What Is CPU Mode?
CPU Mode forces all AI processing to run on your processor instead of requiring an NVIDIA GPU. Every AI feature in SoundWorks — voice cloning, transcription, local TTS, and more — has a CPU fallback that works on any Windows machine with no special hardware.
Why Does CPU Mode Matter?
No GPU barrier to entry. Many AI tools require an NVIDIA RTX GPU with 6GB+ VRAM. SoundWorks removes that requirement. If your machine runs Windows 10, it runs SoundWorks AI features.
Older hardware support. Laptops, office workstations, and older desktops without dedicated GPUs can run the full feature set. Processing is slower than GPU mode but fully functional.
GPU-free environments. Virtual machines, remote desktops, and cloud instances often lack GPU access. CPU mode ensures SoundWorks works in these environments.
Reduced power and heat. GPU processing draws significant power and generates heat. CPU mode is ideal for laptop users who need longer battery life or quieter operation.
What Runs on CPU
All local AI engines support CPU mode:
- Whisper transcription: Full speech-to-text on CPU. Slower than GPU but produces identical results.
- VibeVoice: Voice cloning models from 1.5B to 20B parameters. Larger models are slower on CPU but quality is identical to GPU output.
- Silero TTS: Designed for CPU from the ground up. Fast and lightweight with no GPU requirements.
- IndexTTS2: Zero-shot voice cloning with emotion control. CPU mode supported for all features.
- Qwen3 TTS: Both 0.6B and 1.7B model variants work on CPU. The 0.6B variant is recommended for CPU usage.
GPU vs CPU Performance
GPU acceleration (NVIDIA CUDA) makes AI processing significantly faster:
- Whisper transcription: 5-10x faster on GPU
- VibeVoice generation: 3-8x faster depending on model size
- IndexTTS2 and Qwen3: 2-5x faster on GPU
CPU mode produces identical output quality. The only difference is processing time. For short texts and single files, the difference may be negligible. For batch processing or long content, GPU acceleration saves significant time.
How to Enable CPU Mode
CPU mode is available per engine. In each engine’s settings, select “cpu” as the device instead of “cuda:0”. This forces all processing for that engine to run on the CPU.
You can mix modes — use GPU for one engine and CPU for another — based on your workflow and hardware capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the minimum CPU requirements? Any modern x86-64 CPU that runs Windows 10. More cores and higher clock speeds improve processing time. 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB+ recommended for larger models.
Can I switch between CPU and GPU mode? Yes. Change the device setting for any engine at any time. No reinstallation or reconfiguration needed.
Is the output quality different on CPU vs GPU? No. The same models produce identical output regardless of whether they run on CPU or GPU. Only processing speed differs.
Which model variants are best for CPU? Silero is the fastest on CPU (designed for it). Qwen3 0.6B is faster than 1.7B. VibeVoice smaller models (1.5B-3B) are manageable on CPU. Larger models (10B-20B) work but are slow on CPU.
Can I use integrated graphics (Intel/AMD) instead of an NVIDIA GPU? The CUDA acceleration requires an NVIDIA GPU. Integrated graphics cannot be used for GPU acceleration. Use CPU mode on machines without NVIDIA GPUs.