4 Factors when choosing a GPU for faster digital noise reduction
About GPUs
GPU’s are powerful processor cards that were originally added to computers to enable them to run video games better. However, software developers quickly realized their processing capabilities could be put to work for general computing.
This is good news because the GPU card is one of the easiest components to replace. Often it’s a case of simply removing the old GPU card and slotting in a new, more powerful one. . However, there are many GPUs to choose from and different GPUs perform very differently on different plugins and applications, so it’s critical to choose the best GPU for your purposes.
In either case, when it comes to digital noise reduction there are a number of other factors which must be considered together and cannot be viewed separately.
So, let’s discuss the important features that make a great graphics card for our purposes. Then, we’ll give you some recommendations on various GPU cards that we’ve tried out, so you can make a more informed decision on what GPU works best for your needs and your budget.
Factor 1: GPU processing power
Processing power (measured in GFLOPS) of a GPU is measured by the number of FMA (multiply-and-add) instructions that can be executed by all GPU’s cores per second. You can find information on the GPU processing power for AMD and NVIDIA GPU cards here:
Factor 2: GPU memory (vRAM)
GPU uses data to perform its calculations, which is kept in its random-access memory (vRAM, measured in GB). For optimal performance,Video needs about 1GB vRAM for Full HD videos and 4GB for 4K. It will work with less memory too, but at a reduced speed. Remember, host applications may also use GPU memory so you must factor that in and allow sufficient vRAM to ensure stable performance of the whole system.
Factor 3: GPU memory bandwidth
More GPU vRAM results in better performance, but this is not the whole story. Another thing to look at is memory bandwidth (measured in GB/sec). Essentially, memory bandwidth is the speed of the video RAM. GPUs with more memory bandwidth can transfer data and to and from GPU cores faster, allowing Video to perform noise reduction quicker.
Factor 4: CPU connection speed
GPUs can be connected to the computer using the internal PCIe bus (preferred way) or using an external eGPU connection, for example, a Thunderbolt connection. In either case, it is important to make sure the fastest possible connection is used. PCIe should better support and actually work at x16 speed (not reduce its speed to x8 or x4 because of other cards also installed in the system). Both PCIe and Thunderbolt need to be of the latest generations to be able to transfer large amount of video data at high speed (for example each PCI Express 3 lane is twice as fast as a PCI Express 2 one). If that is not ensured, then the connection between GPU and main system may become a significant bottleneck and slow down the overall render speed.
Some great performing GPU cards
These video cards all have impressive processing power, vRAM and memory bandwidth. Compare these products to find one that offers a balance between performance and price for your needs and your budget.
| Brand | Model | Processing power (GFLOPS) Single precision | VRAM (GB) | Memory Bandwidth (GB/s) | Video Speed, FPS (tested on Full HD 8-bit video with default filter settings) | Price (may vary from store to store) |
| NVIDIA | Geforce GTX 1080 Ti | 10608 | 11 | 484 | 20.40 | $699 |
| NVIDIA | Geforce GTX 1080 | 8228 | 8 | 352 | 15.20 | $499 |
| NVIDIA | Geforce GTX 1070 Ti | 7816 | 8 | 256 | $469 | |
| NVIDIA | Geforce GTX 1070 | 5783 | 8 | 256 | 13.90 | $399 |
| AMD | Radeon Vega Frontier Edition | 11321 | 16 | 484 | $999 | |
| AMD | Radeon RX Vega 64 (Windows) | 10215 | 8 | 484 | 17.50 | $550 |
| AMD | Radeon RX Vega 64 (Mac) | 10215 | 8 | 484 | 11.60 | not sold separetely |
| AMD | Radeon RX 580 (Mac) | 5792 | 8 | 256 | 9.17 | not sold separately |
Do you really need to upgrade?
Check your existing GPU’s performance
Keep in mind that many older GPU cards such as these still offer good performance. Compare your current GPU hardware carefully before deciding if it is worth upgrading.
| Brand | Model | Processing power (GFLOPS) Single precision | VRAM (GB) | Memory Bandwidth (GB/s) | Video Speed, FPS (tested on Full HD 8-bit video with default filter settings) |
| NVIDIA | Titan X | 6144 | 12 | 336 | |
| NVIDIA | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | 5632 | 6 | 336 | 14.70 |
| AMD | Radeon R9 Fury X | 8601.1 | 4 | 512 | |
| AMD | Radeon R9 Fury | 7168 | 4 | 512 | 16.40 |
| AMD | Radeon R9 390X | 5913.6 | 8 | 384 | |
| AMD | Radeon R9 390 | 5120 | 8 | 384 |
Comments
Post a Comment