Elliot Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Hello I am buying a new laptop, I am planing to get a Nvidia Ge-Force 8800M GTX Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Video Memory. Is this card good for 3D Max...? They also have the FX 1600 Quadro. The sales guys at Sager are telling me Quadro is supposed to be optimized for 3D Max but that I will love the speed of the 8800. I have several Quadro cards here and several of the gamer video cards. I don't see that much difference. However, on some of the other applications I run here the gamer video cards do work better. Right now I am leaning to the 8800 because of my previous experiences. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Max uses Direct3D now, the 8800 should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 17, 2008 Author Share Posted April 17, 2008 Andrew Thanks for the information..... I was concerned. I already ordered the laptop. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 19, 2008 Author Share Posted April 19, 2008 Hello I have the same question as before but under a different twist. I use SolidWORKS, AUtoCAD and 3D Max. Additionally I use a plugging for Power Point called Presenter Office FX. The PP plugging displays video as texture just like the games. All the other programs are OK with Direct3D. Apparently SolidWORKS is a heavy user of Open GL. The Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX Graphics apparently does not support Open GL. From what I have read SolidWORKS hates the GeForce, Autodesk new products are OK with Direct3D and my Power Point plugging works better with gamer video cards like the GeForce. Does anybody has experience with the Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX Graphics and SolidWORKS. I even read that AutoCAD 2008 does prefers the GeForce. Last laptop I purchased I gave preference to the plugging, for the last two years I have suffered from an expensive sluggish laptop when using it with SolidWORKS. I already ordered the Laptop from Sager with the Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX, it has not left their shop and probably I could swap the GeForce for a Quadro FX 1600 before it leaves. I have two desktops with Quadro's and I have no problems with SW. After ordering the Sagger I have now read a ton of bad reports on the Sagers. Is this true.....? Seven years ago I had four (4) Sagers/Clevo and I didn't like them or their support. On paper they claimed having changed and being good now. But that is not what I just read this morning. I also have some Toshiba's and the Dell. I like my Toshiba's and I still use them, the Dell was not good but perhaps this expensive computer was really tweaked to be a gamer computer and not a CAD laptop. Any comments would help.... Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 I don't know anything about Solidworks but I can say that the Geforce can be hit or miss with OpenGL. Sometimes it's fine - with C4D, Maya, Sketchup - and sometimes it fails so miserably you'd rather have a Radeon 1300, like with some Geforces and Revit. You need to look not just at what the comapny calls for, because all companies that OpenGL apps recommend FireGL or Quadro cards, but also at user forums who people who use SW heavily and have a lot of technical knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 20, 2008 Author Share Posted April 20, 2008 Andrew That is precisely the issue. I have two applications that I use at almost the same percentage. Both are not tolerant of the opposing video technology. One application wants Open GL the other one want Direct3D. The Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX is the favored card by one application and the other one wants the Quadro FX 1600M. One software manufacturer asked me if I could dedicate one laptop just to them. I said yes, then I started thinking of the traveling logistics...... Can you imagine Two laptops, a projector and cameras.... I will need my own Lear Jet. This is a real problem. Last time I purchased a Laptop I spent nearly $5,000.00 on a Dell Inspiron XPS with an ATI 9700 video card. That Laptop has been a big monster to carry and it only worked good with the software requiring Direct3D. Eventually their software grew up and now I need a more powerful laptop. To make it worst.... I won't give up the usage of their software. Perhaps I should move my SolidWORKS to Inventor. Apparently the Autodesk softwares I use will have no problem with the Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX Graphics. In fact one of the user groups is saying that the new AutoCAD will work better with Direct3D rather than OpenGL. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Well, if it does require a Quadro card (I recommend researching that because it's NOT true that the Geforce doesn't do OpenGL! - it's just some programs that won't run well on it) then Max and AutoCAD will do well with it. In fact, you can use Maxtreme in Max for a performance bonus. Aside from that, the Quadro DOES run Direct3D, and pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 20, 2008 Author Share Posted April 20, 2008 Andrew This is getting more complex. I have been reading on the internet various forums I have found. Part of the problem on some of these forums is that most of their subscribers are young gamers that are self made experts and very opinionated. It is difficult to really discover the truth. The people at Sager are telling me to take the GeForce video card because it is better than the Quadro. They are suggesting I take it with the GeForce 8800 and if don't like it, they will replace it for the Quadro. Why to go through this problem if some people claim it will not work with SolidWORKS. The Inspiron I have here has an ATI 9700 (old laptop) and I know that thing was sluggish with SolidWORKS and 3D Max. I guess the only thing left is to call SW on Monday before Sager ships the laptop. Thanks for your input. Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 It looks like, from a quick look, with a Geforce a feature called RealView doesn't work and only one viewport can have hardware acceleration at a time. But I'm no Solidworks expert and I don't think there are many here. Isn't there anything like the AUGI forum but for SW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 20, 2008 Author Share Posted April 20, 2008 Andrew That is exactly the issue.... SW is posting all those notes..... The general feeling I get from the people that own both cards.... it is that the Quadro is definitely a more suitable video card... Everybody say that both card basically identical... It is just that NVidia is doing something to prevent the CAD drivers to be fully implemented or enabled on the gamer card. It is just a way to get more money from the people that depend on this cards for a living.... At this moment the GeForce is double the amount of the Quadro...! I will sleep over it and call SW and Sager before they ship. It is kind of funny... the previous Sagers I had had dead pixels.... right in the middle of the screen. Upon calling them about these dead pixels.... they would come back and say the "National standard is 5 pixel or less no replacement" This is why I abandoned Sager. This time I took them up on an offer, for $100.00 more they guarantee no dead pixels. For a week they have not been able to find a screen with no dead pixels. Interesting....! Do they buy rejects...? I had those four SAGERS before and I left quite mad at them, then I went to Toshiba and Dell for the next 4 years... I wonder if Sager has really changed from what they used to do... I know this is not a Sager laptop, in reality it is a Clevo laptop. Clevo is the ODM for many of the other brands. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 That's weird. They can't get you a screen with no dead pixel? I'm not sure I've even seen a laptop screen that shipped with dead pixels. How about switching to a Thinkpad with a FireGL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 20, 2008 Author Share Posted April 20, 2008 Andrew Seven years ago I found strange that a manufacturer would claim that they where allowed to have up to 5 dead pixels. I know there will be dead pixels. But these people seem to have the dead pixels in the middle of the screen. The dead pixels are not always visible but every once in a while you would see them. Well this time I decided to get the insurance, it has paid well since they are looking for a screen without dead pixels. If they can not find one soon, I am afraid I will cancel them and go with somebody else. The issue is that at the end all these laptops are made by the same two companies in China. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konstantin Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Is the NVIDIA Quadro FX 3600M an option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted April 20, 2008 Author Share Posted April 20, 2008 Konstantin I am not sure, apparently the Quadro FX 3600M will be an option but I would have to wait. The techs think the laptop could accept the card. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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