Personally I chose nVidia cards because of their drivers stability. With ATI newer drivers don't always mean better.
Also, many effects are relying on CUDA to work, so that was another reason for me to chose nVidia.

Personally I think that adding back the two or three missing files (the nVidia CUDA encoder), after I install the newest drivers, is not that big of an inconvenience, and is not dangerous for the system at all.

The original files are digitally signed by nVidia, so it is easy to spot a fake. Or you can extract your own files and save them for future use.

http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/40521.page

Hi,

I run the AMD Radeon R9 270 and 290X in my two machines. They are not listed in the compatible list but I can assure you they do work well with PD.

The 290X is a lot more powerful than the 270, but that said the 270 coped perfectly well with the 50p footage it has had to deal with over the last year.

My advice would be to go for the best that you can afford.

Cheers,

Andrew Alienware Aurora ALX R4 - Intel i7-4820 4.2 GHz - 32GB DDR3 RAM - Crucial 512GB SSD - 1TB Seagate HDD - 3TB WD Green HDD - 4TB WD Green HDD - MSI NVIDIA GTX 1070 8GB

Sony HDR-PJ810 and HDR-PJ530

"Personally I think that adding back the two or three missing files (the nVidia CUDA encoder), after I install the newest drivers, is not that big of an inconvenience, and is not dangerous for the system at all. "

Doesn't the newest patch (v3403) resolve this issue, or is there still a problem that requires adding back missing files? Regards,
Dan
Power Director 21-Ultimate
v 21.0.3111.0
XPS-8940, Win-10 64-bit,
Intel Core i9-10900 processor
(10 core, 20M Cache),
32GB DDR4 RAM, 2TB M.2 PCIe NVME SSD, 2TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD,
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB GDDR6

I don't have anymore the PD13, it was just the trial and didn't decide to buy into it.

The latest driver for GeForce is 344.48.
Searching inside the drivers, I still cannot find the necessary files "nvcuvenc.dll", "nvcuvenc32.dll" or "nvcuvenc64.dll".
nVidia deprecated them and CL didn't changed the program.
So yes, for my PD12, the files still have to be added manually after install.

If anybody can tell me is different for PD13, then it's fine, I just can't tell. Why don't you try

Thanks everybody for the tips. I'm still unclear on this graphics card stuff.

1. Sonic67 says he likes nVidia because of the CUDA encoder. What features of Powerdirector uses CUDA? What will I be missing if I don't have CUDA?
2. nVidia and ATI/AMD have so many models of cards. How do I know which is the best? Can assume the higher the number the better? The more memory, the better. I'm building a new PC so I want to get it right the first time and I'm willing to pay extra for one that that has the best performance/features.

I'm thinking of doing a build of the Intel® Core™ i7-5960X CPU. If I do I'm going to use the GeForce GTX 760 FTW 4GB card. I watch where J.J from Asus came out to Dave Dugdale house and build him a i7 5960x and went through the part list. I'm waiting on Dave to do a video how much better it does compare to the 3960K he had. Before I hit the buy button.
Here is a link to Dave build.
http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/daves-beast-computer-build/ Intel i7 5960X overclock to 4 Ghz 16 GB of ram.
GoPro 4
Canon VIXIA HF G10
Canon EOS Rebel T3
Canon EOS 70D
My Vimeo Channel http://vimeo.com/user3339631/videos

Hi Kelly,

You may find this useful as a guide:

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Cheers,

Andrew Alienware Aurora ALX R4 - Intel i7-4820 4.2 GHz - 32GB DDR3 RAM - Crucial 512GB SSD - 1TB Seagate HDD - 3TB WD Green HDD - 4TB WD Green HDD - MSI NVIDIA GTX 1070 8GB

Sony HDR-PJ810 and HDR-PJ530

Thanks Andrew. I'm not a gamer. I just video edit and do photos. When I render or produce I don't use GPU. I do use GPU on playback. So I'm taking J.J. advise for a card that on a good card for editing. For years I just shot video from my motorcycle. Started out with a SD video then got a GoPro in 2010. I know Iwas going to get it so in 2009 I got a i7 860 for editing HD video. I had been want to build a 3960K but never did. I spent the last year learning and half learning about photography and shooting video of other stuff with a camera that you just not turn on and point. I know 4k video is coming fast and I will want that in a year or so and being retired I have to spend my money wise over time. Intel i7 5960X overclock to 4 Ghz 16 GB of ram.
GoPro 4
Canon VIXIA HF G10
Canon EOS Rebel T3
Canon EOS 70D
My Vimeo Channel http://vimeo.com/user3339631/videos

Hi,

I think the vast majority of the cards on that list would do the job but I always think it's handy to see how the card you're thinking of purchasing ranks against others.

The other thing to keep in mind is your PSU. My Dell has a 475watt power supply which is fine for the Radeon 270 but nowhere near powerful enough for the 290X. My alienware has an 875watt PSU which is powerful enough BUT the 290X has to be powered off two separate rails.

Cheers,

Andrew Alienware Aurora ALX R4 - Intel i7-4820 4.2 GHz - 32GB DDR3 RAM - Crucial 512GB SSD - 1TB Seagate HDD - 3TB WD Green HDD - 4TB WD Green HDD - MSI NVIDIA GTX 1070 8GB

Sony HDR-PJ810 and HDR-PJ530

I would NOT get the GTX760. It is based on Kepler chipset. Right now nVidia has an improved Maxwell chipset and it is present in GTX750 and GTX750i - I would definitely look for that.
HOWEVER, the video editing tests online are useless if they don't specify the program used for editing. In my experience, it changes things a lot, because software is optimized or recognize only certain aspects of the GPU capabilities.
For example, CyberLink does not make use of the newer encoding capabilities (hardware block) in Kepler or Maxwell cards. Maybe is a licensing issue, maybe the quality is not at the level that CUDA provides. So as of right now, the benefit from those cards is just at playback, not fully used at rendering/encoding time.
I am using right now a Quadro 6000 - the best Fermi-generation card because it's CUDA performance in video editing is above any of the newer cards (look up in Winipedia).

Also I found out that another NLE - Sony Vegas - using MediaConcept encoder, does not even use the newer ATI or nVidia chipsets. On nVidia side, they are hard-stucked to Fermi, so the Quadro 6000 is the best it can use optimally.

Yes PSU is import on the video cards today. I pull the one out of my Dell and put in a 750 watt a few years back.
If I do the i7 5960X build I'm going to put in a SeaSonic Platinum-1000 watt. Intel i7 5960X overclock to 4 Ghz 16 GB of ram.
GoPro 4
Canon VIXIA HF G10
Canon EOS Rebel T3
Canon EOS 70D
My Vimeo Channel http://vimeo.com/user3339631/videos

Though I agree that to some extent a video forum has to some times
be a place where things are tested, I am not that happy about this
forum turning in to a sort of beta testing forum.
Creative stuff and production stuff seem to get a seat far back, and for
that I am sorry.

We encounter all sorts of technical issues. This is the fact of so many threads.
There will be members saying; “All video forums will be like this. You come
to the forums with your troubles and difficulties.”
How nice it would be to have members chiming in and say: I did it! I made this!

When still on PD12, before the beta-patches ans patches were released, I had
some particular issues with the program. At the time, I was wondering why 3-5 year
old programs were functioning as expected without any trouble, and PD was not.
As I understand/understood it, the malfunctions had to do with the graphic card
700xxx, more spesific: GeForce GTX 770M.
I always update the driver. I learned from a fellow forum member to avoid installing
the 3D stuff, and that alone made a couple of the issues go away.
Still, to this day I am surprised my old programs function well - both with the
3D stuff and without it. Why not PowerDirector?

nVidia, as I have able to read up on in my not native language, has left cuda,-
replacing it with what they call NVENC - H.264 Hardware-Accelerated Video Encoding.
For those who have insight and can make sense of it, visit
http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-video-codec-sdk#gpulist
to maybe be enlightened. It’s too technical for me to dig in to.

Now; opening fx in PD13 and go to “all content”, the cuda mark will display on several fx’s.
Using some of them immediately cause PD13 to crash on the system I have PD installed :
Windows 8.1 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700HQ CPU @ 2.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
12288MB RAM
GeForce GTX 770M
Model: Asus G750JX

A couple of members have been googling the model and found I should have a built in card
along with the GTX770M. This is not displaying in any way, shape or form I can dig out
from the laptop.
SoNic67 has posted “a fix” a number of times on the forums.
Well, I tried it, and it did not work here with me. And yes, I pasted the dll’s in the right place.

Kelly is asking what will be missing.
On a system similar to what I have got, you will be missing out on a few particles and a few effects.
I counted 3 particles and 20 effects, but strangely - not all the “cuda-effects” produce crashes.
(Ultimate)
In my mind, I figure it all depends on what you are buying/building a computer for.
If you will have a computer only for editing- and only for PowerDirector - I would consider to
please CL/PD in every way, although I do think that the cuda-thing will have to be discontinued in PD at some point.
In my case, I use a computer for several things - several programs.

When on top of that I am not a heavy effect user, I manage quite well staying clear of the cuda marks.

Nina
Just something.
https://www.petitpoisvideo.com

Nina,

I totally agree, on all of the public forums the hardware part sometimes is getting into the way of creativity part.
Why? Because is only thing that can yield objective results, fit for public discussion.

For example: I cannot comment too long on your choice of a certain FX and number of effects you apply. It's a subjective issue, nothing to comment for me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That's why a thread about that will be short lived.

On the other hand, testing hardware options will yield repetitive, objective results that can be commented on. Over and over. It happens on photography forums too - cameras and lenses get much more attention than actual composition. It's the nature of the beast, we are not all artists, but we are all tinkerers. I know that that bothers the creative minds, but that is anyway their curse - to be alone with their imagination.
Sorry.

As for your CUDA-encoder issues... my files where provided from last official nVidia driver that supported CUDA-encoding as opposed to hardware-encoding. Something else is different in your laptop setup, that is not as the "standard" setup. First of all, looks like you don't have the Optimus technology.
Maybe you need to use manufacturer-provided drivers because your hardware is different from typical/stock. See below the disclaimer from nVidia about the laptop cipsets:
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-gtx-770m/description

Note: The below specifications represent this GPU as incorporated into NVIDIA's reference graphics card design. Graphics card specifications may vary by Add-in-card manufacturer. Please refer to the Add-in-card manufacturers' website for actual shipping specifications.

Maybe you need to update the BIOS... who knows. See here the downloads from ASUS:
http://www.asus.com/us/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_ROG_G750JX/HelpDesk_Download/

PS: I downloaded ASUS's driver for your laptop and inside of it I saw the needed CUDA encoder files. Their listed driver version is 337.88. Maybe Asus knows something that we don't...

S: I downloaded ASUS's driver for your laptop and inside of it I saw the needed CUDA encoder files. Their listed driver version is 337.88. Maybe Asus knows something that we don't...

That's interesting......
Just something.
https://www.petitpoisvideo.com

"PLEASE NOTE: For users of NVIDIA cards who have updated to graphics driver 340.43 or later, the video hardware acceleration feature in PowerDirector is no longer available. To re-enable hardware acceleration, please download and install an earlier driver. "

That's too bad. Recently picked up PD13 to improve the Videos for my Dailymotion Gaming Channel. I used just "MS Movie Maker" before.

PD13 is amazing for it's cost. Love the Editor.
Unfortunatly I didn't know about no support for the latest NVidia Drivers and Hardware. My Graphics Card is a GTX 970 (Maxwell) and I have to use NVidia Drivers 340.11 and later.

At least it explains why H.264 / MP4 Encoding is giving me a "update Driver or Media Player" Error Screen. Hardware Acceleration worked with "XAVC S" somehow but the Quality isn't stable (flickering, green blips and tearing). My Source files are in MPEG2. My tested Rendering Profiles are either from the "defaults" or custom with some adjustments to Bitrates.

As I said many times, you can still make the latest drivers work:
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/40521.page

However, before you do any commercial work, please read the EULA of this software:
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/40795.page

"As I said many times, you can still make the latest drivers work:
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/40521.page

However, before you do any commercial work, please read the EULA of this software:
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/40795.page"

I don't do commercial work but interesting read.
Will try the cuda drivers later on, thanks for the Links.

cheers,

Oliver

Greetings again,

so after I used the "Cuda Fix" the Error Message for rendering with HA is gone. The Quality however is the same. Doesn't matter which codec I choose or with "HA" enabled/disabled.

can render everything in perfectly fine with the free "MS Movie Maker", just takes more time and I can't use the Effects and the PD Editor.

My rendering results with PD13 are just bad (green popups, flickering, tearing) mostly on H.264 imported files.

The PD13 doesn't use the CUDA Power of my Video Card really. 5-10% load while the CPU is at over 80% sometimes at 100% rendering effects.

Tried another CUDA accelerated Programm calles "Loilo" which renders a full edited 20 Minutes FullHD Movie in about 3 Minutes but the Editor is too "funky" for my taste. At least the results are fine. My CPU is almost idle with this Programm while the GPU ist at 60% and higher load.

PD13 takes about 10-15 Minutes for that. I always use pretty same output settings (Bitrate, Resolution, Framerates) I used for recording. My Videos are rendered usually in MP2 or H.264 (Fraps, PlayClaw, NVidia ShadowPlay).

After many frustrating Hours over the weekend, including Driver rollbacks, clean boots, re-installs I come the the conclusion: PD13 isn't for me eventually. That's really sad, because I like the Editor and it's powerful Tools.

My System: Intel i7 2600k (not overclocked), Zotac Nvidia GTX 970 (not overclocked), Asus P8-Z68 PRO Mainboard, 16 GB PC 1333 RAM, Windows 8.1 x64.

cheers,

Oliver

I think that your Maxwell card combined with Intel CPU (with Quick Sync) is at fault for this. See if you have the latest update, they just released something recently for this combination.

Fermi cards are still the best way to go in video editors, just because of their mature support.
This is my experience with PowerDirector12, 13 and Vegas Pro (using MainConcept CUDA encoder).