Resolve System specs

[Dave Blackham]

Im trying to find out any user experience of running other applications on a system built to run Da Vinci's Resolve software.

The Resolve system spec calls for an Nvidia FX4800 or 4000 card and also an Nvidia 120 GPU. So far as I can see if the system has two GPU's installed and so long as theres not a display connected to the 4800 (or 4000) card then Im told that FCP or Color may run OK but FCP or Color may have issues if theres a display connected to the primary GPU card.

My question is what problems may occur and how fast do the other apps run and to which GPU would FCP and Color use as one GPU is much faster than the other, also are there any issues with Adobe apps in this configuration ?

Seperate to the config issue, does any one have any experience of running 3D on Resolve particularly with R3D's or should the 3D media be Prores encoded to run through the Da Vinci software.

thanks,

Dave

 

[Kyle Carter]

Really confusing as to what you are saying, but I think I can figure it out...

What I got from it is that you got bad information as far as how it works. The GPU itself is fine even if there is a display connected to it, the CUDA cores should be untapped until you actually start rendering the frames. I'm also 99% sure that you do not need 2 cards, but I can see not using a GT 120 considering it only has 20 CUDA cores vs the 192 in the 4800.

Really must say though... read about their higher performance Linux systems and had to laugh at the fact a GTX 480 is more then enough, 4800 is probably enough too.

 

[sander kamp]

What I got from it is that you got bad information as far as how it works. The GPU itself is fine even if there is a display connected to it, the CUDA cores should be untapped until you actually start rendering the frames. I'm also 99% sure that you do not need 2 cards, but I can see not using a GT 120 considering it only has 20 CUDA cores vs the 192 in the 4800.

According to the Davinci Configuration Guide:

"Two specific NVIDIA CUDA graphics cards are required by the Mac Pro; one for the GUI and one for GPU processing. Only the specific card models listed in this document will provide the necessary performance for Resolve. These cards will occupy PCI Express slots 1 and 2 in the Mac Pro."

So I guess they have a reason for it but yes, you need two cards and only the ones listed will work.

That said, a firmware flashed GTX285 seems to work and is about 350 dollar on ebay. A used GT120 goes for a hundred.

 

[Paul Harding]

I just bought Resolve. Running 4800 card only. works fine, not realtime. I am currently doing some tests, but it renders very quick.
Paul

 

[Dave Blackham]

Really confusing as to what you are saying, but I think I can figure it out...

What I got from it is that you got bad information as far as how it works. The GPU itself is fine even if there is a display connected to it, the CUDA cores should be untapped until you actually start rendering the frames. I'm also 99% sure that you do not need 2 cards, but I can see not using a GT 120 considering it only has 20 CUDA cores vs the 192 in the 4800.

Really must say though... read about their higher performance Linux systems and had to laugh at the fact a GTX 480 is more then enough, 4800 is probably enough too.

OK, sorry for the badly articulated question on my part. The long and short of it is, If an Apple system is build to Da Vinci spec to run Resolve will FCP and Color run OK ?

My question really relates to the two GPU's in the system and any potential issues this may or may not cause. From what the spec on Resolve says Red rocket will run fine.

Thanks for the info so far.

Dave

 

[Gunleik Groven]

There is a conflict of interest between Color which runs best with ATI GPUs and daVinci which needs nVidea cards.

 

[Peter Chamberlain]

We have customers reporting FCP and Resolve cohabitation is fine, and will get better when new cards are available. Resolve will run on a single GPU at lower than HD res, example is MacBookPro. For HD realtime, GT120 with either the GTX285 or FX4800. More CUDA card options shortly.
BTW, Resolve is in a way always rendering... just most of the time its rendering to the monitor and not the disk... Resolve is a realtime pipeline processor so even while in still we are rendering full resolution frames to the display, same in play. This is how we can PowerMaster directly to tape without pre-rendering to disk. To render to disk is the same technical process with one addition.... recording to the actual disk.
Cheers
Peter

 

[Dave Blackham]

We have customers reporting FCP and Resolve cohabitation is fine, and will get better when new cards are available. Resolve will run on a single GPU at lower than HD res, example is MacBookPro. For HD realtime, GT120 with either the GTX285 or FX4800. More CUDA card options shortly.
BTW, Resolve is in a way always rendering... just most of the time its rendering to the monitor and not the disk... Resolve is a realtime pipeline processor so even while in still we are rendering full resolution frames to the display, same in play. This is how we can PowerMaster directly to tape without pre-rendering to disk. To render to disk is the same technical process with one addition.... recording to the actual disk.
Cheers
Peter

Thanks for the post. I found one post on another board also saying that cohabitation of apps is OK, but to change from Resolve to Color required to replug the displays from the GT120 to the FX4800 GPU to run the app. This seems to makes sense or Color would use the GT120 were displays plugged in to the GT120.

Would you know if this is correct and displays have to be repluged to the faster GPU use Color (or FCP).

I also found posts highlighting that dual stream r3d's for 3D arnt supported but I dont have any first hand knowledge of this.