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Which graphic adapter shoul I use?

Which graphic adapter shoul I use?

Which graphic adapter shoul I use?

(OP)
Hi, I work with Mechanical Desktop 3.0, and now we are about to upgrade our computers.

Please tell me which graphic adapter shoud I choose. I searched the Autodesk's site and they only say it should have 4 MB VRAM and have OpenGL capabilities.

Well, if someone can recommend me something, it should be a low end one, and I cannot use graphic accelerators (VoodooI or II) although these are the ones I surely know that have OpenGL capabilities.

Would an S3 Trio 3D or Savage do? Or maybe a new ATI card?

Thank you a lot.

Dan

RE: Which graphic adapter shoul I use?

HI,

I think in the end, it's really a matter of preference, but one important guideline to follow is the speed and onboard RAM the video card has, and from most studies, an AGP video card is generally considered superior to the older PCI cards.

For instance, I found that upgrading from a 4mb to an 8mb video card made a substantial difference when creating photorealistic renderings of 3d models, and for the openGL rotation of 3d parts and assemblies in AutoCAD or other CAD programs.  

I also know that Autodesk and Microsoft are both notorious for listing system requirements that just barely cover the needs of the program, ie. if it asks for a 4mb card, be sure to get at least an 8mb card if you want to do any real work.

As for manufacturers, luckily in this age of technology everyone and their dog has a website, so you can preview various manufacturers product features online before physically going shopping.

Hope this is helpful

Paul Rivet

RE: Which graphic adapter shoul I use?

Why can't you use Voodoo cards.  We do and they work great.  Voodoo 3-3000 and 3-2000 16Mb cards.  Fantastic for the price.

Edson Campos
edsoncampos@earthlink.net

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