Quadro FX 700 vs Geforce 7800

[Geoffc]

Current: P4 2.1, agp 4x, geforce 5900, 1gig ram.

 

I'm ramping up to do renderings/cad at home with ACAD 07 / Viz 07.

 

Instead of "going big" just yet with a new second system, I want to upgrade this one to keep me afloat for the next 4-6 months.

 

both the Quadro FX 700 http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16814133108 and Geforce 7800 http://www.bfgtech.com/7800GS_256.html offer agp cards that would still work with my asus p4pe / vga system.

 

The Quadro is about $50 more than the Geforce. I must sheepishly admit that I do enjoy some gaming at home also on this same pc (and I think the 7800 would do better with that).

 

Would the Quadro 700 add a "considerable" 3d performance boost over the 7800 with arch renderings in acad/viz 07?

 

Thx!

[Christopher Nichols]

No graphics card will offer any boost to your rendering. They only offer help in the interactive 3d of your workstation. The quadro is designed to work with 3d packages by offering all sorts of extra stuff beyond raw speed (that is what the geforce offers). Sorta hard to explain, but for example, it will boost your performance when you have multiple viewports for example. I would say if your computer is used a lot for modeling and 3d navigation is critical, and you are generally a fast worker, get the quadro. On the other hand, GeForce will work jut fine for most cases, will do you fairly well, plus it will be much better at games (for your R&R times...)

[Geoffc]

thx, that's what I needed to know.

 

I realize that its not involved in rendering, but in viewing polys in 3d aps, etc.

 

If ppl think that the geforce would be good enough (especially for an older system), then I'd prolly just with that for now.

[AJLynn]

If you only need it for a few months, I'd recommend you go cheap - Ebay a Quadro4 900 or 980. I just typed in quadro* 900 and saw a few that were very cheap. This is what I use at home and it's not spectacular but it's actually quite good.

[DavidR]

An FX700 is pretty crappy (check the specs!) compared to a 7800 -I'd definitely go for the 7800 for general use. I've got an FX3000 and I'm thinking of switching for a 7900 series for better compatibility, updated drivers (Quadro drivers are different and aren't updated very often), and newer features, like realtime HDR. In most cases, a good current game card is a better deal.

[Geoffc]

FWIW, I think I did manage to get my 3 1/2 yr old system up to date enough to last me until I can pick up a dual-dual hotrod later this year (or quad next year?).

 

I picked up the 7800 gc oc, found an oem p4 3.06 on its way, added another gig of ram, and finally got a "real" 600w psu so my system won't crash when taxed.

So, for about $650, I'm pretty happy that I avoided the urge to spent $6000 on a new Boxx, Alienware, etc.

[Zdravko Barisic]

Well if yu stick with OpenGL apps, then MAYBE Quadro FX700 is still better choice, BUT if yu go with 3DSMAX, then upgrade to 3DSMAX 8, buy GF7800 (even GF 6600 would be good) switch to D3D as viewport renderer and forget about Quadro fore next few years.

[Geoffc]

I thought I had read that OpenGL was "better" than D3D in Max/Viz?

[Hazdaz]

If you are hell bent on getting a QUADRO card, I have an FX 1000 card for sale - I am sure I would be willing to let it go for much less than the FX700 you posted and I know the FX1000 is faster than the FX700.

[AJLynn]

Hazdaz and Geoff C - please update your user profiles with your full names. It's a requirement on this board.