GPU Questions

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K9RX
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Re: New PC Build: now UPDATED with overclocking performance

Postby K9RX » Mon Mar 26, 2018 5:48 pm

Please forgive me Scott if you think this goes somewhere else ...

this is for Brent, who seems to be quite PC savvy, Scott, possibly others ... I've tried to get an answer from the card maker as well as online to no avail.

So I installed a new video card. It is made by Gigabyte and uses the NVidia 1050. It supports 4 monitors (I have 2 currently including one DP 4K). But the "app" that comes with it only shows a few programs that are "using it" ... Microsoft Edge (using Windows 10) is one of them - a few other minor ones ... none of my "radio" related programs are on the list for "using" this card. Note when I installed it there was no going to the BIOS and turning off the internal MB GPU ... I plugged it in - and it worked (downloaded drivers etc).

So since the monitors are not plugged in to the MB connections for monitors I know of course I am using the video card for connections - but am I still using the MB GPU (or worse CPU) for video "crunching"? I read recently, I believe here, Scott say that PSDR is not written to use the power of GPU's ... but isn't the new card suppose to completely take over any and all video related 'code' and the MB GPU/CPU non-functional re video ... ?

[Task Manager also only shows a few programs using its GPU's ... again I thought plugging this in ALL video 'stuff' would be on the faster new card?]

Gary
K9RX
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w-u-2-o
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Re: New PC Build: now UPDATED with overclocking performance

Postby w-u-2-o » Mon Mar 26, 2018 7:42 pm

K9RX wrote:Please forgive me Scott if you think this goes somewhere else ...
Ha ha, Gary, yes I do. I gave it it's very own thread, since it really had nothing to do with my PC build.
But the "app" that comes with it only shows a few programs that are "using it" ... Microsoft Edge (using Windows 10) is one of them - a few other minor ones ... none of my "radio" related programs are on the list for "using" this card.
That is normal.
Note when I installed it there was no going to the BIOS and turning off the internal MB GPU ... I plugged it in - and it worked (downloaded drivers etc).
That is also normal and correct. However, if you really want to disable the motherboard GPU you should be able to do that in Device Manager, but doing so should be unnecessary.
So since the monitors are not plugged in to the MB connections for monitors I know of course I am using the video card for connections - but am I still using the MB GPU (or worse CPU) for video "crunching"?
You are not using the motherboard GPU for display processing. GPUs are smart and they know if there is a monitor attached to them. No monitor, no processing.
I read recently, I believe here, Scott say that PSDR is not written to use the power of GPU's
That is correct. PowerSDR does not use a graphics API that supports hardware acceleration, whereas something like SDR Console uses DirectX.
... but isn't the new card suppose to completely take over any and all video related 'code' and the MB GPU/CPU non-functional re video ... ?
Yes, and that is exactly what it is doing, unless you plug in a monitor to the motherboard connector.
Task Manager also only shows a few programs using its GPU's ... again I thought plugging this in ALL video 'stuff' would be on the faster new card?
Not sure about Task Manager, but the Nvidia control panel will show what programs are being serviced by hardware acceleration.

73,

Scott
K9RX
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby K9RX » Mon Mar 26, 2018 8:11 pm

Scott,

Thanks - indeed it wasn't about your PC so thanks for moving it.

And as I kind of suspected - its that the new board does normal "video" handling - which it is doing for everything - and offers 'advanced' video processing capability but the program needs to take advantage of it though API calls.

I had commented about black screens on your thread - that showed up here and there and haven't been able find out what causes them ... they've disappeared now! Not sure what changed - but I was seeing them no less than once an hour and now haven't seen it for days. So at least that is 'gone'.

Gary
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WA0VY
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby WA0VY » Mon Mar 26, 2018 8:44 pm

Gary, glad you got your answers from Scott. Sorry I did not see the post until just now. Only one thing to add: I would think you should be able to disable the onboard GPU in the MB BIOS. While it would not be doing anything without monitors plugged in, it is still unnecessarily assigned resources by Windows and your BIOS. Perhaps you could nose around a bit more in the BIOS and see if there is a setting to do that. I have found that turning things off in Windows does not always permanently disable a device. Windows tends to want to "fix" things on its own by installing drivers you don't want installed. Next time you reboot, the device is often restored.

Also, for what its worth, I have found this displayport cabling issue to be quite an adventure. If your running a 4k monitor, DP 1.1 will only allow a 30 Hz refresh rate. That doesn't look terrible, of course, but who wants to run a monitor that capable at less than 60 Hz? Also, my HPSDR is setup for 60 fps and I'm obviously not getting it at 30 Hz. If I reset the monitors to DP 1.2 and run at 30 Hz, I get the same black screens and flickering I was getting at 60 Hz. I can't be sure its a cable issue but it sure seems like it is. The monitor with the longest cable run is the one that acts up the most and there is a lot of discussion in the blogs about cable quality and run lengths that seems to confirm it. So, I've ordered some Club3D CAC-1066 cables and will advise.
73 Brent WA0VY
K9RX
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby K9RX » Tue Mar 27, 2018 2:30 pm

Brent,

Thanks for the info. There is nothing in the BIOS to "shut off" on the MB video. I've looked and looked and can't find anything. I think the newer MB's are designed to handle video cards cleaner.

As for the black out. I have seen it on both monitors, one is a DP, one is an HDMI. And the cables were used, at least the HDMI, on the previous system with the MB video and I never had an issue so I think cables are a false flag. People often go to cables when there are issues but as an EE I can say that it's extremely rare when that proves to be the case. But there are $100 HDMI cables out there! I am running 1.2 on the DP and 60Hz. I did try changing to a different DP (1.1?) but it didn't solve my problem so I reverted back. Then all of a sudden it went away! At about the same time it went away I started getting these really long "WMI Provider Host" processes getting launched that were running 30 - 50% CPU ... when they first appeared they were there for a long time - but gradually over days, maybe a week, as I was researching it - it too went away. Finally at about that time there was either newly installed or, more likely updated, Intel app that keeps track of HW etc ... my suspicion is both of these were related and Intel finally fixed them. Knock on wood it stays gone. Now that it appears to be stable I'm thinking of adding a third monitor, an HDMI.

Gary
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WA0VY
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby WA0VY » Tue Mar 27, 2018 3:12 pm

Gary, I will have my new DP cables Thursday so that will tell the tale as to whether I have a cable issue or not. I'll let you know. Unfortunately, my issue is not solving itself. Hopefully, yours stays fixed!
73 Brent WA0VY
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WA0VY
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby WA0VY » Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:18 pm

My Club3d display port DP 1.4 13 ft. cables arrived about a few hours ago and I have tested them at DP 1.2, 4k @ 60Hz for awhile now. There are no more black screens or artifacts. I then tested them by adding a Tripp Lite P579-006 M/F 6 ft. extension cable at the monitor end and everything continues to work perfectly with 4k @ 60Hz. That's a 19 ft. cable run which can be problematic itself. The Tripp Lite cable is only a DP 1.2 cable and is not rated for 4k resolution. Yet, I'm having no problems whatsoever. As I previously mentioned, the reviews on the Star Tech cables I was using were somewhat icky and many noted black screens, glitches, etc. So, there is a little bit of everything here: the Club cables lived up to their rating; the Tripp Lite extensions exceeded their rating; the Star Tech cables now reside in my electronics recycling bin; and my HPSDR panadapter is no longer jumpy at 60 fps/16 ms update period. It was a cable issue after all.

I thought, just maybe, that my graphics Passmark score would be favorably affected, but NO!

ScreenShot 61.jpg
ScreenShot 61.jpg (100.03 KiB) Viewed 36873 times


While those are not awful scores, particularly the 3d score, the card is a GTX 1080ti and is bench marking quite low on the 2d mark and in the ballpark of a regular 1080 on the 3d score, and it always has. So, that's the next issue to solve. As Roseanne Roseannadanna said, "If it isn't one thing, its another!"
73 Brent WA0VY
K9RX
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby K9RX » Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:51 pm

Super! Glad that did fix it. I am surprised though. The other cable must not have been made to meet its own published standards.

As for me - we both know how computer things can magically fix and then unfix themselves ... so I'm not holding my breath. But I am sure its not cables for me simply because the HDMI had been used before without a single issue ...

g.
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WA0VY
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby WA0VY » Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:12 pm

Gary, remember that my Star Tech cables were also fine until I moved the computer. So, they were working until they weren't. While I tend to think two different type cables both behaving badly suggests the problem is something else common to both, I wouldn't rule anything out. We'll just hope it stays fixed.
73 Brent WA0VY
w4cm
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby w4cm » Wed Oct 16, 2019 4:52 pm

Wonder if I could get some help on choosing a 4k monitor/video card ? I am wanting to take advantage of the Thetis and the DirectX engine. My I5 Dell computer per Dell has a HDMI port on the PC is only a 1.2 which is why it can only support up to FHD resolution. (Intel HD graphic 4600 installed) To get 4k, it should be at least 1.4." I was also told that several video cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 or 730 would work. Another restriction would be the PC power supply rating.
What is a suggested economical path to take to purchase a monitor and video card to improve resolution to achieve 4K ?

Thanks

Cecil
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w-u-2-o
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:26 pm

You can take advantage of the DirectX stuff right now. However, I can see the attraction of a 4K monitor (Ha! A pun!)

For monitors, you can go with a 30Hz "business" type 4K monitor, rather than a 60 or 120Hz gaming monitor, which will cost a lot more. The spectral display is not terribly demanding of monitor performance. Unless you really want 60Hz update rates, but that's a personal decision.

If you do decide to go 30Hz, you can get great deals on a used Dell P2815Q, which is a very nice, if not terribly high performance, 4K monitor. The monitor has a USB 3.0 hub built in, Displayport and HDMI, and is a respectable 28 inches in size, all for less than $200 on eBay.

I use three of them :D

Image
w4cm
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby w4cm » Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:59 pm

What about the question about the video card ?
Thanks
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:23 pm

I'm not really all that knowledgeable about video cards. I'm partial to Nvidia because I think their drivers are better in terms of maintaining a good near real time signal processing environment for audio. I'm partial to any Nvidia card that supports CUDA processing, just in case it ever becomes included in the openHPSDR architecture. And I very much prefer the performance of Displayport. Pick the lowest cost video card that meets all those characteristics and will run a 4k monitor. And, if you think you might ever run more than one monitor, consider that, too.
W4WMT
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby W4WMT » Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:02 pm

A few years ago Nvidia drivers had developed a really bad reputation for interfering with near real time audio streams, which of course would also wreak havoc on our DDC/DUC streams. Haven’t heard any whining about that lately, so maybe they have cleaned up their act?

73
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w-u-2-o
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby w-u-2-o » Thu Oct 17, 2019 1:19 pm

Bryan W4WMT wrote:A few years ago Nvidia drivers had developed a really bad reputation for interfering with near real time audio streams, which of course would also wreak havoc on our DDC/DUC streams. Haven’t heard any whining about that lately, so maybe they have cleaned up their act?
IMHO, they have. When I got my Flex 3000 I had an Nvidia card, and it was a train wreck. I bought an AMD card and life was a lot better. Fast forward to my next PC, another AMD card, and it was junk. I switched back to Nvidia (this was back in something like 2012) and again, life was a lot better. It seems to have remained that way, for me, anyways.

A good way to keep your finger on the pulse of such things is to monitor the digital audio workstation software forums. There are many, many more of those folks and they are much, much less tolerant of any audio artifacts than us SDR folks.
WT4DX
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby WT4DX » Wed Jun 28, 2023 12:13 am

In 2023 is the there one GPU architecture that favors the ANAN/ Thetis platform over another?

Working on a PC build.

73,
Tem
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w-u-2-o
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Jun 28, 2023 12:29 am

AFAIK, there is not.
rdwing
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby rdwing » Thu Jun 29, 2023 12:14 am

Interesting this topic was resurfaced...I am having a heck of a conflict between thetis and the Wavenode meter software. Opening the meter software causes Thetis to sloooow way down, causing many seconds of lag before user inputs are processed. It's not a resource issue.
Running a 5900x and 3080 here, lately there has been a big slowdown in the nvidia drivers, specifically around DPC latency.
WT4DX
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Re: GPU Questions

Postby WT4DX » Thu Jun 29, 2023 3:45 pm

rdwing wrote:Interesting this topic was resurfaced...I am having a heck of a conflict between thetis and the Wavenode meter software. Opening the meter software causes Thetis to sloooow way down, causing many seconds of lag before user inputs are processed. It's not a resource issue.
Running a 5900x and 3080 here, lately there has been a big slowdown in the nvidia drivers, specifically around DPC latency.


Is it possible the DPC latency is propagating from Windows as opposed to the NVIDIA drivers? Just a consideration.

Are you running Windows 10 or 11?

73,
Tem
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