My buddy is looking to put a new rig together. I've got most of the build list done, but when it comes to 3d modeling apps, I'm no expert. He uses both 3DS Max and Maya at a whopping 1280x1024 (17"). As of now the build is leaving around 150ish for the graphics card, but we could shift stuff around and go a little higher if it's really needed.
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Best bang for buck card for 3d modeling work
- Thread starter WiLLiSTER
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sirmonkey1985
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do either or both programs support cuda?
if they do.. my best suggestion for 150 bucks would be the GTS 250.. if they dont support cuda then get the absolute cheapest card you can find..
oh and tell your friend to get a bigger monitor if hes doing 3D modeling.. i'd shoot myself if i tried doing 3D modeling on a 17" display.. lol but each to their own i guess..
if they do.. my best suggestion for 150 bucks would be the GTS 250.. if they dont support cuda then get the absolute cheapest card you can find..
oh and tell your friend to get a bigger monitor if hes doing 3D modeling.. i'd shoot myself if i tried doing 3D modeling on a 17" display.. lol but each to their own i guess..
Well, that's the thing. I really have no idea if either do and when I asked him he had no idea what cuda was (nor stream for that matter). I did my own research and it seems like certain plugins do and some don't support it, but it's all a little over my head considering I don't use these programs.
As for the monitor, it'll come eventually. He's more worried about getting the 4 year old rig updated first
Cpu and memory are what's needed for 3d modelling. Rather than upgrade, i'd suggest he build a new system with a core i7 and 6gb ram as a render node and keep his existing system for editing. He can hook both systems together and use network rendering, a much better setup than upgrading.
That is of course if your friend can handle building a new system without selling his/her existing hardware
That is of course if your friend can handle building a new system without selling his/her existing hardware
needmorecarnitine
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that doesn't always mean it's a physically different system
dr.stevil
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yup, the CPU, for the most part, is much more important than the GPU with 3dsmax and such. However, don't skimp on the GPU either unless he plans on running it in software mode. He will notice significant slowdowns with large or complex models if he's running a crappy low end unit.
my honest suggestion would be to build a nice i7 system and try to find a used quadro or firegl workstation card (as good as he can afford) for the GPU. A regular gforce or radeon will work, but you'll notice a lot of strange artifacting (for lack of better words) and other odd issues that you wont see on the WS cards.
my honest suggestion would be to build a nice i7 system and try to find a used quadro or firegl workstation card (as good as he can afford) for the GPU. A regular gforce or radeon will work, but you'll notice a lot of strange artifacting (for lack of better words) and other odd issues that you wont see on the WS cards.
Well, the build consists of an i7 930 and 6gb ddr3 1600 among other things, which i figured would do well for him now and leave room for upgrading later if needed and when more funds are available. Just wasn't really sure what kind of gpu power he might need for it.
As for the workstation cards, can someone elaborate on the issue dr.stevil is bringing up with a regular geforce/radeon?
As for the workstation cards, can someone elaborate on the issue dr.stevil is bringing up with a regular geforce/radeon?
needmorecarnitine
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that doesn't always mean it's a physically different system
I don't see how you can take parts that you already have, recombine them, and call it a new computer.
Well, the budget is something around 800-1000. I lost the build list somehow, but it was something like
i7 930
EVGA x58
6gb ddr3
corsair 650hx
250gb os drive
1tb storage
some gpu
random super cheap case, i can modify it for better cooling as needed.
Like I said, the build could be adjusted as needed but he's trying to keep it around 800.
i7 930
EVGA x58
6gb ddr3
corsair 650hx
250gb os drive
1tb storage
some gpu
random super cheap case, i can modify it for better cooling as needed.
Like I said, the build could be adjusted as needed but he's trying to keep it around 800.
absolute_zero
Weaksauce
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WiLLiSTER--
i've done a lot of looking into this as i'm putting together a new workstation as well, the short answer is that for most 3d applications the quadro fx 1800 (on the lower end) or the quadro fx 3800 (on the high) is the best bang for buck, but all reviews seem to indicate that the quadro fx 580 is pretty damn good for around $150. i didn't come across anyone suggesting any the current crop of ati cards.
3dmax and maya absolutely make use of cuda (3dmax has a dedicated invidia driver that's supposed to be delicious), although i think it's only maya plugins with cuda programming at this point. i'm not super on top of this, as i use solidworks for modeling, and really only use maya to render with mentalray.
i've worked on a number of machines with gaming cards, and simply put they suck. i keep hearing it's mostly drivers that differentiates the two, and that may be true--but it's a big difference. not "noticing" your video card when you wanna tumble around your high poly count scene/large assembly, or zoom in so you can pick accurately is CRITICAL. i can't stress highly enough how much better the overall experience is with a workstation card.
the actual act of modeling involves lots of tumbling, panning, zooming, switching to ortho or section views...not to mention selecting, and manipulating with the mouse. 3d modeling demands a good/appropriate gpu.
i've done a lot of looking into this as i'm putting together a new workstation as well, the short answer is that for most 3d applications the quadro fx 1800 (on the lower end) or the quadro fx 3800 (on the high) is the best bang for buck, but all reviews seem to indicate that the quadro fx 580 is pretty damn good for around $150. i didn't come across anyone suggesting any the current crop of ati cards.
3dmax and maya absolutely make use of cuda (3dmax has a dedicated invidia driver that's supposed to be delicious), although i think it's only maya plugins with cuda programming at this point. i'm not super on top of this, as i use solidworks for modeling, and really only use maya to render with mentalray.
i've worked on a number of machines with gaming cards, and simply put they suck. i keep hearing it's mostly drivers that differentiates the two, and that may be true--but it's a big difference. not "noticing" your video card when you wanna tumble around your high poly count scene/large assembly, or zoom in so you can pick accurately is CRITICAL. i can't stress highly enough how much better the overall experience is with a workstation card.
the actual act of modeling involves lots of tumbling, panning, zooming, switching to ortho or section views...not to mention selecting, and manipulating with the mouse. 3d modeling demands a good/appropriate gpu.
CPU does rendering (since it does some stuff more precise or something like that) and GPU does viewpoint drawing. Usually you do not manipulate a huge amount of polygons directly but rather trough modifiers, so there is no need to go overboard. I'd say get a 5770 (can be had for 130$ with cashback, rebate and etc..)
absolute_zero
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here's an interesting read (pdf download) from invidia on quadro vs geforce...it's a little dated, so forget the tech specifics, but i think it still outlines the issues that are better handled by workstation cards (or workstation drivers).
www.nvidia.com/object/quadro_geforce.html
www.nvidia.com/object/quadro_geforce.html
butterfliesrpretty
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I thought quadro was just used for cad work, not something that would be used for maya or 3dsmax. I could be wrong though, anyone else know?
I myself use zbrush and know that particular program would work the same no matter what video card I used.
dr.stevil
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Nope
The Quadro and FireGL cards are more suited for any type of 'traditional' modeling work... especially in, but not limited to, wireframe modes (the exception is rendering though, unless you're using something like gelato renderer). I use Max at home with a geforce and it works fine for the most part... but I notice much better performance and IQ on my work station with a quadro. With the geforce, you'll get the occasional artifact and graphical glitch that will likely start to annoy any digital artist. Configured in software mode it doesn't seem to be an issue though.I also use zbrush, but that's done 100% on the CPU. I'm not totally sure how it works though, since it can do super high quality/density models without even flinching. Hell, I was able to run it at full speed on my 1.8ghz atom netbook
If you tried importing one of those models into 3dsmax or any other modeling suite (except for maybe mudbox) it would probably start on fire
WBurchnall
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Here's an example, same case and PSU, new processor/motherboard/ram/cpu.
When you reassemble the computer, its going to be in the old case and will look identical to the old computer, yet its a new computer and probably 4-5x more powerful if his old computer was 4-5 years old. Trippy, eh? Infact, your friends and family members might not even know you have a new computer when they see it and realize it looks exactly like your old pc. They'd probably only know if they use it, you tell them or they notice you've jumped from Windows 98 to Windows 7 overnight.