Harm: "Run the PPBM5 Benchmark and you will know"

I just ran a PPBM test. While this test is useful for comparing performance differences on different computers, it just is not a valid test for our discussion: it is not designed to measure the difference between export and queue. It is only designed to use AME(queue) for benchmarking and you're guided to use export function only once with CUDA MPE turned off. In addition, you're supposed to run the test with MRQ off. Thus, whole point of using PPBM is pointless in our case. (Now, Did I really to explain all this to you Harm? Had you known something about this matter, you would've not told me run the test in the first place.)

However, there's one good aspect about this benchmark: we can equally run a modified version of benchmark using exact same project setup so we know the difference is not caused by something like using "single-layer projects."
The modification is simple. Encode the project with export and queue.
For my testing, I applied this setting:

720p. 29.97fps. Squre Pixels. Main Profile 4.2lv. VBR 1 pass, 11-17mbps.
Both of Render at Max. Depth and Use Max. Render Quality ON.


Here's the result:
Export: 2:14 (I used a stopwatch function on my phone for this setting does not inform the time spent.)
Queue: 6:18

*note: I ran two tests when using queue mode. One with Premiere opened and one with Premiere closed. It was because I thought Premiere might be holding CUDA resources thus blocking AME's access to it. It wasn't the case as two test showed similar results regardless of Premiere being on or off.

As you can see, export was 3 TIMES FASTER than queue.


BTW, Randall, my CPU did not "overly hot during queuing" or exporting. CPU temperture was in 56-60c range. Also, I don't think my computer is "just too freaking slow overall." While it isn't a top performer or anything, i7 860 @3.6ghz, 8GB ram, GT 240 DDR3 sure doesn't belong in the ""just too freaking slow overall" category.

Actually, I wasn't talking to you about a "too freaking slow overall" PC. I was actually referring to the OP's results. Taking a whopping 30 to 40 hours on a 1.5-hour project.

Here's a simple benchmark showing the difference:
YouTube - Dwm 2011-02-04 01-28-16-52.mp4

Though it's a very short clip that has no effect applied (only resizing,) it clearly shows how export is much faster than queue. The result, the difference in speed between queue and export, is the same regardless of project's length, effects, and what-so-ever. The key here is MRQ. With that off, both export and queue shows same performance: they are both fast. With it on, export is much faster than queue. As I mentioned before, same result was acheived using PPBM's complex project file.

Now, Harm, please share your result with us. Don't rely on PPBM's benchmark method as it does NOT test what we're discussing here.

It's be great if other people could conduct a simple benchmark like this one and report back their findings.

Same test, same settings:

Export: 1:33
Queue: 1:29

Conclusion: about equal.

The fact that you are getting these wide differences, that I can not replicate, are indicative of 'something' in your setup. I'm pretty confident I have a decently balanced system, even though not very fast anymore, so all I can guess is that 'something' in your system is not as balanced as in my system.

Re: 30X Rendering times??
 

Does anyone have an explanation for exactly how/why MRQ plays a role with speeding up cuda exporting?

I'm still a little unclear on some things.

1) If the gpu doesn't handle encoding and decoding, what is it that the gpu is processing that makes exporting so much faster, besides FX?

2) My definition of encoding/decoding in PPro is reading/exporting to a particular compressed format. If you drag in an h264 file for example, then set the project settings and editing template to the same dimensions/format as the source material, does this mean that some of the actual 'encoding' is bypassed when exporting to that same format?