Helpful ReplyOn-Board Graphics Ok for DAW?

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SonicExplorer
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2017/08/30 14:45:44 (permalink)

On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW?

Hi Guys,
 
What's the story with on-board vs. graphics card in a DAW?  I'm building a system based on older platforms and not seeing any problems so far using the on-board Intel controller, but then again I haven't really put much stress on things yet.   Was hoping to use the PCIex16 slot for a firewire card in place of a power-consuming, noisy graphics card.

Before I shoot myself in the foot please enlighten me if there is some compelling reason I shouldn't use the on-board graphic controller. 

Thanks,
 
     Sonic
post edited by SonicExplorer - 2017/08/30 15:16:00
#1
pwalpwal
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 15:36:13 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby mettelus 2017/08/30 16:15:59
you can leave buying the if necessary (silent) graphics card until you've tried it without first? should be ok

just a sec

#2
SonicExplorer
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 16:42:41 (permalink)
Yeah, makes sense, that was my original plan until a few things surfaced that I hadn't expected.  I may need to use the only PCIe slot for a Firewire card so the 'optional' use of on-board graphics has potentially become not optional.  Plus, I've learned that Superior Drummer can throw a fit if you start moving around hardware, causing a re-authorization headache.  So if possible I want to get this DAW Rubique's figured out up front to avoid later headaches.
 
Sonic
#3
fireberd
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 17:15:30 (permalink)
I'm using the Intel CPU graphics on my DAW system.  I also use the PC for other things and haven't had any issues.  However, I have a newer CPU, an Intel i7 6700K.

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#4
abacab
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 19:04:17 (permalink)
I have no issues running dual monitors with my integrated Intel HD 2500 graphics.
 
I tested a Nvidia GeForce GT 710 PCIe GPU and found no noticeable performance improvement over the Intel HD.  I would say use the money for something else.
 
Intel has really improved their graphics since the old days.  IMO, the built-in stuff is now as good as the entry-level discrete GPUs. 
 
You really only need to add a GPU if you select a motherboard or CPU without graphics support.  Or if you want to play 3D games on your DAW.

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#5
pwalpwal
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 19:20:41 (permalink)
abacabOr if you want to play 3D games on your DAW.


yes!

just a sec

#6
abacab
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 19:35:11 (permalink)
pwalpwal
abacabOr if you want to play 3D games on your DAW.


yes!



Ha!  I have an old Win 7 box in the home entertainment center with a GTX for that! 

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#7
Sanderxpander
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 20:12:06 (permalink)
abacab
I have no issues running dual monitors with my integrated Intel HD 2500 graphics.
 
I tested a Nvidia GeForce GT 710 PCIe GPU and found no noticeable performance improvement over the Intel HD.  I would say use the money for something else.
 
Intel has really improved their graphics since the old days.  IMO, the built-in stuff is now as good as the entry-level discrete GPUs. 
 
You really only need to add a GPU if you select a motherboard or CPU without graphics support.  Or if you want to play 3D games on your DAW.

The OP is running an old board though. Not sure if that makes a diff, I've always used a discrete card.
#8
SonicExplorer
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/30 22:34:40 (permalink)
Let me try to frame this in a different way:  It is (or at least was) common practice to disable any onboard audio because it could cause a wide variety of impacts in a DAW.  So I was wondering if I should also not use the onboard graphics controller for any similar kind of rationale.  I'm not concerned about DAW horsepower, there's plenty for my needs.  I just don't want to encounter some kind of conflict/lockup, drop-outs or audio pops as a result of using the onboard graphic controller.
#9
Sanderxpander
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/31 07:51:28 (permalink)
I've never bothered to disable on board graphics even when running a discrete card, and never had a problem from it. From all accounts, on board graphics are fine. Very few plugins make use of video drivers directly, 99 percent goes through Windows and since there is no 3D rendering any demands on the video driver are really low.
#10
soens
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/31 08:06:07 (permalink)
Onboard graphics card is just fine for DAW work. If you want to run 2 monitors, it will need to support it, tho.
#11
tlw
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/31 12:13:45 (permalink)
Reasonably modern Intel on-chip graphics should be fine in a DAW. Most Macs used as DAWs and maybe most Windows laptops used as DAWs use the Intel chip gpu rather than a seperate one.

A seperate card can pay off by saving a little time if you use applications like Photoshop which can leverage the high-speed gpu to do calculations instead of the cpu, but there are very, very few - if any - audio related applications or plugins which do this. Perhaps because a dedicated gpu card in a laptop, though they are available as options, is still pretty rare because of the need to dump the heat somehow and their effect on battery life.

The only reason the PC in my sig had a dedicated gpu is for Photoshop/Lightroom and a few older 3D games - most of which will happily run on HD4000 or later graphics chips anyway.

If in doubt, try the Intel graphics and see what happens.

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#12
SonicExplorer
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/31 13:42:17 (permalink)
Thanks for the replies guys, what you describe is what I had assumed (hoped).  
 
On to the final (hopefully minor) obstacle: MIDI.  New topic coming....
#13
Sanderxpander
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/08/31 19:45:11 (permalink)
Beware of the ****ed WinXP "10 midi devices" limit. If you run a couple of virtual ports or even ASIO4ALL this can give heaps of trouble.
#14
MurkyMark
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/01 15:58:46 (permalink)
Coming to this a bit late, but I recently retired from Logitech, where I was working on videoconferencing products.
 
Every Intel i5/i7 chipset for the last 3-4 generations has had good enough on-chip graphics to support two full HD (1080p) screens, and that's with H.264 going on all the time (with semi-dedicated hardware support). I believe all the current generation i5//i7s can handle two 4K screens, too.

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#15
Jim Roseberry
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/03 15:30:41 (permalink)
If you're running a recent make Intel CPU, the onboard GPU is fine for straight up audio production.
If you're doing video editing/rendering with Vegas Pro, Premier, After Effects, etc... then you'll want a GTX video card.

Best Regards,

Jim Roseberry
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Sanderxpander
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/03 21:31:50 (permalink)
I don't know about Premier or After Effects but GPU acceleration in Vegas Pro is severely limited and insofar as it does work, AMD does much better than NVidia so I definitely wouldn't recommend a GTX for that. Unless something changed in the last couple of months, I haven't needed it for a little while.
#17
Jim Roseberry
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/04 14:32:51 (permalink)
Folks working with video often use several different applications (3D Studio Max, Cinema 4D, Vegas Pro, Premier, After Effects, etc).  If you want to use something like Titler Pro (plugin), you can't do that with onboard graphics.
 
The clients we have that render a lot of video; they're running GTX-1080ti video cards.
For the casual user... not worth the cost.  For someone rendering video 12-hours a day, easily worth it.
 
A video client in Nashville recently upgraded from an older hex-core machine with Quadro video card... to a 7900x with GTX-1080ti.  What used to take an hour to render... now takes 15 minutes.  
The CPU is obviously making a huge difference.
Very expensive machine... but this particular guy is constantly rendering video.
Any significant time savings means more earning potential.  
Factored over a year, the time savings is enormous...

Best Regards,

Jim Roseberry
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#18
Sanderxpander
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/04 15:43:12 (permalink)
I have very little experience with video rendering - I only know some Vegas Pro which keeps being recommended on this board so I bought it when I needed something. Much to my dismay, Vegas Pro only supports OpenCL up to the GTX 5xx series (IIRC) and AMD somewhat further up the product line. Anything newer really doesn't do anything (I have a 980), unfortunately, hence my comment.
#19
rodreb
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/10 01:13:24 (permalink)
How do you switch over to onboard graphics when you have a graphics card installed? I have been suspicious that my graphics card may be getting wonky and, would like to try the onboard to see if there is any difference.



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#20
abacab
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/10 15:08:56 (permalink)
To test the onboard graphics you would first need to make sure it is enabled in the BIOS, then shut down the PC and connect your monitor to that port.  Then boot up and it should be detected.  If you don't see the POST status on the monitor when you boot, you may need to pull the graphics card.  Otherwise, you could disable the graphics card in device manger after it boots ok.
 
For a really clean test, you might want to uninstall the driver and software for the graphics card, and then pull the card from the PC, so that you would only have the onboard graphics enabled, and no extra drivers lingering about. 
 
Windows should automatically detect and install any drivers for the onboard graphics, but to be sure you could go out to your PC or motherboard site and download the latest drivers for the onboard graphics from there.

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#21
rodreb
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Re: On-Board Graphics Ok for DAW? 2017/09/10 20:14:15 (permalink)
Thanks abacab!



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