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Author Topic: GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR  (Read 3008 times)

Ashfall

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GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR
« on: June 25, 2022, 10:35:28 am »

I've been running an MSI GT 1030 since Media Center version 29 first came out, and it's been running perfectly fine with moderate settings.  Using an LG C1 display.  4K HDR 10 bit movie remuxes would play with zero frame drops for the whole movie.  The CPU is an Intel Core 7th gen i3.  Upscaling of regular HD, SD, and deinterlacing was working great as well.  At least 6 months or so of no problems using JRVR.  Before that I was using MadVR with Media Center 28, with no problem with 4K HDR 10 bit, and upscaling other stuff using low settings.

But over the past few weeks, only with 4k HDR, I get occasional periods of stuttering due to frame drops.  It seems to be random, starting a few minutes into a movie, or long into it, an hour or more.  About 25% of the time I still get through a whole movie with zero frame drops.  But when it starts happening, it will stutter for 30 seconds or so, then stop for 5 minutes or so before happening again.  I think it might be the GPU doesn't have enough memory (2GB of DDR5), but haven't had time to test thoroughly yet.
It's strange that I went all year so far with no problems and this just recently started.
No change in video drivers.
Operating system is Windows 11, all up to date.
I tried several old versions of Media Center 29 with no change.
Reducing JRVR settings to the minimum makes no difference.
At minimal settings, it's about 8-10 ms per frame at 24p.  When the stuttering starts, it's about 20-30 ms, which should play without stutter at 24p, but it doesn't.

Should I just upgrade the GPU?
My HTPC is tiny, I can only fit a single slot low profile GPU, which is why I have the GT 1030.

Would a PNY Nvidia T600 work ok?  It requires an adapter to go from displayport to HDMI.  Will the adapter cause any issues with 4K HDR?
What about a Radeon RX 6400?  I've heard that Nvidia GPUs are greatly preferred for HTPC, but would this work ok without a ton of hassle tweaking things?

How much memory should the GPU have?  If 2 GB isn't cutting it anymore, is 4 GB enough or should I go to 8 GB.  There's a PNY T1000 8 GB that looks like it's single slot low profile, but it's more expensive.

If there are any better options for single slot low profile GPUs being released in the next few months I have no problem waiting.
Or any advice on fixing the stuttering is also welcome.
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rec head

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Re: GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2022, 05:58:41 am »

The only help I can be is to say that a 4GB card is usually recommended for UHD.
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rdokoye

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Re: GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2022, 02:02:06 pm »

If it was working fine before, it could simply be a system maintenance issue. I don't see why your system would suddenly stop being able to run 4k content like it used to. So consider that, before anything else. Defrag (if on mechanical drive), malware scan, adware scan etc. Delete redundant files (disk clean-up), registry scan (Ccleaner) etc. Outside of that a NVIDIA T600 is definitely sufficient.
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Ashfall

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Re: GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2022, 07:44:12 pm »

I tried an Nvidia T600 but that didn't work out so I returned it.  It's mini displayport only so an adapter is required for HDMI.  I tried a couple of adapters rated for dp 1.4 and hdmi 2.1 but could not get more than 8bpc color with the Quadro drivers, including older drivers.

I've gone back to Madvr for now, which works fine with the GT 1030 (using 442.74 drivers to get 12bpc), other than subtitles being too bright.
Will try JRVR again after a few more updates, or maybe the Radeon RX 6400.
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curiousMonkey

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Re: GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2022, 07:08:52 pm »

I used the 1030 for a few years but eventually decided that it was not quite powerful enough for 4K video processing. I am now using a 1650 card with much better results. The picture is very stable but I am required to reboot my Windows PC when switching from HDR back to an SDR file. Somehow the color space is not restored unless I do that. It is a little annoying but I have learned to live with it. Hopefully there will be a new NVidia driver that resolves this issue.
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HTPC - Windows 11 64-bit Minisforum MS-01

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Ashfall

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Re: GPU Upgrade for 4k HDR
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2022, 03:45:02 pm »

Finally got around to replacing the GT 1030 with an AMD Sapphire RX 6400.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y2JWMXS

This works perfectly now.  4 GB of DDR6 is plenty.  During UHD playback with HDR passthrough it's using about 2.1 GB.  No stuttering or problems at all with 10 bit.
This is basically the only choice for a low profile single slot card and it's working great.  I have a fanless Streacom case, and this card does fine.  The fan produces no noise until you are 12 inches from the PC.  And I'm able to use Lanczos upscaling now, with around 8.3 ms per frame.
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