Help Picking Out New Graphics Card for WorkStation

[tential]

Ok, this is for my friend not for me so it's not a gaming build.

He is an architect and does a lot of work with CAD. He also uses other programs I guess that architects would use (I assume you guys know a little bit about this, if not I'll get the full list of programs he uses).

Anyhow, I picked out a system for him, but apparently, I don't look like a nerd so he didn't believe anything I was talking about (no joke said he can't believe I know anything about computers, silly stereotyping that people who are interested in PCs have to look/act nerdy).
Luckily I got to him before he could purchase something from a local shop.

This is the graphics card they picked out.
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/graphics_cards/m_series/m9128lppciex16

What in god's name is this? As far as I can tell, it's a relic from the days where other graphics card companies actually were relevant? I can't tell what it does besides allow you to have 2 display ports? What does this card do?

Also, since I'm a gamer, I am not familiar with what card he actually needs so all help is appreciated. I've done some research on my own, but it's all scattered info and not all of it is 2012 or later. A lot of it was older stuff and I'm sure these programs have changed.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Carfax83]

That card looks really old. I don't know much about CAD, but I do know that NVidia and AMD both sell cards specifically suited to that kind of work in their Quadro and FirePro workstation cards.

Perhaps he should look into one of those instead. I can't give you a specific model, because like I said, I don't know much about CAD..

 

[xpea]

Nvidia Quadro is the de facto standard in workstations. Driver support and certification with professional apps are by far the best (and sadly for the end-user, the only choice). It's not by hazard that NV owns 85% of that market.
Forget FirePro, it's a joke
But be prepared to pay big bucks...

 

[96Firebird]

What programs does he use?

 

[Ken g6]

The best Quadro I could find that isn't absurdly expensive appears to be this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133482

But I don't know about CAD either, so I don't know if it's good enough.

 

[mdram]

quadro is the way to go

min 1gb, 2gb if hes doing anything 3d
very similar to a gaming card
the big difference is the drivers, and slight hardware tweeks

if i can remember i will check what my machine at the office has

now find out if its just vanilla autocad, or maybe revit, or even microstation

minor differences, but it may help

 

[tential]

quadro is the way to go

min 1gb, 2gb if hes doing anything 3d
very similar to a gaming card
the big difference is the drivers, and slight hardware tweeks

if i can remember i will check what my machine at the office has

now find out if its just vanilla autocad, or maybe revit, or even microstation

minor differences, but it may help

autocad photoshop illustrator sketchup revit archicad finalcutpro
all adobe products.

That's what he said hope that helps.

Also, I saw this review on Tomshardware
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-workstation-graphics-card,3493-5.html

I figured a high end Nvidia gamign card might be the cheap choice compared to a Quaddro card.

 

[mdram]

revit is a 3d design package
id go quadro

especially if any renderign is involved
model size makes a difference

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/suppo...rements-for-Autodesk-Revit-2014-Products.html

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/syscert?id=18844534&siteID=123112

 

[mdram]

just checked, this machine is showing a quadro 2000

it handles inventor, autocad, acad mechanical, really well

 

[MeldarthX]

Depends on which versions honestly the newer versions run just as well on Firepro as they do on Quadro...*I know as I have 8 engineers under me; 6 have Firepro 6000 laptops 2 have Quadro*

Which versions of the software is key here; find out if they will be running opencl or cuda......then decide.

Either are going to fit the bill.....but older software runs better on the Nvidia; newer stuff; either or AMD......

 

[Jimzz]

Yep what software will he run? Then decide between NVidia quadro and Amd firepro based on that, not fanboys.

 

[JDG1980]

I was going to post the Tom's Hardware review of workstation graphics cards, but I see the original poster already found it.

You should stay away from Nvidia gaming cards for workstation duty. They often do very poorly in professional apps, due to missing driver features. If your friend goes with Nvidia, he'll need a Quadro card.

The Quadro K5000 is pretty good, but expensive (about $1800). AMD's FirePro W7000, at about $800, may offer a better price/performance ratio.

Either way, stay far away from the Matrox junk - anyone recommending that is a fossil. There was once a time when Matrox was the way to go for certain professional applications requiring multiple monitors, but AMD and Nvidia have long since caught up on that, and Matrox's GPUs are relics from a past age.

 

[PG]

Autodesk moved to DirectX many years ago now. Geforce cards do pretty well. See here for more detail:
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/AutoDesk-AutoCAD-2013-GPU-Acceleration-164/


" So, the foremost question when it comes to Desktop vs. Workstation graphics is actually not about which has the best benchmark performance, but rather if speed or precision is more important to you. If you are a gamer that dabbles in 3d modeling, a GeForce or Radeon card will likely work great for you. If you are a professional that needs consistent results that you can be 100% confident in, it is likely worth the slightly slower Quadro or FirePro card for the assurance that there will be no minor problems with your model.

Another point to take into consideration is that NVIDIA Quadro and AMD FirePro cards are the only modern cards that AutoDesk has officially qualified for AutoCAD. Obviously the NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon cards do work, but they technically are not endorsed by AutoDesk."



"So in conclusion, the NVIDIA GTX 660 is a great way to get close to the performance of the GTX 680, yet costs substantially less. If you are a professional that needs consistant, precise results, the NVIDIA Quadro 2000 is a great balance of performance and cost."

 

[PG]

One more thing to add. Since that article was written Nvidia came out with some new Quadro cards based on Kepler architecture. These have a K in the part number.
Examples would be Quadro K2000 vs just 2000 and K600 vs just 600.
This is advice for if you choose to go down the path of getting a quadro. I just don't want you getting the old architecture.

If it was me I would try a GTX 660 to start and see how it works. If it has problems you could sell it and change to a K2000. A GTX 660 is around $175 I think and that K2000 Quadro is $440 so it's a pretty big price difference.

 

[TFchris]

oh wow, I didn't know matrox was still in business

 

[tential]

oh wow, I didn't know matrox was still in business

It's been SO LONG that I didn't remember them at all. I was so lost.

What about the GTX 700 series?

I couldn't find any info on that and figure that he could just get a GTX 760 then sell it for a Quadro (Or keep it since Quadro cards and the gaming cards have their strengths/weaknesses for certain programs).

People ITT are saying the GTX 600 series is a good bet (I seen reviews so I understand why it's a cheap bet until you can get a Quadro system and that for somse applications GTX 600 series is best).

 

[tential]

So any informatoin on how the GTX 7 series keeps up in Workstation scenario use? So I could use that before switching to a Quadro later down the line?

 

[NTMBK]

So any informatoin on how the GTX 7 series keeps up in Workstation scenario use? So I could use that before switching to a Quadro later down the line?

It sucks. OpenGL performance is terrible, and there are pretty frequent graphical corruptions in OpenGL workstation apps. The drivers just aren't there.

 

[tential]

Thanks man and just for clarification, which programs benefit a lot from Quadro for Architecture use? I was asking for help on CPU choice as well (More for ways to convince my friend not to get the LGA 2011 platform and pay a ridiculous amoutn more for a 4820k when he can get a 4770k for half the price +mobo over at microcenter) and they said Revit, 3DS, and FI(not sure what FI is?). I'm pretty sure I've used both with an IGP/Graphics card and it worked and that they were Direct X compatible but that was awhile ago.

I saved enough cash on his build to get a Quadro K4000 for the same price his current build was and performance. But I don't want him to get a $700 GPU if he doesn't need it.

 

[Phynaz]

How pick a workstation card:

1. Pick a card from the software vendor approved list.
2. Goto 1

 

[mdram]

heres the thing
a workstation is used to make money
do not cut corners, do not skimp
build a solid robust system that will last for 2-3 years
at that point its time to replace, as the software will most likely require better hardware

also cad programs benefit from 2, or even 3 monitors
any cad system i built i figured a min of 1500 without monitors, keyboards, ect

 

[Arkadrel]

Depends on which versions honestly the newer versions run just as well on Firepro as they do on Quadro...*I know as I have 8 engineers under me; 6 have Firepro 6000 laptops 2 have Quadro*

Which versions of the software is key here; find out if they will be running opencl or cuda......then decide.

Either are going to fit the bill.....but older software runs better on the Nvidia; newer stuff; either or AMD......

This guy actually knows what hes talking about first hand.

Too many people love to bash AMD, or do so without any first hand knowlegde.

If price is a concern, then chances are hes gonna get a better experiance with a AMD card, simply because of how much people buy into the "nvidia is for the pro market", when not really knowing anything about it. AMD pro cards are usally cheaper and with better performance/price.

 

[Anarchist420]

@OP: just get a titan black when they are available... i wish i could buy one because that jank would last forever with 6GB, full DP, and SteamOS/Gameworks/OpenGL's revival (not really any need for higher DX compliance considering how flexible a non-crippled GK110 is).

unfortunately, i cant afford one because nv holds too many patents.

 

[MeldarthX]

Thanks man and just for clarification, which programs benefit a lot from Quadro for Architecture use? I was asking for help on CPU choice as well (More for ways to convince my friend not to get the LGA 2011 platform and pay a ridiculous amoutn more for a 4820k when he can get a 4770k for half the price +mobo over at microcenter) and they said Revit, 3DS, and FI(not sure what FI is?). I'm pretty sure I've used both with an IGP/Graphics card and it worked and that they were Direct X compatible but that was awhile ago.

I saved enough cash on his build to get a Quadro K4000 for the same price his current build was and performance. But I don't want him to get a $700 GPU if he doesn't need it.

PM me - I'll walk you through a few things - seriously.....list the software he's going to use; which version and I'll give you a list to look through on cards.

I can tell you unless people actually find out what is going to be use are just flapping about what cards to get.....like the stupid advice to get titan black......

He is going to be using cad - he's going to need proper card and drivers to support this......plain and simple; you can't skimp on these parts

 

[tential]

Ya MeldarthX I understand that the programs he's using are VERY important. Trying to explain this stuff to an Architect is so hard though. They're all about the art of things. I can see why my engineering friends HATED doing joint collaborations with Architects.

Trying to explain the importance of "Exact programs" is very hard to do so.

That's why I decided on the K4000.

But if he doesn't need an actual workstation card why get one? Unless there is some other added benefit. AutoCAD says that it needs a Direct X 11 compliant GPU. So wouldn't any recent GPU be good?

Seems hands down for AutoCAD products that the gaming GPUs perform better?