Graphics card to improve Windows 7 64-bit Aero score

dbrook007

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I run Windows 7 64-bit but need a graphics card that will improve my Windows Aero score.

m/b is Aus Z87-A, with Intel i7 4770, 32GB RAM

With the on-board Intel HD 4600 graphics, the score is 6.7 for Windows Aero. I need to improve that.

I need a card that's fast on processing, especially the Aero stuff.

I had an ATI Radeon 6450, but the Windows Aero score with that card in was much lower.

What card (available in the UK) can I get that will definitely improve this score, preferably under £150 GBP.

If possible, I'd also like one that does not consume too much power, so I can avoid having to upgrade my PSU (current one is 650w).

Any help appreciated. Thanks



 

Ra_V_en

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Are you able to tell us the brand and model of the PSU you have already?
With £150 GBP you can get GTX750 /TI, GTX 960, R9 270/X, R9 280, R9 285, R7 370... so if its quality PSU you can get any of those.
Why do you really care about Aero score... its meaningless? Are you actually playing any games which are not running well, if so which titles?
 

dbrook007

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This is the current PSU - http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/power-supplies/discontinued-products/tesla-650w-80-plus

No it's to do with a problem I'm having with Steinberg Cubase 8 Pro. They use Aero for the GUI, and the GPU to offload processing in version 8.

 

maxalge

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drop in the cheapest gtx 750 you can find.

 

Ra_V_en

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In that case i must partially agree with above answer, i wouldn't go for anything more than GTX 750 and in fact that probably would be an overkill only for your needs. If you are not gaming thats really waste of cash, you could probably invest in something else.

https://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/specs_downloads.html
Those requirements are nothing special even that Radeon or HD 4600 should be enough, I'm surprised you have any issues with those. Maybe its not the card itself, maybe its some drivers incompatibilities or something else?
Can you describe the behavior of this software that is considered a flaw for you?

Edit: I've found these which supports my thinking, its not really about GPU, but if you really feel so we can find some really cheap one which should be fine for few GBP, certainly cheaper than GTX 750 even.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/cubase-pro-8/971017-cubase-8-problems-w7-aero-graphics-card-issue-2.html

https://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=226&t=77764
 

dbrook007

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It's an issue that a lot of Cubase users are having. The engine in Cubase changed between v7.5 and v8. v7.5 performs much better on the same PC. However, v8 runs into problems after just a handful of VSTi instances, VST effects, inserts, sends and FX channels.

The engine in v8 uses Aero though. Cubase 8 will not run without Windows Aero enabled. C8 uses this for the GUI and also offloads processing via its AsioGuard technology to the GPU.

When I had the ATI 6450, the performance in C8 was even worse. I noticed that the Windows Aero score in Windows 7 was very low with that card, around 4.3.

I know it's not a good meter or a reliable measure, but as C8 uses Aero, what else outside C8 can I use as a guide?

When I switched back to the onboard Intel 4600 HD, the performance in C8 was a bit better and the Windows Aero score had notably risen to 6.2.

However, the problem with the onboard Intel 4600HD is that it has no dedicated physical RAM and is making use of the CPU and system RAM. So, if C8 is trying to offload processing from the CPU to the GPU, it's not going to be doing that as effectively as it would on a dedicated card.

Some Cubase users have seen improvements from moving to a better graphics card... it might not make any difference, but I am at the point now where I am willing to just try it!

Other Cubase users have seen improvements by simply migrating from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 with no hardware changes to their PCs

It's like a minefield and I've been bogged down by this rather than being able to get on with the work and music

 

Ra_V_en

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Is there any way of checking actual GPU usage while you are working with that Cubase software with GPU-z or MSI Afterburner?
It's true iGPU is on CPU chip but it shouldn't really affect the performance of CPU itself, on the other hand its true it uses main memory, but the job you are doing shouldn't affect performance that much imo, since it's not really heavy 3d workload.
While i agree dedicated card in some scenarios might make a difference, but in this scenario we hardly know what we are dealing with and thats the main issue. Recommendations based on no data is a blind shot and in that case spending even £150 could make no difference at all.
As for this point there is no way to guarantee you will be satisfied except the test and trial method.
Based on what you said, you used Intel GPU and AMD, so logically if there is some glitches driver related in that software, it would be worth to try nVidia now. So coming back to square one i would suggest such:
- borrow some chip nVidia card and try to install newest drivers, if it works fine with those drivers keep them and try to get card with this chipset and and then again use this driver
- if you are unable to borrow any card, get one of the cheapest GPU from nVidia, but selectively with passive cooling (coolers can give additional sound interference (buzz) if you are using analog outputs)

For example this model (we are using them in my office on few workstations with multi-monitor setup):
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gt610sl1gd3l

Bellow example list of fanless GPU's:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=a8&F=1&xcx=0&qq=1