GPU hardware acceleration does not seem to work with new Nvidia cards. I have just purchased a Dell G7 15 (758 with GTX 1060 (6G). Unfortunately PD18 does not utilize the GTX1060, instead it uses Intel's built-in GPU. It is very disappointing. I hope to get a fix for PD18. I have provided the logs to PD support. I will provide an update on the progress here.

I suggest you to contact Cyberlink support to learn which GPU they support, or regret like me...

Otherwise, I am quite happy with the performance of the Dell G7 (8th generation 6 core i7), 16GB RAM, 2 disks (1 SSD for Windows and some applications, 1 Sata for storage and videos). I am using external RAID drives for archival.

You can get some idea about similar or better budget gaming laptops from the review below
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-G7-15-i7-8750H-GTX-1060-Max-Q-Laptop-Review.317686.0.html

1. SSD doesn't add any performance improvement to the editing process, a normal HDD (large) is better for video storage and editing. In a desktop it can be an SSD for programs and one, two HDDs for video storage, maybe even in RAID mode (protect the data).


2. Laptops with dual GPU (example Intel+nvidia) will not work well with GPU acceleration because of the way they are build (nvidia video passes trough the intel one) and the required switching graphics software (that recognizes only games). Get a desktop and you'll have hardware acceleration.


3. PD doesn't use more than 4GB of RAM (for itself). Add 4 for the OS and you get to 8GB. OK, maybe 16 if you feel in a spending mood. But spending money on 32 GB for PD is just... waste.

Hi,

I would throw in a word of caution on graphics cards at the moment...

I have a desktop PC, so the Laptop problem faced by Alexba doesn't apply (Very well documented elsewhere).
I have a Ryzen 2700X, over-clocked to 4GHz and water-cooled.
I run windows and all programs from a fast SSD - Just makes the PC generally quicker to boot and work with.
I have a 'Working files' drive - also SSD - Just to keep my working files away from the main archive drive. (Not really needed).
I tend to write rendered files directly to a 'Spinny disc based' large hard drive.
As SoNic67 advises, there's no problem with writing to a modern hard drive - they're capable of writing faster than the files will be rendered. They slow nothing down.
I have 32 Gb RAM, though I reckon I'd see no real-world problems if I only had 16Gb - even if running PD in the background, letting it render as I work on other stuff - which I tend to do.

One problem that's just popped up - documented in another post and currently under investigation.

I have a Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 8Gb graphics card. (I think mine is an ASUS, but I'm going back a couple of years since built).

This runs like the clappers in PD18, it is correctly 'Optimised' in the preferences/Hardware acceleration window.

However - I'm noticing some glitches with regard to smooth movement when utilising the power of the card. Switching it off and rendering far slower is giving me better finished videos...
I'm hopeful that there will be an update soon that will fix this (Very common card) as just now, I couldn't recommend such an expensive card for use with PD-18.

Gerry

welcome to the forum.
i'm gonna throw in my penny, too.

here's my recommendations (edited November 20, 2019). for your future references go to http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

# what is the best computer for video editing spec:

CPU - fastest, you can afford without breaking the bank.

avoid older intel cpus with single suffixes ix-xxxx U / M to name a few at all cost! also avoid AMD APU, too; however,
current generation intel i7-10xxx U kicks a**. if in doubt then check it out at cpubenchmark. see above link.

CPU cpubenchmark score ≥10000 / 1920x1080 FHD & 3840x2160 4K.

memory - ≥16GB RAM 3200MHz

GPU - ≥2GB VRAM; speed check it out at cpubenchmark ≥5000. (ex. GTX 1660 2GB+)

Best NVMe M.2 SSD -> http://www.pcgamer.com/best-nvme-ssds/ ≥ 500GB

Best SATA III SSD -> http://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-ssd-for-gaming/ ≥ 500GB

HDD -> 7200RPM 128MB cache 6G SATA III 1TB or bigger


this is my recommendations and will serve you very well for a long time.

happy happy joy joy

PepsiMan
'garbage in garbage out' 'no bridge too far'

Yashica Electro 8 LD-6 Super 8mm
Asrock TaiChi X470, AMD R7 2700X, W7P 64, MSI GTX1060 6GB, Corsair 16GB/RAM
Dell XPS L702X i7-2860QM, W7P / W10P 64, Intel HD3000/nVidia GT 550M 1GB, Micron 16GB/RAM
Samsung Galaxy Note3/NX1

I got a response from Cyberlink support. It looks like Cyberlink blame Nvidia for being incompatible with PowerDirector. This is very unprofessional. Especially considering the fact that Nvidia is probably the most popular GPU on the PC market. I have tried Filmora after Cyberlink's response. Filmora rendering GPU acceleration works fine with Nvidia GTX 1060 on my laptop.

I have copied the response from Cyberlink below:

"With regard to your previous concern, upon checking, we would like to inform you that for Intel/NVIDIA hybrid GPU platforms, there is a mechanism in the NVIDIA Control Panel to manage which third party software is allowed to use dGPU.

The mechanism is managed by NVIDIA, not by CyberLink. CyberLink PowerDirector supports NVIDIA GPU, based on NVIDIA's specification, when there is no restriction.

Therefore, we suggest you to contact NVIDIA if there is questions about the behavior of NVIDIA Control Panel."


So, Cyberlink expect thousands of their customers to contact Nvidia. I don't think this attitude will help fixing the software issue with Cyberlink Powerdirector.

Based on the above input, I suggest investing into the fastest CPU you can afford. If you're looking for a laptop, then i7-9750H can be a good choice wih 6 cores, which are fully utilized by PD18.

Quote I got a response from Cyberlink support. It looks like Cyberlink blame Nvidia for being incompatible with PowerDirector. This is very unprofessional. Especially considering the fact that Nvidia is probably the most popular GPU on the PC market. I have tried Filmora after Cyberlink's response. Filmora rendering GPU acceleration works fine with Nvidia GTX 1060 on my laptop.

I have copied the response from Cyberlink below:

"With regard to your previous concern, upon checking, we would like to inform you that for Intel/NVIDIA hybrid GPU platforms, there is a mechanism in the NVIDIA Control Panel to manage which third party software is allowed to use dGPU.

The mechanism is managed by NVIDIA, not by CyberLink. CyberLink PowerDirector supports NVIDIA GPU, based on NVIDIA's specification, when there is no restriction.

Therefore, we suggest you to contact NVIDIA if there is questions about the behavior of NVIDIA Control Panel."


So, Cyberlink expect thousands of their customers to contact Nvidia. I don't think this attitude will help fixing the software issue with Cyberlink Powerdirector.

Can you READ? It doesn't blame nvidia, it explains what it was already explained above - nvidia + intel laptops use a mechanism of switching between those cards that is not supporting GPU encoding (using the NVENC block), is specifically designed to detect games (using CUDA cores). And yes, that is a decision made by nvidia.
The video encoding hardware inside nvidia is not considered by that software "gaming hardware" and so the software switch is not activated. Why laptops? Because the two GPU have to share one display...

So in the end it's you fault for coosing the wrong tool. Gaming laptops are to be used for gaming. Any other assumption of suitability for a different task is on you.
If you are serious about video editing, get a PC with a discrete graphics card not another gaming laptop.
Or get a laptop without a second GPU, one that uses only Intel graphics. Those ones are OK for video encoding too.

PS: You don't buy a hammer to work on painting the wall, and then blame the paint manufacturer when it's not working.