Graphics card and performance

[kredek]

Cakewalk uses my internal graphics card, but since my laptop has a gtx 1060 card, I tried forcing Cakewalk to use that instead (in a screen setting in Windows 10). Unfortunately it rendered the programme really bad, so I had to change it back. Is that due to me doing it wrong or is cakewalk just not optimised to using an external graphics card? 

I was hoping to free up some processing power that way. 

[Lord Tim]

My main work machine uses a 1050 and one of my others uses a 1060 and they look no different to running on integrated graphics.

I'd say the switch from card to card would be negligible as far as freeing up power goes, unless you're driving quite a lot of pixels (FYI my 1050 is running a 5120x1440 monitor, as well as a laptop panel and not breaking a sweat, and I'm sending 1080p out of a different out via the integrated graphics.)

[Promidi]

Some plugins themselves have a specific setting to use the GPU for graphics rendering.

For example, Meldaproduction has such a switch in its settings.

[Bill Phillips]

OpenGL version and capacity make a difference for some plugins.  A number of the iZotope plugins I have and other plugins will use GPU processing capacity when the graphics card OpenGL version equals or exceeds the minimum they are designed for. I think GPU capacity is mainly used by plugins with sophisticated  GUIs to run more smoothly and reduce CPU loading when the GUI is open.

[Starship Krupa]

On 4/9/2022 at 6:42 AM, kredek said:

Cakewalk uses my internal graphics card, but since my laptop has a gtx 1060 card, I tried forcing Cakewalk to use that instead (in a screen setting in Windows 10). Unfortunately it rendered the programme really bad, so I had to change it back. Is that due to me doing it wrong or is cakewalk just not optimised to using an external graphics card? 

I was hoping to free up some processing power that way. 

This is probably specific to different models of laptop, but my Dell Latitude also has the Intel graphics plus an extra nVidia GPU. It's set to run everything from the nVidia GPU, including Windows itself and all programs. If I remember correctly, it's a BIOS setting, to tell it that the nVidia is the primary GPU. Also, I think that's the default setting, otherwise, why even have a dedicated GPU?

Do a Google search for your model of laptop with the question "how do I force XXX to use the nVidia GPU?" or similar.

You will see better performance when using the  GTX 1060; as mentioned earlier, some plug-ins, like Meldaproduction's and Newfangled Audio's, can use OpenGL for graphics processing, and since the 1060 likely supports a higher version of Direct X, anything that displays graphics will benefit. It won't necessarily "free up processing power," but just from the greater amount of video memory, and the faster speed of the video memory, things will draw more quickly.

On my main system, I notice a marked difference in drawing speed between using my GTX 550 Ti and the onboard Intel HD graphics. With the Intel graphics, if I float the Multidock or individual views, they'll go black for a moment when I switch back and forth.