what will give me better performance

[biohazard2]

I run cad, 3dstudio max, LOTS of games like diablo II, aoe2, UT, Q3, and rainbow 6 and watch DVD movies. I'm wondering if I'd be better off with a 64mb geforce1 DDR or a 32mb geforce2 (either a 64mb asus 6800 or 32mb 7700). Suggestions?

 

[Duckers]

I would suggest you get a Prophet GTS II 64MB for $400. If you think that is too expensive then you might want to wait for the GeForce 2 MX which is going to be around $120

 

[Pariah]

If you're using StudioMax, you should be using a professional level 3D board from Elsa (not a quadro), 3D Labs, or the like.

 

[Goi]

Pariah...I thought the GeForce and above nvidia cards already outperform other professional cards from 3DLabs, etc? At least in the ViewPerf/Spec and other benchmarks. Dunno about 3DStudio MAX though.
Also, he also mentioned he plays LOTS of games, which includes UT, Q3 and rainbow six. I don't think 3DLabs has any cards that can handle these games satisfactorily.

 

[Finality]

Get a GeForce DDR for about $220 or a GTS for $270. You can stick some hacked drivers onto the DDR and it will run exactly like a Quadro.

The only difference between a Quadro and the DDR is the drivers. With the Quadro drivers being the best for 3d modeling etc.

Take a look at reviews around the net for a Quadro kicking the $1000 Oxygen cards around

I'm not sure if the Quadro drivers are optimized for gaming but all that is required is a simple driver change