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Hi!

 

I use 3dsmax and the editing phase gets on my nerves lately. I edit complex builings and one modification usually takes 7 secs to be displayed in the cam viewport in smooth mode. I use a radeon 9200 video card. I know its performance is poor so i would like to purchase another card. Which card shall I choose if I want faster editing in 3dsmax?

 

Thanks for the replies.

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A good question would be what is your price range? I would recommend any of the Quadro based cards. Quadro FX 1000, 2000, or 3000. They range in price from $750-$1,300. I am still using an "old" quadro 4 980XGL and love it.

 

 

graphix

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Hi!

I replaced my video card from a geforce2mx400 to a geforce fx5200 yesterday. I did a benchark, and absolutely no difference between the two cards. Both of them are slow, and show the same result exactly. I am really angry.

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Just confirming the geforce2mx400 upgrade to a geforce fx5200. I did exactly the same thing via two computers and I think the fx5200 is actually slower than the geforce2mx400 with only 64 meg of ram AND its going through a PCI slot not the AGP like the fx.

 

It really pays to do your homework and not just buy a card based on the ram.

 

I need to go to the quatro cards I guess.

 

Mike White

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the best way to go is to test the cards for yourself with the software you are used to work (or games)... i did this for a recent choice and opted for an ati 9800 pro. it is a strong performer in max and the price is ok, since xt is out.

 

be aware that some vid cards requires some better psu's. if u can test them by yourself, just do it.

 

nuno

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If you want to save some money and have very fast graphic card, my sugestion to you, is to spend some time ( half an hour ) and visit http://www.guru3d.com.

This is great site about modyfing Nvidia or ATI based cards to profesional version. I did that myselve so I can tell you it works.

The point is that Nvidia Geforce game cards are same as Quadro profesional cards and only diference is that in Geforce cards some OpenGL functions are disabled. There is one russian guy who made script so you can enable that functions and you can turn your game card in profesional for no extra money.

The program is called Riva Tuner. I have modifyed my Geforce Ti4600 in Quadro 980 XGL and it is much faster now, but that is not all. If you are using 3dsMax you can download Maxtreme drivers from Nvidia web site and it will boost your very fast card another 60-70%.

I did that one year ago and at that time Geforce Ti4600 was fastest card that could be modifyed to Quadro but I was there few weeks ago and I think you can use that on GeforceFX 5900 so you can have Quadro 3000.

Go and check http://www.guru3d.com and give it a try.

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Hi

 

When you say Quatro base cards - are they made by Leadtek?

 

Just getting a bit confused with the NVidia Quatro range.

 

Thanks

 

N

the Quadro cards are a line of cards made by nVidia. nVidia licenses several different manufacturers to make their cards. so yes, i would imagine Leadtek makes a Quadro card, but so do many other companies. a couploe of years ago, i run a 64 meg Leadtek geForce 4 TI at home, and have been happy with the quality of their product.

 

the Quadro line is just a high end graphics card, but it makes max run smoothly.

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Great thread, I'm new around here and reading this forum has been a great source to many of my questions already. Don't you hate it when new members come around and ask the same question that you all have answered 50 times! Reading is the best solution. Thanks for the guru3d link... another site to read. This forum is full of great links.

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Video card's, video cards....fun fun.

 

First off, never assume a newer video card is faster then an older one. Those analogies just don't work anymore.

 

Manytimes a newer video card may have NEWER features, but be running at a slower clock speed then the card you currently have, and actually be capable of LESS polygons per second.

 

An excellent example of this is the Geforce FX line. The lower end card's are actually slower then many in the Geforce 4 ti line. But those card's are also priced extremely competitively. A geforce 5200 FX is slower then a geforce 4 ti 4200, but also costs only 45-50 dollars, as well as supporting shaders and addtional features which were not available in the Nv2x core.

 

So good rules to follow....

 

1) If something is really inexpensive, there is usually a reason for it! Do the research BEFORE you buy.

2) Newer is not always better. New features are rarely used in older applications, and in the case of video cards, are usually targeted to either future application releases, or in the main case, games.

3) More video ram doesn't mean better performance.

4) Ignore all PR related garbage.

5) Just becaues its got a hot chick on the cover, doesn't mean it'll get you laid.

 

Now onto current video cards. A good staple card (which many are still using) is the Quadro 900XGL, or the Geforce 4 ti 4600. These are very fast cards, and require either a Quadro 1100 FX or Geforce 5800 FX to beat them...however both the Quadro 4 and Geforce 4 are now sorely lacking in a multitude of shader support for newer games and possibly the next generation of upcoming applications.

 

If I was buying a video card right now...I'd wait. I'd wait a few months.

 

Why? The NV4x chipset has now hit the market. Its fast...its REALLY fast. It totally invalidates the entire FX lineup as an actual "noticable" upgrade to anyone with a Geforce 4 ti. But its new...and new = expensive.

 

But in a few months the other cards in the lineup will come out, eventually with a nice mid-range solution thats both affordable, and allows everyone to increase their viewport performance, while throwing some frags on the nearby architect down the hall in doom 3.

 

Here's an article on some of the failings of the Nv3x chipset, and how nvidia is rectifying them in the Nv4x chipset.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=2031

 

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=2023

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  • 1 month later...

Greg, I've been thinking about upgrading to the FX 1000 recently until I just read your last post. Do you think those new cards will still be coming out soon?

 

I have a Matrox Parhelia 128 thats almost a couple years old now and I think its poo for Viz.

 

Another question. Will the same Maxtreme drivers also work on Viz 2005?

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hi There Greg and All

 

by necessity i had to buy another video card recently

my previous system mobo cracked and stoped working

 

i ended up getting a "gaming" card, MSI FX5700LE-TD256

 

mainly because it came in the door thru by way of fedex delivery when

i was getting my computer re-built and the fellow had only orderered it

to get enough volume the day before to get the "free" shipping so he

 

sold it to me at his cost (nearly) for $150

has 256 mb ddram Tv -in/out 6 USB 2.0 ports

 

directX 9.- HCT (?) etc bla bla bla

 

but i can now for the 1st Time do fully SHADED 3d orbiting of an entire project

my projects are not necessarily the biggest but This is a major upgrade for me

i never thot i would buy a low-end card but for the price it works, bad Timing

 

is This a really "bad" low-end card?

 

Thanks for any feedback

 

Randy

 

----

bad Timing = i had to spend my mortgage and Truck payment to fix the compuker

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For my home PC I decided to get a "gaming" card - FX5900.

It is a real "all arounder". Although I actually mostly do work on it I didn't bother tweaking the drivers with Riva Tuner of Softquadro because I found it perform very well with the Geforce driver.

At work I use a Quadro 4 980 and Maxtreme which is great, but I find that in 3DS Max using the FX5900 and DirectX 9 gives me pretty much the same performance if not better in some cases.

I also use CATIA at home which is a very demanding OpenGL application and my home PC cope with it very well although the Quadro is tends to be stronger in this case.

 

Cheers

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Hi!

I replaced my video card from a geforce2mx400 to a geforce fx5200 yesterday. I did a benchark, and absolutely no difference between the two cards. Both of them are slow, and show the same result exactly. I am really angry.

 

Im not PC guru, but for what ive learn in the net, the "MX" line is the budget line of Nvidia chips, so dont buy any Nvidia card with the MX tag on it, no matter if its an "Ultra GeForce10 2gb ddr, dual proccesor" if it has an MX tag, is a cheap chip, and it will run slower, maybe the FX5200 brand you bought, is osmething like this, a budget line like MX, so you see no difference in performance.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Video card's, video cards....fun fun.

If I was buying a video card right now...I'd wait. I'd wait a few months.

 

Why? The NV4x chipset has now hit the market. Its fast...its REALLY fast. It totally invalidates the entire FX lineup as an actual "noticable" upgrade to anyone with a Geforce 4 ti. But its new...and new = expensive.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=2031

 

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=2023

 

Greg, is the GeForce 6800 Ultra the card you're referring to with the NV4x chipset? Will this be a good MAX card? If so, Xtreme Gear (from pricewatch) currently has the card listed as below, with a price of $323 with free Fedex 2-3 day shipping.

 

Gainward (Video Cards) ONLINE ORDER ONLY - - GAINWARD POWERPACK! ULTRA/2100 GEFORCE 6800 128MB DDR 256bit AGP8X

Details:

-GAINWARD POWERPACK! ULTRA/2100 (GOLDEN SAMPLE) GEFORCE 6800 128MB DDR 256-bit AGP 8X W/CRT TVO & DVI

Part - VC-129-109

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For anyone who might be interested, there is currently a number of Quadro4 900 XGL cards being sold on Ebay; I just picked one up for $130. I'm sure it will be an upgrade from my GeForce 3, so I figured at that price I couldn't go wrong.

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