How do I know which Graphics Card I can upgrade to? (AMD Processor)
August 16, 2015 6:33 PM Subscribe
Hi MeFi,
I have a PC I bought in 2012 and it has served me well for past years, however, it skips/lags when it comes to 1080p/4k video. I am looking to upgrade to a better card but unsure what factors I have to consider before upgrading. I mostly do video editing + motion media.
The machine is as follows:
Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
CPU: AMD FX-8150 (Zambezi 32nm Technology)
Motherboard: Gigabyte 2AC8
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7570 2gb
RAM: 16gb
Is there a site that will let me figure out which GFX card(s) my machine is upgradable to?
Thanks in advance!
You shouldn't need too much in the way of video card, all the remotely high-end stuff is strictly for gaming. What's your power supply? An Nvidia GTX750 Ti with passive cooling would be a significant upgrade, not too power hungry and completely silent so I'd probably recommend that. Before you spend money try updating your drivers and doing a little computer hygiene, there's a possibility it's not an out of date video card that's too blame.
posted by Sebmojo at 6:48 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by Sebmojo at 6:48 PM on August 16, 2015
There is some very good advice upthread. (Definitely check your drivers!)
The market for video cards is very tightly-packed and competitive, so the more money you spend, the better the card you get. Logical Increments gives a good sense of where different cards rank on the price scale.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:09 PM on August 16, 2015
The market for video cards is very tightly-packed and competitive, so the more money you spend, the better the card you get. Logical Increments gives a good sense of where different cards rank on the price scale.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:09 PM on August 16, 2015
Best answer: That's a fairly decent video card, and a fairly decent CPU. Those are both in the midrange of desktop performance still.
Seeing as how something like an hp stream can play 1080p video with stuttering, i think your problem is not with your CPU or GPU.
Something else is going on here. That card is a lot stronger than most onboard graphics on systems that can play even 4k just fine. The crappiest intel HD graphics in the current bay trail/cherry trail atom CPUs can do that smoothly.
Do a clean install, and install this and try playing the same stuff. Try VLC as well.
What software suite is being used for editing? I've smoothly edited 1080p high bitrate video on WAY crappier systems than that with no problems. And that's a good amount of ram, and everything.
I agree with the suggestion that if you want to upgrade, grab a 750ti(even the cheapest prebuilt system will be able to run that, it draws way less power than even a 7570)... but i don't think you need to here.
posted by emptythought at 7:43 PM on August 16, 2015
Seeing as how something like an hp stream can play 1080p video with stuttering, i think your problem is not with your CPU or GPU.
Something else is going on here. That card is a lot stronger than most onboard graphics on systems that can play even 4k just fine. The crappiest intel HD graphics in the current bay trail/cherry trail atom CPUs can do that smoothly.
Do a clean install, and install this and try playing the same stuff. Try VLC as well.
What software suite is being used for editing? I've smoothly edited 1080p high bitrate video on WAY crappier systems than that with no problems. And that's a good amount of ram, and everything.
I agree with the suggestion that if you want to upgrade, grab a 750ti(even the cheapest prebuilt system will be able to run that, it draws way less power than even a 7570)... but i don't think you need to here.
posted by emptythought at 7:43 PM on August 16, 2015
Response by poster: All drivers are up to date.
I use Adobe CC (Premiere/After Effects) for work. It worked fine for about 2 years but lately started lagging/skipping. Also happens whenever I try do any audio/midi production via Ableton's Live.
I suppose a clean-install is probably the right way to go about it. Thank you all for your comments! Much appreciated.
posted by cheero at 8:13 PM on August 16, 2015
I use Adobe CC (Premiere/After Effects) for work. It worked fine for about 2 years but lately started lagging/skipping. Also happens whenever I try do any audio/midi production via Ableton's Live.
I suppose a clean-install is probably the right way to go about it. Thank you all for your comments! Much appreciated.
posted by cheero at 8:13 PM on August 16, 2015
Response by poster: Forgot to mention, most of my video/audio stuff is on my SSD (128gb) rest of the resource/samples/footage files live on my 1tb sata.
posted by cheero at 8:14 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by cheero at 8:14 PM on August 16, 2015
As to Codec packs, there are two others. CCCP is very common and very widely used.
I personally use Shark007.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:54 PM on August 16, 2015
I personally use Shark007.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:54 PM on August 16, 2015
Best answer: Do not, I repeat do not, use *any* codec packs with Adobe Premiere Pro. That could be your culprit right there.
Adobe Premiere Pro uses it's own engine and codec packs screw that up.
> It worked fine for about 2 years but lately started lagging/skipping
Sure a clean install will help - but realistically something else is up.
While HD should work fine, 4k is a another issue. It literally takes 4x the horsepower, 4x the bandwidth for your drives, CPU etc.
Drop your resolution to 1/4 and see if it helps.
One great way to see what's going on is to have the process manager working while you playback.
posted by filmgeek at 5:56 AM on August 17, 2015
Adobe Premiere Pro uses it's own engine and codec packs screw that up.
> It worked fine for about 2 years but lately started lagging/skipping
Sure a clean install will help - but realistically something else is up.
While HD should work fine, 4k is a another issue. It literally takes 4x the horsepower, 4x the bandwidth for your drives, CPU etc.
Drop your resolution to 1/4 and see if it helps.
One great way to see what's going on is to have the process manager working while you playback.
posted by filmgeek at 5:56 AM on August 17, 2015
After sleeping and thinking on this more, i'm really wondering if drive bandwidth is your culprit.
What's disk activity like in task manager?(i really wish premiere had a "disk overload" warning like ableton live does)
The upgrade you want might be a decent sized SSD as a work/scratch disk.
posted by emptythought at 1:51 PM on August 17, 2015
What's disk activity like in task manager?(i really wish premiere had a "disk overload" warning like ableton live does)
The upgrade you want might be a decent sized SSD as a work/scratch disk.
posted by emptythought at 1:51 PM on August 17, 2015
I'll ask the dumb question... has dust accumulated on your video card? If so, it may not be cooling properly and thus overheating. Have a look inside the case and see if you need to blow the dust off the video card and various heat sinks.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 8:02 PM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 8:02 PM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by J.K. Seazer at 6:47 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]