video card for CAD/3D Modeling?

[mgravy]

What are my best video card choices for under $700 for a graphics workstation (primarily AutoCAD, some 3D Studio). I am using an Elsa Gloria III and like it quite a bit, but I hear they are having some financial problems now.

I plan to build two new workstations for my company and I'm not sure what my best choices are?

 

[rogue1979]

Check out my post in this thread link. These cards are exactly the same thing as a Gloria III, but you save over $1200 on two! I can't stress enough that any Geforce 2 chipset supports full Quadro 2 features.

 

[43st]

I agree that the Quadro 2 is the cheapest solution, but also the slowest. You can go the route of converting a GF2 but then you'll have an even slower version of the Quadro 2. It's all a matter of price really. The top of the heap is the Fire and Wildcat cards, the Quadro is at the bottom.

If you need a business solution then don't muck around with a soldering iron, just get the Quadro. Or explain to your boss why you have no warranty on your workstation graphic cards.

 

[AA0]

Fire GL 8800 cards are just under 700 each. Probably the best value for non nvidia cards, since elsa is gone. The old GF2s are really slow, if you want to save a lot of money, buy them and mod them.

The wildcat cards are very expensive, the newer ones are more then 700 each.

 

[Mingon]

I used to use a tnt2 for autocad and that was usable, personally I would go for a geforce 4 and then get some extra ram much better use of money.

 

[mgravy]

What about going for the VisionTek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti4600 Video Card for $400? This card is for gamers but I just wonder how it would stack up to other high-end workstation cards?

 

[Rand]

<< What about going for the VisionTek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti4600 Video Card for $400? This card is for gamers but I just wonder how it would stack up to other high-end workstation cards? >>



It would certainly perform respectably, but there are far better CAD/3D Modelling options available at a similar price point... given that you already have a Quadro 2 Pro, I can't see a GF4 Ti4600 as being a very significant upgrade for you outside of the gaming applications in which the GF4 thrives.

I find it difficult to recommend nVidia so long as Elsa is going down, because nVidia has in the past relied heavily upon Elsa's experience in the pro segment of the market and Elsa engineers helped tremendously with nVidia's driver support for the Quadro series.
On the other-hand nVidia boards are extremely well suited to 3D Studio Max, though much less well suited to AutoCad.
Also, given that the Quadro DCC isnt a significant boost over the Quadro 2 Pro your already using I'm not sure it's worth the upgrade for you... especially since drivers are still somewhat iffy for the Quadro DCC.

ATi has yet to prove definitively that the FireGL8700/8800 can truly match up in the CAD/3D Modelling areas their aiming for and they've had some issues getting ISV certified, so I'm reluctant to recommend those either.
performance is quite good and their very versatile cards. The FireGL 2 is the only one of those under $700 though, and isnt dramatically better then your
The FireGL 2-4 have extremely good drivers, and the FireGL 3/4 would be decent upgrades over what you already have. Driver support is top notch and current Quadro board.

Finally we come to 3DLabs, and their below $700 models are difficult to recommend. The WildCat II 5000 at roughly $800 would be a respectable upgrade if you can stretch your budget a bit to cover it.

As your looking to purchase these boards for a company I certainly would NOT recommend buying and hacking a basic GF2 Pro/Ti that rogue1979 has mentioned. Besides that I doubt your company would be terribly pleased if they were to get into some legal difficulties due to their usage of illegally modified graphics card in a production basis.
For home usage hacking those cards is viable, in a company using those cards in a professional manner I wouldnt dream of recommending someone do that.
Beyond that you can see my opinion opn the Quadro 2 Pro/Quadro DCC above.

Personally, if at all possible I would recommend waiting.
If you must buy now or in the near future, then the FireGL 2, or 3DLabs WildCat II 5000 seem the best option.

 

[AA0]

pricewatch shows several fire gl 8800s under 700.

 

[daddyo]

The new Quadro 4's are looking quite badass, if you're willing to wait a few weeks for the release.

 

[mgravy]

Are you speaking of the Quadro XGL's? They look very nice! Does anyone know the projected price points of the 500/550, 700, or 900 (XGL) series?

 

[rogue1979]

Thera, if you convert a Geforce 2 Ti, it will have exactly the same performance as a real Quadro because it is a real Quadro. Actually most cheap Geforce 2 Ti 64MB video cards have faster rated RAM than a real Quadro. It is true, the Wildcats are faster. But in the latest benchtest I read on professional graphics solutions, the Wildcat II was the fastest and most expensive. However, it averaged about 35% faster in all the benchmarks combined, sometimes as much as 50% faster and in a few it was matched by a stock speed Quadro 2 clocked at 250/400. Imagine this, $130 shipped for a Gainward Geforce 2 Ti 500 with 4ns RAM clocked at 300/520 and resistor modded to a true Quadro 2. I don't have any graphics programs to benchmark with, but I have to think the performance is much closer than 35%, probably approaching equal. Now I don't know about most people, but the option of buying two Geforce 2 Ti 500 for $260 which can possible give me the performance of two Wildcat II cards that cost $2200 is worth the lost warranty. Heck, you could buy two extras for insurance and still come out about $1700 ahead. For icing on the cake the Geforce Ti 2 500 can still rock out games if you get bored at work, the Wildcat cannot.