AMD or NVIDIA

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AMD or NVIDIA

Postby Diane48 » Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:15 pm

The time has come for me to invest in a new desktop.
My biggest decision lies with the choice of NVIDIA or AMD.
I have had some problems with Producer over the years with NVIDIA which I have on this desktop and am considering a switch to AMD. I am getting the new system custom built so can go either way. My IT man always favours NVIDIA but I just don't know. My present video card is a NVidia GeForce GTX 560 which gives me plenty of GPU but it keeps stopping and restarting.
I checked out the old posts but all are a few months old and these things change so quickly so thought I would start up a new thread.
I also do some video editing with Pinnacle Studio 16 so want something to work well with both software.

Could you please advise which system you are using and point me in a favourable direction. I won't say money is not an issue...it always is, but am willing to spend to get the right system. This has to last me quite a few years.

Thanks in advance
Cheers, Diane

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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby irwin » Sun Aug 11, 2013 11:39 pm

I have no problem with a GTX 660. Although I did not test very heavy projects.
I do not think something wrong with Nvidia cards in general.
Do you work with 5.0.3310 version of Proshow Producer? There were changes in the latest release concerning GPU acceleration for Nvidia cards.
Also you can take a look at a humble statistics showing some of Proshow users' videocards.

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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby BarbaraC » Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:31 am

I tend to stick with AMD because of the driver issues that have been reported with nVidia. Those issues are certainly not across the board, but it's just that I've read of people's problems with nVidia and not with AMD. This is what's termed anecdotal evidence, and shouldn't be taken as advice.

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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby im42n8 » Mon Aug 12, 2013 3:35 pm

I've used both video cards ... had problems with both. But, it may have just been an incompatibility with the computer and the type of card I was trying use (while trying to wring as much performance out of it as possible ... the computer may have just been complaining). I was aiming high. I said to heck with it and built my own computer instead of getting a ready built one. So much for my experimentation with pre-built.

Right now I'm using the GeForce GTX 660 and have had no problems whatsoever with it. It may not be the fastest but it has plenty of power for creating video and for playing most of my effects within ProShow without stuttering (something that happened all the time with the previous computer).

Dale
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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby bobradarbob » Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:06 pm

Diane

I build my own systems. I, like Dale, had better luck just doing it my self than depending on Dell, HP or whoever. I have used both vendors products. Nvidia historically has higher power needs and the power supply had better be up to the job if you go with Nvidia. Higher power can mean more heat and fans but not always if that is an issue for you. AMD drivers have been updated (at least for the software that I use) more frequently than Nvidia's in my experience. Newegg.com sells both brands and usually keeps the latest. I am only mentioning Newegg because of the info you can gather about a given product by reading the "feedback" from buyers. Just be careful that there are a good number of individual comments for a valid statistical sample. Three or four comments are just not enough for me to conclude anything about a product these days.

I'd say; "Don't go cheap on your power supply (PC Power and Cooling or SeaSonic), motherboard (ASUS or Gigabyte) or hard drives (Seagate, Hitachi, WesternDigital) as a general rule". Also, you may want to discuss SSD or SSHD with your PC builder. Solid State storage yields faster access times to your intermediate storage while working on shows. For the record, Chevy and Ford arguments come to mind when I hear computer folk discussing AMD vs Nvidia video cards. As long as you know that you are going to be spending about $300+ for either of these company's more powerful cards, you will do well with either one.

bob

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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby BarbaraC » Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:21 am

I got an incredible deal on a very hot AMD card (Gigabyte brand), and it's been an absolute champ, but in case you missed my description of what ensued from obtaining this card, here's the short version of what happened: It wouldn't fit inside the computer case I had, and the motherboard wouldn't run it. I ended up building a computer around that video card, which meant getting a larger case, a new motherboard, a much beefier power supply, and so forth. The point here is that such cards are large and hungry, but if you're doing a lot of video, it can be worth it. I may have spent more than expected, but I've been one very happy camper.

Barbara
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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby Diane48 » Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:42 pm

Thank you all for your helpful advice.
I finally made the decision and went with an AMD 7950. With an SSD C Drive and a terabyte hard drive with 16gb Ram and 3.4gh CPU I should be all good to go by next week.
In the meantime I am busy saving and sorting my files. Oh dear what a mess I get into sometimes. I end up with so many copies of things but am slowly getting there...then next week (or the weekend hopefully) I will have the new machine to transfer it to. My computer only shuts down when previewing proshow or video shows so I have at least been able to work with my files and get them ready for transfer.
Barbara I am starting out with a new case. I like the one I have but a new one meant I wouldn't be without a computer for long!! I know you always champion AMD cards so I hope I will be happy too.
BobI will leave the power supply to the IT and I trust that he knows about that sort of thing, although after reading your post I did mention it to him in passing. I smiled at your Chevy and Ford comment. I have been saying it is like comparing Holdens and Fords. That is what we say downunder.
Dale. If I went to a NVidia card I was going to get the one you have. Hope I have made the right decision going with AMD.

Thank you all once again.
Cheers, Diane

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Re: AMD or NVIDIA

Postby BarbaraC » Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:59 am

Diane, my own AMD is in the 7900 series, though off the top of my head, I can't remember precisely which one. It's fast and reliable (and big!)

You're going to be so happy with your new machine, but before you know it, you'll be used to its speed and you'll be taking it for granted. I was sure this wouldn't happen to me, but within a month, I'd forgotten how excited I'd been with its responsiveness. It's rather like chewing gum--the flavor lasts only just so long. :D

Barbara
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