Best Premiere 2.0 Hardware Add-on Card ?
 

I am trying to speed up rendering, saving mpeg files, and preview time when there are heavy effects applied. I have looked at the Matrox RT-100. Does anyone have any suggestions, opinions, etc, for a different card manufacturer (affordable) that has better features/performance? I am running 32bit XP, hopefully soon to run Vista.
Your help is appreciated!

First, be aware that most, if not all, real-time cards that are "affordable" will only accelerate certain effects. And, depending on your projects, you may be best served by using the money for a more powerful computer. Many people feel that with today's fast computers and NLE's real-time previews, hardware cards are much less useful, especially for the price.

If you do still decide to get a hardware card for Premiere Pro 2.0, I do not recommend the Matrox RT.X100. This card was released way back in the Premiere 6.x days. While Matrox has been kind enough to support it with driver updates up to and including Premiere Pro 2.0, there is no guarantee they will release updates for later versions of Premiere, especially now with the release of the Matrox RT.X2. The Matrox RT.X100 does not support HDV, nor can the card switch video out previews from one Adobe application to another when a user is running them simultaneously, both of which the RT.X2 supports. In short, if you get a Matrox card for Premiere Pro 2, get the RT.X2 (unless, of course, you justify the Axio).

Canopus used to make video hardware accelerator cards for Premiere, but it appears that they have switched over fully to their own NLE, Edius. So it looks like Matrox is probably your only option when it comes to a video card for Premiere Pro 2.

I have never used an add-on card, but given the options I would spend the $$ on a faster computer with gigs of ram. I'm running a P4 3.06 HT with 2gigs of ram. HD in aftereffects 7 is so slow I can't really preview. HD in PPro2 using Aspect HD is fine, unless I use non Aspect HD plugins, then it's back to slow renders and no RT previews. I am waiting till apple gets it's self sorted out and moving to FCP for all my editing. I am not liking Adobe applications these days, or windows for that matter. I don't think an add-on card will really offer a good value over time. But I am looking for shorter render times, for the most part I don't need every plugin to preview in RT, I just don't use them that much.
Just my 2 cents.
Jon

I am running an AMD Athelon 64X2 Dual Core Processor 4800+ with 3 GB of Ram. You would think that would be enough. If I add significant effects to PPro, watch out. After affects is almost unusable.
Are you running 64bitXP?? I am not. Will it work well??
Thanks and sorry for the delay.

Hmmm is all I can say!!!
 

David, are you using 64 bit version of XP? Just wondering. I just built a PC that is using the same parts as far as processor and ram but a ASUS M2V and a X1600Pro. I think my single processor pc is faster!!! I didn't really build this one for editing (it is for gamming) but thought I would give it a tryout just to see if 64x2 is faster and better. Unless I am doing something wrong in the settings it is not as fast.... PPro first edition and Studio 10 is what I use as far as editing. Hmmm is all I can say, John Scott

You're probably seeing a slow down due to the 32bit emulation that PPro has to swim through.

Hey David, I use ppro 1.5 and after effects 6.5 on a laptop with a 2.4 ghz 4000 chip and 2gb ram and both after effects and premiere work fast. As far as previews and final render go I would think the muscle of your dual core would do nicely. I suspect a driver conflict somewhere. The other thing to consider is that PPRO is only ever real-time when ther are NO effects added and After Effects is never real time unless you make a RAM preview.