nvidia FX4400 Graphics Card -SW Compat?

[jackboot]

We are looking to buy some new graphics cards as my past experience with the Wildcat 7110 has left me a shell of my former self.

Everything I can read - and a short time running Nvidia with SW - seems to point to this card.

However, SW doesn't list the FX4400 on its website as been tested and approved. I really don't know do if this is truly that important.

Is it too new?
Is anyone running the new FX4400 with Solidworks?

jackboot

 

[SBaugh]

If I were you I would go with and look into the use of the Quadro 500 FX or the 1100 FX. I use both these cards and love it.

http://www.cgnetworks.com/story_custom.php?story_id=2214&page=3

Quadro 500 FX card:

http://store.digitallyunique.com/vcqfx500-pb.html

These cards pass and are at the SW website.

Wildcat cards left a horrible taste in my mouth this year. BSOD, instablities, etc...

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

If you are in the SW Forum Check out the FAQ section

To make the Best of Eng-Tips Forums FAQ731-376

 

[jackboot]

Scott,

Do you know the difference between AGP 8X and PCI express?

I note that the PCI bus seems to have a larger bandwidth.

Also, my company doesn't have a problem spending money on our machines - so I would like to buy the best card I can for Solidworks. Those two cards are sort of on the lower end on Nvidia website.

If you could get any card you wanted - would you still go with your recommendation?

jackboot

 

[TSTUEBER]

jackboot
I run the nvidia quadaro fx 3000 and love it. I agree when purchasing equipment you are best off buying the top of the line because within a year or so you are outdated and need more. At least with purchasing to good of componats for now your investment might last a bit longer.

 

[SBaugh]

If i could get any card I wanted I would stay with the 1100 FX. Did you not read the link I gave on the Benchmark of the Nvidia Cards?

The graphs show that the 1100 performs as well as the 3000 but at half the cost. The money you save on that purchase alone would be enough to buy you more RAM, and a Larger HDD.

Buying the 3000 vs. 1100. Let see the 3000 came out before the 1100. The 1100 is newer and performs as well as the 3000. According to the benchmark above. The 4000 is due out soon. That card is suppose to be wicked fast vs. the 3000 or 1100. But the cost is to far out there. The price for the 3000 will probably not drop when the 4000 comes out. As for how fast will the 4000 be... Don't know yet. But I'm willing to say the 4000 might obsolete the 3000 eventually. Since after all the 1100 replaced the 1000 already.

TSTUEBER Did you check out the benchmark yet? The numbers between those 2 cards are almost the same and since the price different is so large between the 2. I would always pick the 1100 over the 3000. Before I seen this benchmark. I would have suggested the 2000 or 3000, but not now.


PCI vs AGP

AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect

AGP slots are suppose to be faster then PCI slots. If you get on the web and do a search you will find alot of discussions on this. I searched for a little while to confirm what I thought was true... and that was that AGP slots are faster in moving data then in the PCI slots. That maybe incorrect, but according the to info and what I have seen over the years, it's not.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

If you are in the SW Forum Check out the FAQ section

To make the Best of Eng-Tips Forums FAQ731-376

 

[jackboot]

Thanks Scott and TS and I did read the link.

Not to press the point - but my situation is quite a bit different than most. I may be the only one person who is told - buy the absolute fastest machine that money can buy.

We do everything from CAD, to photo renderings, and sometimes promo animations. And while it may seem funny to most- my boss would have my head if I ever "ran out of machine" for what I do. My specific order: Buy the fastest equipment - and don't let me find you cutting corners. We upgrade to the fastest whatever every other year.

I have dual processors, 4 gig of RAM, fast drives, dual 19 inch Flat panel monitors, Spaceball 4000 FLX--there is the picture. I am not bragging because I am expected to produce with this equipment which I do. However, the link showed some areas where the 3000 had a significant reach on the 1000 - I just don't know how it would affect me based on the parameter.

But- counter to my orders, I do apply a little common sense to my purchases. You pointed out with the link about performance - and that is exactly what I am after - not the most expensive -just the plain fastest with a pinch of cost reason.

I will see if the 4000 is compatiable from my resellar and let you know.

jackboot

 

[SBaugh]

You do Realize that the Dual Processor isn't going to speed up your SW don't you?

Check out this site -

http://www.solidworks.com/swexpress/mar04/200403_techtip_02.cfm

If money is not object (Which it's not) then, look at the 4000. It would be the best top of the line video card, by Nvidia when it comes out. As for performance that benchmark is all I have seen so far.

Why not get the Spaceball 5000 it's the latest spaceball.

As for the 3000 out performing the 1100. It's isn't by much and it isn't enough to justifiy the cost difference, between hte two... IMO.

Do a search through

http://www.google.com

and look in comp.cad.solidworks and see what else has been discussed on hardware.

faq559-974
faq559-936
See other FAQ's too.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

If you are in the SW Forum Check out the FAQ section

To make the Best of Eng-Tips Forums FAQ731-376

 

[TSTUEBER]

WOW I wish the 1100 would have been out when I purchased our new systems but it was a choice of the 1000 or 3000, so I went with the 3000. We now went with a lease option also so that every 24 months we will upgrade which will be a great help.

 

[Arlin]

The QuadroFX 4400 is a PCI Express x16 card.

Here is a nice page comparing all of the Quadro Workstation class cards:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_11761.html

Most cards today are AGP. A transition has begun to the next great thing, PCI Express (PCIe). PCIe does have some benefits that will grow as the technology matures. Right now, however, motherboards with a PCIeX16 graphics slot are vey limited (the Intel 915&925 boards only, I think). AGP is here to stay for a while at least, and I see no reason to choose a PCIe card over an AGP card, other than futureproofness, which is also debateable.

I agree with Scott, I would go for the 1100 over the 4000 or 4400 due to the performance/$. The money saved could be put to better use on CPU and RAM or even display monitor.

But, heck, if you really want the fastest machine money can buy, go with a dual SLI 4400, 4GB of RAM, a motherboard that supports the dual PCIe graphics slots, and the fastest proccessor you can buy for that motherboard. That will be spendy, maybe around $10,000. And some of those parts are not readily available yet.

 

[jackboot]

Heck - I'll just get the 1000 or 3000.

This is giving me headache and Friday is too close to ruin.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Theophilus]

jackboot,

Not to be tight or anything, but:
not the 1000, not the 3000, but the 1100. Good stuff.

Also, you mentioned you render. Your second processor is fully functional during renderings and you'll get a great deal of use from it then. For modelling or rebuilding--afraid not. If you're like me, you might have a browser and other peripheral applications running in the background. Second processor is handy there, too.

A future note--look into the AMD 64-bit chips. If not for the chips alone, then for their advanced communication architecture to the rest of your components. Might make the AGP vs PCI debate somewhat moot, since many of the silly bottlenecks often experienced with the Intel systems will disappear. I use a slower chip on two systems and get excellent performance.

Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

 

[jackboot]

I was mistaken on the numbers that Scott was saying - I didn't notice that the 1100 was a newer generation card.

I will buy that one.

Concerning the dual processors: I have been running dual processors for 3 or 4 years - since the 1 GHz CPU came out. Initially, we spec them because we wanted to see SW performance increase - which was mostly imperceptible- however, we did note an increase in FEA and rendering times. But if your computer is grinding away with some calculation - it is nice to still to be able work instead of staring at the screen.

Thanks for the input.