chip (and graphics
memory) is going to be for the sort of computing I do. If its not critical then the money might be better spent on a better CPU and RAM if that is
where most of the "load" occurs.
Thoughts?
Really depends on the program and how it's written - modern graphical stuff *should* be able to divvy up the work between GPU and CPU...best
thing is to do a bit of research, identify which programs you're going to be using (and versions) and then do a bit more research.
Do agree that memory is going to be a major item to be aware of - the more it has to refer to hard disk rather than memory, the slower it will be.
[Edited on 18/9/11 by stevebubs]
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stevebubs
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 08:11 PM |
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Nice simple article..
http://compreviews.about.com/od/video/a/GPUMoreThan3D.htm
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tegwin
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 09:20 PM |
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That does make interesting reading. Looks like I need to upgrade both, but with emphasis on memory.... fun times for the bank balance.
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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stevebubs
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| posted on 18/9/11 at 10:11 PM |
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post your current specs, the packages you want to use and your budget...I'm sure there will be 1 or 2 on here that will be able to provide an
informed opinion on the best balance of components...
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Liam
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| posted on 19/9/11 at 06:26 PM |
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Generally the CPU will be most important for the tasks you describe. Video editing, or at least the rendering/encoding part eats up RAM, CPU cores and
GHz so you might want to look at a pretty high end at least quad core CPU like an i7 and overclock it to a nice 4GHz or so. GPU is only really used
for the viewport in 3D modelling and unless you are contemplating massive assemblies a mid level GPU will keep up no problem - the scene is nowhere
near as complicated to render as the average game, for example.
That all changes slightly if your particular application specifically supports offloading work to the GPU - eg CUDA (Nvidia's proprietary
implementaton) or OpenCL (open source that will run on anything i.e. ATI/AMD). Have to look into the software you plan to use. A £100 ish GPU should
be more than enough unless you want to do some serious CUDA numbercrunching. Or take up gaming or folding. Then your bank balance is the limit.
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