# Time to upgrade my video card... Nvidia or AMD?



## JRPhotos (Feb 12, 2017)

Hi, it's time to upgrade my video card in my desktop. Right now, I have the MSI N660 Gaming 2GD5/OC G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Video Card. 

I'm replacing it as it's glitching a lot of PS when I use the brush tool in ACR. I've tried several different versions of a driver and clean install of Windows, etc.

I've been reading about CUDA and OpenCL. Some people say that Nvidia is better due to CUDA but more are saying that OpenCL is better. 

Any thoughts or opinions?


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## Don Haines (Feb 12, 2017)

Check your image processing software and see which it prefers.

For example, I use Autopano Giga for rendering panoramas and with a high end Nvidia card it renders several times faster.....


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## JRPhotos (Feb 12, 2017)

Adobe doesn't really say what it prefers.


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## Bennymiata (Feb 12, 2017)

It depends on your motherboard as to which brand you buy.
Not all motherboards like all video cards.

Check with the motherboard manufacturer as to which video cards will play nicely with your motherboard.


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## CSD (Feb 12, 2017)

I'd say wait, AMD Vega line up is due out in the next few months and that's likely to shake things up. CUDA is dead for all intents and purposes as it's a proprietary tech for nVidia with OpenCL/Kronos gaining traction. That said the Mercury Engine found in some Adobe products was initially built for CUDA but it's now OpenCL compatible from what I remember.

As to cards you don't say if you do any gaming, if not get a Quadro or a FirePro card second hand. That way you'll get a professional card with solid drivers although nVidia has been dropping the ball on Windows 10 with my Quadra card with them releasing drivers that black screened my rig forcing a rollback (this is a Intel x99 system so it's solid). In my experience AMD seems to be better on Windows than Linux but on Linux nVidia is better.

I currently use a AMD FirePro low-profile in one rig and a nVidia Quadra 4200 in another, both are very old cards by now but I got them cheap. I can edit 4k video with the Quadro/x99 rig and it's handled 100mp PhaseOne RAWs with aplomb (but that's as much the rig spec as it is the card).


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## monkey44 (Feb 12, 2017)

Just logging in to follow this one ...


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## JRPhotos (Feb 12, 2017)

It's an Intel based board, ASRock Z97 Extreme6.

I don't really play games other than STO which I barely play now.


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## 3kramd5 (Feb 12, 2017)

JRPhotos said:


> Adobe doesn't really say what it prefers.



I use an untested card (geforce 1070 GTX), it works fine.

*Tested video cards for Photoshop CS6

Adobe tested the following video cards before the release of Photoshop CS6­. This document lists the video card by series. The minimum amount of RAM supported on video cards for Photoshop CS6 is 256 MB. Photoshop 13.1 cannot display 3D features if you have less than 512 MB of VRAM on your video card.

Important: This document is updated as newly released cards are tested. However, Adobe cannot test all cards in a timely manner. If a video card is not listed here, but was released after May 2012, you can assume that the card will work with Photoshop CS6.

Adobe tested laptop and desktop versions of the following cards. Be sure to download the latest driver for your specific model. (Laptop and desktop versions have slightly different names.)

nVidia GeForce 8000, 9000, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 series

nVidia Quadro 400, 600, 2000, 4000 (Mac & Win), CX, 5000, 6000, K600, K2000, K4000, K5000 (Windows & Mac OS)

AMD/ATI Radeon 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000 series

AMD/ATI FirePro 3800, 4800, 5800, 7800, 8800, 9800, 3900, 4900, 5900, 7900

AMD/ATI FireGL W5000, W7000, W8000

Intel Intel HD Graphics, Intel HD Graphics P3000, Intel HD Graphics P4000, Intel(R) HD Graphics P4600/P4700

Note: ATI X1000 series and nVidia 7000 series cards are no longer being tested and are not officially supported in Photoshop CS6. However, some basic GL functionality can be available for both these cards.
*


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## rancho_runner (Feb 12, 2017)

My 2c: I have been with Nvidia the last 3 graphic cards, they have been great with the Adobe sw (I have been a Creative Suite user for the last few years). Also, they do update sw more frequently than AMD. Last, their cards are currently superior to the AMD ones (performance, power consumption).
As for Vega, nobody knows its performance yet, but NVIDIA certainly won't stand still..


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