Help with Video Card Choice

BoinxTV
#1

Here is my problem. I have a project setup in BoinxTV that has the following settings:
Document Size: 960x540
Frame Rate: 30fps
Codec: Apple ProRes 422

Input 1: BlackMagic Intensity Pro (1080i - 59.94)
Input 2: Epiphan VGA 2 USB

My problem is that as soon as I enable the BlackMagic card my “usage” jumps to over 100% (red). I currently have an early 2009 Mac Pro with an NVidia graphics card which I am assuming is my issue - activity monitor shows the CPU to be completely bored. After reading through the FAQ on BoinxTV it is quite obvious that the ATI cards are the way to go. So, I started digging into which ATI card to get to replace my NVidia card. What I cannot find is which card is better and or works the best with BoinxTV. Should I get a Radeon 6850 or a 6870? Should I splurge on a 6970? I guess my real question is, what part of the graphics card does BoinxTV use and is there a massive difference between cards that anybody has seen?

Thanks,
Ed.

#2

If it is a GT120 or GT130 then, it is most likely your issue. A 5870 or 6870 will boost the performance dramatically. With out 8 core 2009 MacPro and a 5870, the load stays at below 50% with one enabled Intensity card.

#3

any reason you need ProRes 422? the Apple Intermediate codec works pretty good for me. (I think the 422 is pretty heavy to render if I remember correctly…)