Graphic Cards.someone?

[VERVE]

hi..I just need someone with sufficient knowledge about this to answer my question:

Radeon 9800 256mb has 8 pipelines
Radeon 9550 256mb has 4 pipelines

ok:

1a) what are pipelines?
1b) How do pipelines alternate my editing experience?
1c) Is it true that the extra pipelines are only "better" for "games"??

PS: 9800 series are much more expensive, so if its because it gives better 3d gaming experience and NOT editing...I HAVE to know, so I wont buy it...coz I'm concerned with editing here.

lots of appreciation,

VERVE

[redwudz]

I think the 'pipelines' are more of an advertising pitch than anything else. Most of the graphics card companies use terms more to impress you than to make comparisons between other video cards easy. The 9550 has 128 bit video processing and the 9800 has a 256 bit processing or about twice the high end graphics capability.

I have a 9550 and it's a good economy card. I use it with a multimedia computer through a ATI DVI to Component adapter to my video projector and it works well.

The 9800 is more suited for gaming, processing 3D and graphics at a higher rate.

Either one would be fine for editing or encoding as the video card has very little effect on either. Even on displaying video, except for probably a few more adjustments for displaying video in the 9800 they should perform the same.

[guns1inger]

None of it makes much difference to editing, although if you use real-time 3d transitions etc based on either directX or open-gl they will help. Also 3d work gets a boost from a fast 3d video card.

Pipelines determine the amount of data that can be processed simultaineously by the GPU (graphics processing unit). More pipelines, higher throughput, faster graphics. Again, this only really matters if you are doing 3d work, as these chips are designed for polygon processing.

Some cards can do video assist, either through an on-board mpeg decoder, or through smoothing and other tricks. Mine is supposed to improve streaming video, although the difference is negligable.

If editing is your game, you are probably better off getting a middling video card, and spending the difference on a specialist editing card that can provide real-time transitions and effects on your timeline. There are many of these, and range in price from pretty cheap for DV and a limited range of effects, up to pro-level transitions in HD.

[zzyzzx]

I can edit just fine with a 10 year old 4MB PCI card.

[VERVE]

judging from your replies, I shouldnt pay that much money on something so obscure to the editing world, or at least negligable to it.

fair enough, sounds like 9500 256 mb is my next purchase!...thanx for the advise people.

PS to guns1inger: I already spent a nice sum of money on a new RTX100..loving it..yet I KNOW i will cry my eyes out when HD becomes the IT Deal here in the region, but so far, DV is pretty much what does it on this side of the world,,so I'm good.

thanx again all,

VERVE