Which version of DR should I try?

Hi All,

Please advise which version of DR should I use if I want hardware GPU h264 encoding available at delivery?

Delivering in 1080p for Youtube,
I have laptop with Geforce GT640M 2GB + Intel HD4000 graphics, Win10

I believe DR Studio 16.1 will not support it, I will need earlier version to utilize my GPU? I tried Adobe Premiere Pro 2019, It uses my GPU at export (100% GPU load and ~ 20% CPU).

Thank you

You will need a new desktop first. My choice would be for 10th gen Intel and RTX 3000 series hardware.

Isn't that a bit harsh if somebody might not have the money and is asking because of that, Jim?

To the OP:
I'd try Resolve 15.3.1 with that hardware and keep the timeline to 720p while working. You may need to transcode your footage into a format like Cineform or DNxHD/HR to speed things up. For rendering set the timeline to HD and see if it get's through.

If you are considering a newer GPU, you can check here if your specific 'flavor' of GOP codec is supported:
developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new

Isn't that a bit harsh if somebody might not have the money and is asking because of that, Jim?

To the OP:
I'd try Resolve 15.3.1 with that hardware and keep the timeline to 720p while working. You may need to transcode your footage into a format like Cineform or DNxHD/HR to speed things up. For rendering set the timeline to HD and see if it get's through.

If you are considering a newer GPU, you can check here if your specific 'flavor' of GOP codec is supported:
developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new

Now with 1080p timeline it operates OK, I just changed quality to 1\4, no transcoding needed. I'll try 15.3 and see how it goes, thanks.

As for new GPU, it's laptop that I use (2012 17" Acer), no reasonable GPU options to upgrade, only buy new desktop.

You will need a new desktop first. My choice would be for 10th gen Intel and RTX 3000 series hardware.

The question was about software version, not about spending 3-4K USD instead of using appropriate software release. My current setup allows comfortable editing of 1080P footage, the only thing that is quite long is delivery (3x clip length), and that could we improved by proper hardware use. I'm not professional who earns money on editing, it's just hobby.