fps in redcineX

[Mitch Deoudes]

I've got a test system that I'm evaluating for potential purchase, and I'm wondering if the performance I'm seeing is typical. Feel free to comment, post tests, etc.

The system:
NVidia GTX 470, quad-core i7 3.20GHz, 12Gb, RedCineX Build 340 - footage located on a 64Gb SATA SSD.

In RedcineX, I can play back at 1/4 realtime. (Though at 1/2 it's close - will play for a second or two, then chug, then play.) This is with no adjustments - throw in a curve and a gamma tweak, and 1/2 is a no-go, at < 18fps.

Similar performance in Premiere CS5. Can do 1/2 with no effects. Add a dissolve and a move, and you're in 1/4 land. I'm considering the new Quadro 4000 - but not sure if there will be a $500 boost in performance.

p.s. - what's up with the playback fps indicator in RedcineX? It seems to update at odd times, and almost never correlates with the current speed. Shows 23.9xx when it's clearly slower, and 8 or 10 fps when it's clearly near full speed. Sometimes gets stuck on 0.0fps, even. And it never turns yellow, the way I remember it used to.

 

[Uli Plank]

RED Rocket will be a massive boost, but not the Quadro, since R3D de-bayering is not accelerated by CUDA. I just installed our new RED Rocket into a system with a Quadro FX 4800 and – wow!

 

[Mitch Deoudes]

It's interesting - I noticed that while in RedcineX, the CPU was almost completely unused. I'm assuming that means RCX is doing largely GPU stuff (whether it's CUDA-specific, I don't know). Premiere is the other way around, iirc - CPU pegged just playing back, R3D decoding being handled in software as you mentioned, but effects are offloaded to the GPU.

My understanding is that the Quadro 4000 actually has fewer CUDA cores than the GTX 470, as well as a slower clock / less memory bandwidth. The benefits are primarily larger onboard memory, "pro" drivers, and various overlay/wireframe-antialiasing/etc goodies. Apparently, this is enough to make Quadros outperform in 3D apps (i.e. not games) - but I'm unsure if the same is true for 2D apps like RCX/Premiere.

Sadly, the Rocket is more expensive than the entire system I described - so not an option for me, right now.

It's been quite some time since I've had to buy hardware, and I guess I was hoping that you could get a machine that would do 2k (1/2 res R3D's, that is) without going nuts on the expense. Then again, my current cellphone is less reliable than the first nokia I had back in the 90's - and it still doesn't sync to my laptop - so maybe I'm expecting too much.

 

[Uli Plank]

I feel with you! My good old Motorola V3 is syncing just fine and never ever let me down…

But you don't need to go for one of the expensive Quadro cards, if you can still get hold of a GTX 285, it's very fast too, good for CS5 or Resolve. Try ebay…

Plus, RED is selling refurb RRs from time to time.

And, after all, we are talking cinema on the desktop here! A few years ago you would have been called nuts to even try…