What video card spec for multiple sessions is most important

MacroMage · Post by **MacroMage** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:41 pm

Does running multiple sessions require more video memory than a single session?

Part of me says it is only 1 monitor that I am viewing, it shouls not take any more memory to render 1 session or 100....

Reality tells me that if I try to load session 4, I get video errors as my system begins to thrash.

For my video card upgrade so i need to look for more memory or more speed at my budget limit?

Can someone explain what resources running multiple sessions requires, so I know where to focus the $$$$

Thanks

Post by **Lax** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:38 am

In order to *launch* another session, creation of some display buffers is the one and only requirement, and such buffers are required to be in the RAM on your video card. In order for them to *perform*, you want video speed, cpu speed, and RAM. If you run out of system RAM, you start having to store stuff on the hard drive that is supposed to be in memory, and your system thrashes like mad. If you saturate the CPU or video card, you simply drop FPS.

Launching more sessions will only get you so far, if they drop to unusable FPS or you run out of RAM. You need to make sure your system is going to handle that first, and then worry about launching that 4th session or beyond. If it cant, then it might not be worth the upgrade until you can handle both sides of it.

MacroMage · Post by **MacroMage** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:00 am

Thanks Lax, your explanation helps a lot.

Just a recap:
Processors never go above 50% (usually hover around 25-35)
Frame rates are steady except when windows change focus... this is also when the hard drives (raid striped) make an audible grind for a few seconds, Im guessing swap thrashing.
4th session usually is unable to "allocate video buffers"

Seems to me a video card at least as fast as my current, but with more memory is what i need, but I had another thought last night...

Should I just add another card (would have to be PCI *not express*) and split the session accross monitors? My only experience with PCI cards predates the AGP port... would the "new" PCI cards be able to "perform" under these conditions?

Post by **Lax** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:29 am

Should I just add another card (would have to be PCI *not express*) and split the session accross monitors? My only experience with PCI cards predates the AGP port... would the "new" PCI cards be able to "perform" under these conditions?

It would probably *work* but might end up more expensive because good PCI video cards, simply put, are not in demand (and would be slower, to some extent that I'm not an expert in)