Taking recommendations for video cards. I'm using a relatively old ATI Radion 256MB video card. It works fine but my "Windows Experience Index" rating is a 4.0 despite my processor, memory and HD ranking high. I don't seem to have major problems running Sonar X3 but once in a while the Window will turn opaque white and read "Not Responding" on the top. I also get hangs when playing video files via Windows Media Player (with Sonar or any other program closed).
 
I'm not a gamer, so I don't need any crazy x-treme hardcore graphics card. Just the minimum card that will get me a decent Windows Index rating.

What do I have or what should you get? :D
 
I have an nVidia GeForce GTX 680, because I loves me some video games. However that is overkill for you. For you, I'd do one of two things:
 
1) Ditch the video card, use the CPU's integrated video. Intel's video is very good these days. You can even game at lower resolutions and such. Works great for desktop apps and so on. Their drivers are good, it uses little power, etc, etc. That'd be what I'd do probably.
 
2) Get a cheap nVidia card. I find them less problematic than AMD/ATi cards. I find they have better drivers than AMD in general. A Geforce GT 630 or GT 640 would do nicely. More power than you need, not too big, shouldn't need external power, etc.

Sycraft
 
1) Ditch the video card, use the CPU's integrated video. Intel's video is very good these days. You can even game at lower resolutions and such. Works great for desktop apps and so on. Their drivers are good, it uses little power, etc, etc. That'd be what I'd do probably.
 
2) Get a cheap nVidia card. I find them less problematic than AMD/ATi cards. I find they have better drivers than AMD in general. A Geforce GT 630 or GT 640 would do nicely. More power than you need, not too big, shouldn't need external power, etc.

Thanks! My motherboard has no integrated video, so that's out. Will be looking for an nVidia card. Maybe 1GB.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X79%20Extreme4/?cat=Specifications
 
The ASRock X79 Extreme4 don't support internal graphic and you may want to use a fan less graphic card. A search seems to suggest NVIDIA GT610 (no experience with this card).
 
At the time I build my system, the suggestion for fan less card seems to be the Radeon HD 5450. I'm also using the NVIDIA 210, and both are fine, but outdated by today's standard.

Hello Elsongs, the 'Not Responding' message happens to me too, but I doubt it is a GFX  card  issue. I get hangs with other software as well at what you described for Sonar X3.
 
I have a Radeon HD 36xx card from 2007. It works with fairly intensive games, so should perform well wit Sonar X3.
 
My board, CPU and memory are more than adequate, so maybe the 'Not responding' problem is OS related in some way.
 
All the best,
 
Lee.

I would not get a Nvidia Geforce 610. I have one if you want it. It is half (almost exactly) of my old GT440 card, that means a 64-bit data transfer path instead of 128 bit or more for the new ones (or even my old GT440) and a GPU that is the same speed as my old GT 440 card. Oh, it works, but I play a couple of games (not needing a speed demon card) and I have to lower the resolution of the game to get up the frame rate, and more so than with my old GT440 which was getting slow. I now have a GTX 650 Ti Nvidia Geforce card, and I must say I never hear the fan in it (although like anything it will have to be cleaned - compressed air can whatever).
 
Depends on what resolution you will be using perhaps in the future, I am at 1920 x 1080 but my desktop is still at 1680 x 1050. I find that is easier to see, and while I sit even further away while recording, one can get used to it still being smaller and if having to lower the resolution if you want to watch Sonar or recording, which usually does not happen because of playing the composition (music.)
It's a Kepler GPU vs. the old more wattage taking Fermi GPU. That does not mean unless you get up there with Nvidia that it is better (higher model numbers) it just means that it takes less power than the old cards did.
But anyway I had to put in a bigger power supply (more wattage) anyway with the new one (as well as the old graphics card on my old computer) to run the graphics card.
 
Usually only the lower end graphics cards like the 610 (and not really the 620 or 630) will run with the common usual power supply of computers - 300 watts. Not enough for a higher powered graphics card.
 
You can compare charts somewhere on the Internet, where my new graphics card is slower than an old 460 or going up a 560 graphics card. But it is fast enough.
Maybe see charts at:
http://www.guru3d.com
or wherever like at :
http://www.geforce.com
If interested in a Nvidia card even third party or so manufacturer.