3ds Max Workstation vs Gamer Card Benchmarks

[sgrinavi]

The results surprised me

Using the XP64 system in my sig

Running in OGL mode:

HD4850 was a dog, taking over 1000 seconds to complete the tests

FireGL v7700 card came in second taking 952 seconds to complete the tasks.

HD3870 (512MB ddr4) with a SoftfireGL mod ran a tad faster: 910 seconds


Running in 3d3 mode:


V7700 card picked up some steam and came in at 755 seconds

HD4850 - stock settings 645 seconds

HD3870 - 619 seconds

HD4850 - 601 seconds (after manually set the card for "max performance")

HD4850 Crossfire performs within a few seconds of the straight 4850 :-(

8800GTS/640 Softmodded to Quadro FX4600 = 2039 seconds!

280GTX - 910 seconds



SO, the best 3dsMAX bang/buck is 3d3 mode and a gamer card w/quality RAM..

 

[sgrinavi]

I just ran a test on 280GTX ; the ATI gamer cards are kicking the Nvida cards around big time - right across the board, no contest. My 'worse' ATI card, a HD 3870/GDDR4 card outperforms my 8800GTS/640 by 3:1 and outperforms my 280GTX by nearly 2:1....

Interestingly enough the 4850 is only slightly better than the 3870 - Is it the higher quality GDDR that makes the software tick?


I am going to trade my 280GTX for a 4870/GDDR5 w/ 1GB and see what that does for me. I am betting it takes the crown. I have to wonder: Is a 4830 the best bang/buck for this application?

 

[wwswimming]

i have a Q9550 @ stock, with 8 GB, running XP64, with Max 9, Maya 8.5, & Solidworks. runs good !

also with the Sapphire 3870.

 

[batuchka]

Bookmarked for reference hehe

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Whoa, so now desktop video cards are offering performance on par to workstation video cards? Are there any other (3D) applications where this holds true?

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
Whoa, so now desktop video cards are offering performance on par to workstation video cards? Are there any other (3D) applications where this holds true?

on the animation side
Maya
3D Max

on the engineering modelling side
Solidworks
Pro-E
One-Space Designer (originally HP30, HP spun off their CAD software division as
'CoCreate', then PTC, the makers of Pro-E bought them).

i've used workstation cards & gaming cards. when i used workstation
cards they were bought & installed for me by IT co-workers.

theoretically one of the prime motivations to buy workstation cards is -
the drivers work.

of course, if you buy a gaming card that has been released for a year+,
the drivers work also.

my first workstation card cost $4K in 1988. ran on a 286. was practically
a separate computer on a card, optimized with Z-buffer for displaying
finite element mesh etc.

 

[amittalkin]

Is there any way to get workstation features on HD4850 by hacking drivers?

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
Whoa, so now desktop video cards are offering performance on par to workstation video cards? Are there any other (3D) applications where this holds true?

The gamer cards are just as fast, if not faster, when you compare them to the mid range workstation cards. What you lose is reliability and fidelity. In my experience the gamer cards and drivers are not stable and give you lots of funky artifacts in your viewports. If you use your 3dmodeling software casually and/or occassionally then a gamer card is probably a smart

I am running the v8700 card now and am blown away by how smooth my 3dsMax viewport performance is. I have not had a gamer card that was even in the ball-park.

Originally posted by: amittalkin
Is there any way to get workstation features on HD4850 by hacking drivers?

Not on the 48xx series. The softmods only work on the 38xx and below.