CAD/Rendering/Gaming?

[pashbe1]

Hi everybody,

My current system is an old workstation with dual Xeons @ 2.4Ghz, 2gb Ram, and an Nvidia Quadro FX4000.

I spend about 50-60 hours a week in 3d CAD, and Rendering, and about 14 in gaming. I don't play current generation games like Crysis, but do run Company of Heroes.

I really like the latest guide to "$825 systems", especially the mid-level AMD system with a base build price of about $500. That is about as much as I could put into a new system. The OC potential is a really nice bonus.

Since I have been wanting a new pc for a long time I went on Newegg and set up an order. But then I remembered that I have had 3 ATi cards and they never work well with my CAD applications. The problem lies in the hardware acceleration. If its turned all the way up then the cursor prompts turns to garbled blocks and very choppy. When I tune hardware acceleration down a notch navigating in 3d gets choppy and I have to turn it up again before I game. I've never had this problem with any Nvidia cards, but obviously my Quadro is not for gaming. The last ATi card I tried was a Sapphire Radeon HD 3850 512MB, same problem.

Is anyone else familiar with this issue? Has it been fixed? Would I have the same issue with the HD4770? Any recommendations for that system in the guide?

Thanks for your time.

 

[sandorski]

Why don't you just have 2 systems? One for the Work, one for the Play. Eliminates any potential issues.

 

[lopri]

You spend 50~60 hours a week in 3D CAD (I presume it's your job) and.. a HD 3850? Get a better card. I heard from other members that AMD cards are OK for casual 3D drawings, but if you spend that much hours in workstation apps then you should seriously consider getting a workstation card. NV cards should be a safer choice since they have like 90% of that market.

Oh, and welcome to AnandTech Forums.

 

[pashbe1]

yeah, actually I am running an Nvidia Quadro FX4000, which is about as good a card as you can get for CAD. The 3850 was a trial, it helped with the FPS on gaming but sucked for CAD.

I have never had any issues with Nvidia cards, but I am on a very tight budget currently as the economy is killing my clients off. That is why I was looking at the Anand guide to $825 systems, and was excited about the AMD mid lvl they put together. And that is why I can't go with two systems, even thought that would be the best solution. You see, the plan is to scavange as much as I can from this workstation, including the case, PSU, and DVD burner. But I dont think I can put the 4770 on my order, inspite of all of the hype because of the issues I have had with ATi cards. I was just hoping that someone could put my mind at ease about the 4770, or recommend an Nvidia card.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: pashbe1
yeah, actually I am running an Nvidia Quadro FX4000, which is about as good a card as you can get for CAD. The 3850 was a trial, it helped with the FPS on gaming but sucked for CAD.

I have never had any issues with Nvidia cards, but I am on a very tight budget currently as the economy is killing my clients off. That is why I was looking at the Anand guide to $825 systems, and was excited about the AMD mid lvl they put together. And that is why I can't go with two systems, even thought that would be the best solution. You see, the plan is to scavange as much as I can from this workstation, including the case, PSU, and DVD burner. But I dont think I can put the 4770 on my order, inspite of all of the hype because of the issues I have had with ATi cards. I was just hoping that someone could put my mind at ease about the 4770, or recommend an Nvidia card.

Get the equivalent(ish) Nvidia card then. Not exactly sure which Model it would be. Prices are usually a pretty good indicator. Checkout some other threads regarding the 4770 or a video review. That will give you Nvidia models around that performance/price range.

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: pashbe1
yeah, actually I am running an Nvidia Quadro FX4000, which is about as good a card as you can get for CAD. The 3850 was a trial, it helped with the FPS on gaming but sucked for CAD.

Many here will tell you that you can use gamer cards for CAD without issue; I do not have the same wonderful experiences be it ATI or Nvida. I find them to be less stable and full of funky viewport artifacts. IMO the professional graphics drivers that you use with the professional graphics cards are worth every penny for those of us that use our systems for CAD and 3d apps. The softmods are OK and just as fast as the real deal, but not stable and still give you the artifacts.

Note that the the Autodesk Graphics Hardware List does not include any gamer cards.

Is there some reason you do not want to keep your Quadro? You seem happy with it.

I had a Quadro FX4000 for a while, it was nice at the time but things have progressed quickly since it was released. I have tried a newer gen Quadro card, the FX 5600 and the difference was amazing, however at less than half the price I found the ATI FireGL v7700 to perform just as well. I am currently on a FirePRO V8700, the larger frame buffer is a nice improvement.

One thing to note for the rest of your system; the new gen of intel processors are amazing for rendering, my new i7 system spits out frames 2x as fast as my Q9550 system did. The real time shading & shadows in 3dsmax viewports is, for all intents and purposes, instant.

 

[pashbe1]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Sgrinavi, sigh, I wish I could afford a i7 system right now. I do like the FX4000, it works well for what I do. The only problem is the few times a week I get online to blow off alittle steam with my friends I have to play at the lowest possible resolutions, and I still lag.

Okay, here is the reason why I can't reuse my FX4000. It is AGP. Remember I am working on a 6 year old dual Xeon workstation, I dont have fancy PCIe and SATA and all that stuff. I can put together that system in the Anand guide for less than $500, overclock the 3 core AMD, and if I pick the right GPU, be happy for a while.

Again, I appreciate everyones help. Looks like there simply isn't an easy answer.