Performance difference between Native and HDX

[bacchus40]

Originally Posted by albee1952

I wonder if a new i7/X79 mobo setup would net an improvement?

i'm hoping it is enough for a bit here... havent gotten into heavy mixes yet so i guess we'll see...

[mykhal c]

Originally Posted by MADIrouting

I currently have ProTools HD 10.2 with a Native card and an Omni and HD unit. I have had good luck and performance. Recently I have been running enough tracks, with Rtas plug-ins, sends, and automation that I am running up against the Native CPU limit.

What I am curious for those who have switched from native to HDX.

Are there any additional pro tools functions (non plug-in DSP) that are processed through the HDX card that are not processed as part of the Native card such that a person would see an improvement going to HDX from Native?



PC: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit / ASUS P6X58-E WS / Intel Xeon W3680 @ 3.33 GHz / 24GB RAM MEM [4GBx3 CRUCIAL_CT3KIT51272BA1339 ECC Non-Buffered; 2 kits] / Gigabyte nVidia GTX 470 1280MB / 128GB M4 SSD System Drive / 128GB M4 SSD active session drive / 1 OCZ 60GB SSD Page file / multiple HDD for storage

i would have to say you probably need to look at your system setup a bit more closely to see where things 'might' not be set up properly for best performance. i'm still usin' my very dated C2Q Q6600, oc'd @3.3g, FSB 1900 with great success since movin' to HD|Native and the Omni. granted my biggest session is only 70-80 trax. but i've got VCC across all trax and VCC and VTM on the master. i can playback this session flawlessly at 256 buffer usin' 65% cpu. i have also tested it at 128 buffer @83% cpu...runs flawlessly on the first couple of passes but starts to get 9xxx errors the more passes i do. so my point is the HD cards really do a great job of takin' the load off of the cpu. your system specs KILL mine look there first. you'll probably find the bottle neck...

[bacchus40]

thats a really good point actually.. thanks for posting..

i'm kind of thinking the same thing.... windows is finicky with all its background services..

you should probably do some research as to what exactly is running in the background thats killing your resources.... msconfig is an excellent tool! find on run menu, look up SERVICES & START UP processes and literally go one by one finding out exactly what you need and what you dont...

i'm actually doing the same this week as i'm setting up my laptop for net access.. now i can get rid of all these useless programs that are slowing me down....

[jjnssn]

Originally Posted by bacchus40

thats a really good point actually.. thanks for posting..

i'm kind of thinking the same thing.... windows is finicky with all its background services..

you should probably do some research as to what exactly is running in the background thats killing your resources.... msconfig is an excellent tool! find on run menu, look up SERVICES & START UP processes and literally go one by one finding out exactly what you need and what you dont...

i'm actually doing the same this week as i'm setting up my laptop for net access.. now i can get rid of all these useless programs that are slowing me down....

I appreciate the continued input. I tried today after loading up 10.3. Long and short OC'ing my CPU gets me my biggest bang for my buck when I need it.

Dverb II test:
380 instances on 76 tracks

Turning off services and startup (except those necessary) I can get 400 instance on 80 tracks (approx 5%)

If I overclock my CPU to 4.27 GHz I can get 460 instances on 92 tracks (all services and startups on). (approx 17%)

If leave the CPU OC'd and turn-off the services it actually goes backwards and I can only get 89 tracks.

I could dive into the MS services, yet I have turned off many that I know I don't need.

[mykhal c]

Originally Posted by MADIrouting

I appreciate the continued input. I tried today after loading up 10.3. Long and short OC'ing my CPU gets me my biggest bang for my buck when I need it.

Dverb II test:
380 instances on 76 tracks

Turning off services and startup (except those necessary) I can get 400 instance on 80 tracks (approx 5%)

If I overclock my CPU to 4.27 GHz I can get 460 instances on 92 tracks (all services and startups on). (approx 17%)

If leave the CPU OC'd and turn-off the services it actually goes backwards and I can only get 89 tracks.

I could dive into the MS services, yet I have turned off many that I know I don't need.

FWIW the key to OC'g any rig, but especially for PT, is to find the sweet spot between cpu speed, BCLK multiplier, ram speed, and ram timings. IMHO and experience, FSB/BCLK speed seem to have the most impact (directly connected to QPI)...as long as all the other things i mentioned are in-sync too. any of the factors that do not play well/optimally with the other settings will impact your performance. good luck!!

[TOM@METRO]

My experience with over-clocking beyond about 20% has yielded mixed results for me with ProTools. On one hand I can really push Dverb tests and plug-in count with certain plug-ins, but on the other hand have seen decreased stability with most Virtual Instruments and more demanding plug-ins. Finding the perfect spot has been a little bit of a challenge. I have opted for the i7 Hex Core, coupled with HDX to ease the quest for power and it seems to be paying off. I'm really looking forward to PT11 for the real love though.

[mykhal c]

not sure how my OC would work with the HDX card but it's playin' quite nicely with the HDN card...and i was concerned about the PCIe bus speed with the OC and HDN card when i installed it. i've got an whoppin' 37% OC on the cpu speed and 76% OC on the FSB of my dated Q6600/P35 build!!! i'm lookin' forward to my upcomin' build but i have to say i've become even more impressed with the ole Q6600 after installin' the HDN card...it has extended the life of this rig due to the stability that the card has brought...and VEPro has brought super stability to being able to use VIs in PT. and i feel ya on PT11

[bacchus40]

sorry i missed a couple posts.. i started messing around with the O/C on my 3820 i7 and got it up to 4.5Ghz with low enough Vcore voltage ..

seems to be good with the mix i'm working on... gonna try it while recording in a couple weeks here... looking for good things.!!

as far as background services.. you dont just go ahead and do what avid suggests, which is disable all services besides Msoft... hahah.... you still need some services in order for your motherboard and video card to run properly... takes time to get it right... research pays off though.. i got it down to 1.7Gb RAM with pro tools loaded and a full mixing session, no internet, no antivirus...