@hatfieldphoto

Hello, Welcome

What is your intel i7 CPU?

For example an Intel® Core™ Processor i7-9850H Processor is 9th generation because the number 9 is listed after i7.

Your graphics card is ten years old, how old is your pc?

Your system may need to be upgraded.

Stephen

Forum Moderator

@hatfieldphoto

Before you buy a new computer, try experimenting with the hardware acceleration settings:

File>Settings>Program... Device Options tab.

Change the 3 dropdowns to CPU or Warp (if you have it displayed) and see how you go.

@hatfieldphoto

It's possible your graphics card does not have enough Vram for 4K Editing. 4GB is needed for 8K and 1GB for HD so it stands to reason that 4K may well need at least 2GB of Vram for a graphics card to be useful. It also needs to be a Kepler processor or newer.

Try changing Import/Processing/Export to CPU or Microsoft Warp if you have that option.

Assuming your processor can handle the files.

Ray.

@hatfieldphoto Hi, there's lots of different i7 CPU's, can you give the full version, it'll show in Taskmanager, someone will tell you more but that graphics card is old, 'launched on September 6th, 2012' & the only ones i can find on line have just 1GB, MEP now uses a lot & is very dependant on the graphics card,

You can post pics of Taskmanager on a new comment using the arrow icon next to the smiley at the top of a new comment,

Yes my PC is maybe 7 years old and was built to order. The processor is Intel(R) Core i7-3770 @3.4Ghz, the Graphics card has 2Gb vram. I am almost 70 years old and my own CPU is exactly the same ie a bit outdated. What I don't understand is why a 2016 version of the program handled things reasonably well until it started exporting blank video recently and for no apparent reason. One might have assumed that an up to date program might have worked at least as well as the old one in its prime on the same PC. This version doesn't even recall my folder links in the import tab on starting up or even show basic thumbnails. At least not so far. I like Magix, have got used to its way of working and I have had several versions over the years but my experience is that they eventually fall foul to bugs and crashes after working well for a time. The constant nag screens to "upgrade" (ie spend more money) with mysterious deadlines a couple of days in the future are irritating - I daresay they can be turned off but strike me as pure marketing only.My PC builder does not recommend as worthwhile any component changes on this computer (more RAM and so on) but maybe a complete new one which I cannot afford at present. If I can't get this version of Magix running smoothly then I will gave up on the program. Thanks for all your replies by the by. As an aside what would be considered a "good" spec'd PC for video editing without spending thousands? Thanks again.

@hatfieldphoto

Excellent news. Now, fingers crossed your exports go all the way through!

I hear you on many of your rant points. We can (and do) complain to the higher-uppers but in the end we've just got to put up with it! 😂 AS they say in the classics... On On.

@hatfieldphoto

The CPU settings should be remembered but it would have selected the nvidia card automatically as it is Direct X 11 compatible and could render up to HD resolutions and doesn't know your intentions.

Options/Preferences/Settings - aren't they all the same thing in different programs?

Definitely not 😉. They can vary wildly from application to application depending on what it may be asked to do.

I mean why would you WANT to import video with NO audio?

Effect clips may not require any audio and a lot of cameras split their audio from their video files when shooting slow motion. Audio is normally sent to ram during playback and too many tracks of audio may mean altering the audio buffer sizes if needed as more track playing in parallel can mean a lot of data flowing back and forth.

Another annoyance with upgrades - why move control buttons about or hide them?

As far as I remember it has always been the case but I agree.

I have driven cars with the brake and accelerator in reverse positions. It is surprising how quickly you can get used to it if you use your opposite foot. People with one leg missing after an accident do it all the time.

Ray.

I absolutely refuse to chop my leg off to test this!😁😁

Yes my PC is maybe 7 years old

"good" spec'd PC for video editing without spending thousands? Thanks again.

 

@hatfieldphoto Both your CPU & GPU were released in 2012, so a little more than 7yrs old. time flies by, it's 2yrs gone since Covid started 😮 unfortunately things move on & it's simply your pc is old 👴😁😂 your 2016 was in keeping with your old PC but MEP 2022 isn't & has had some major tweaks over the last couple of yrs, As far as a new pc is concerned that's hard to say, it depends how deep your pockets are, MEP uses the GPU (graphics card) a lot or well depending on your view, so if you're going to get a new one, try to get one with a decent GPU,

If you look at the Signatures at the bottom of peoples comments, their pc is listed there & you'll be able to see what others have, many haven't got fancy super dooper expensive machines 👍

@hatfieldphoto

I have both legs 🤣. I was just trained to use all types of mobility adaptions. Some are a lot easier than others.

Ray.

New programs are always compiled to take advantage of the latest hardware and changes to newer codecs which require higher processing capabilities. The faster reported export times and smoother playback promises comes from those changes in the hardware more than the software. Up to a point, higher end but slightly older components can also take advantage for a while but eventually they get outclassed by newer components.

If considering anything new PC wise, then only a few components from the old build may be suitable for putting into a new system.

My PC tower case I've had since Win 98.It is huge with lots of internal room and good ventilation. My old SATA hard drives can be used although not really suitable for a C: drive any more. My Blu-ray recorder/player is still OK of my motherboard but I'm not sure newer motherboards all have that ability. Everything else had to change.

A new motherboard for a new CPU normally means a new power supply as connectors change and some new motherboards now do the voltage regulation from the motherboard.

GPUs are currently very overpriced and it may be a couple of years before prices come back to a normal level and are actually sold at retail prices again. One way to save money would be to have a good Intel CPU with an inboard graphics chip that should work for 4K editing. It does not have to be the fastest or most cored CPU. The current batch of i7 processors would be enough. 16GB of ram should also e enough for basic editing but 32GB would help future proof it a bit more.

There can be some savings to be had by buying a semi pre-built motherboard with the CPU and Heat-sink already applied which is the route I took. It was just then a case of getting suitable suitable solid state drives and a power supply. Old fans may not work as the newer ones tend to be four pin rather than the older three pin configuration.

In theory you could hold off the cost of getting a newer graphics card for a while or see if the upgrade of the CPU would help your current card to cope better which it might if the card can still be used in the new motherboard. The new version of MEP and VPX can use both the internal Intel GPU of a processor that has one (That should be any processor that doesn't have the letter F in the model number) as well as an nvidia graphics card and share the load up to a point. For basic 4K editing you don't have to get the latest and greatest nvidia card. I'm using an nvidia 1650 Super which is fairly low range now and it copes reasonably well although a 6GB card would probably be much better.

I hope that information helps when the time comes.

Ray.

@CubeAce @hatfieldphoto I've got an i7-7700, GTX 1660 Super, 64GB Hyperfury RAM & a 1TB M.2 drive waiting to be sold next time you're in Leeds 😂🕺👍

@Former user

What, no motherboard? 😀

Nice components though.

I'm 70, so no longer have a motherboard or a fatherboard......

@hatfieldphoto

I am in my 60's and have a chip on my shoulder 😂

Stephen

Forum Moderator

I'm a perfectly balanced individual - a chip on each shoulder....

Well I'm not out of the woods yet. I appreciate all your help on this forum. I now see all the thumbnails having changed File>Settings>Program... Device Options tab. settings to "CPU" I tried the playback quality briefly (it seemed OK) then closed the program and tried to re -do my project today only to find that the timeline playback is severley chopped up. There are several seconds that play smoothly at a time - which is why I thought things were fine originally- but mostly it is badly broken up. Before it started giving problems my previous 2016 version of MEP played back 4k footage smoothly enough (albeit from a previous camcorder I no longer own). The lightening bolt options beneath the playback monitor make no difference at all and the proxies are all made. It's ironic that a 6 year younger version of MEP doesn't perform anywhere near as good for me on this pc as the old version. I found the Motherboard spec. It's an ASRock H77 Pro 4M. I'm not PC savvy so I've no idea if the CPU could be exchanged for something that would work with Magix and of course I'm wary of spending money on a solution that might not work. What would be your advice on if a CPU upgrade is possible on this motherboard and what to try please?

If it gives any clues to my present problem - HD footage (rather than 4K) appears to be fine. I have a 4K project I need to start working on soon and I'm thinking I may have to down res. it to 1080P to make it editable. Thanks again to all. Phil.

PS I had a bright idea I ran Task Manager processes to look at the CPU performance. It's running at around 90% when attempting to play 4K and half that 40-50% when playing 1080P HD.

@hatfieldphoto

Hi

. . . .  It's ironic that a 6 year younger version of MEP doesn't perform anywhere near as good for me on this pc as the old version.  . . .

Assuming you are using ironic to mean 'happening in a way contrary to what is expected' - you are not alone.

There have been several users recently trying to use the latest versions Movie Edit Pro, Magix Movie Studio and Video Pro X, they all use the same 'engine', on older hardware which does not support the Hardware Acceleration feature of the software, which aids the program to handle higher resolution footage, 2.7K and 4K more smoothly.

The demands of 4K video compared to Full HD 1920 x 1080 (1080p or i ) are due to the format having 4x the number of pixels which in turn means higher data bitrates, approx 3 - 4 x that of FullHD, being handled by the CPU/GPU. If you throw in HEVC (h.265) encoding on top of this then the processing capability required is even higher.

You mentioned a graphics card - what make/model is it?

John EB

Hi John, it's an Nvidia GeForce GTX-650. Thanks, Phil.

@hatfieldphoto

Hi

. . . . Nvidia GeForce GTX-650 . . . .

Unfortunately this GPU is not usable as an alternative to the Intel iGPU, it does not support NVENC which is needed for Hardware Acceleration.

John EB

John, what would you do or replace in my situation???

@hatfieldphoto @johnebaker @AAProds @Former user @PATIENT-X

Hi Phil.

What would be your advice on if a CPU upgrade is possible on this motherboard and what to try please?

Any swap of CPU for that motherboard would mean the CPU would have to be the same generation which as well as being too old now to be of use with newer versions of MEP or VPX if you needed to work at higher resolutions

Your processor would if it had an inbuilt GPU only support Intel® HD Graphics 2000/3000 which is just not supported any more by Magix products.

Motherboards are made to support specific year and models of Intel CPUs and are not interchangeable due to differing die sizes of the CPUs and change of individual pin uses as well as pin counts on the die.

Basically,(IMO) the newer the better, would be my advice but you would not have to go for the highest specified components with a newer i7 processor being the sweet spot between cost vs performance. An i5 at a pinch from tenth generation upwards but a ninth generation i7 would work. They would also work better with an inboard Intel GPU as well as a newer nvidia card for smoother playback when things get added such as effects or multiple tracks.

That would invariably lead to almost all new components to match. Faster C: and project drive. faster ram (16GB recommended) and a new power supply and CPU heat sink.

A laptop may be tempting but many will not work well with a program like Movie Edit Pro. Laptops once bought are not easily changed internally if a mistake is made with the purchase. Ask @johnebaker for further advice on that topic.

Unfortunately for most of us, if we buy a new camera of smart phone then it's output is no longer supported by older software. That in turn, once a computer gets more than a few years old often means a hardware upgrade is needed to support that.

It's the upgrade circle of hell. (or close to it) 😉

Ray.