[AnOldUR]

I recently upgraded to V22 and am putting together a computer to use with it. I’ve read here that the graphic cards for gaming and CAD applications have different needs. My PC supports 8X AGP. What should I be looking for?

This information is probably here somewhere, but I'm wasting too much time sifting through the posts. I hope someone can give a simple answer.

Thanks

[ger21]

My PC supports 8X AGP. What should I be looking for?

A newer PC. Seriously. Something with PCI Express. And for the video card, an nVidia Quadro series card.

[DareBee]

I have a couple of Oxygen VX1 cards you can have for $10 each.

[ger21]

I have a couple of Oxygen VX1 cards you can have for $10 each.

I threw one of those away 2 years ago because it wasn't worth $10. But, the PC on the desk behind me has one in it, and it still runs 2D CAD programs great. But not nearly enough power for 3D work.

[DareBee]

1 of these was still in operation running SW 06

all 32 Mb

They are almost antiques, price has to go up.

[tobyaxis]

ATI FireGL has an entry level graphic card.
V3350 has 256MB

Catalyst Magazine rates Graphics Cards all the time. They rate ATI for High End and Nvidia for Low to Midrange applications. They still haven't provided concrete proof of this but they are both good cards that come with all the necessary adapters.

The Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT on my new Dell Inspiron 1520 Lap Top is wicked fast and looks great on the CAD Screen.

Hard choices out there but it would be wise to stick with cards that are supported by the software your running. Just to avoid problems.

http://ati.amd.com/products/fireglv3350/index.html
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_8600M.html

Cheers!!!!!!!

[DareBee]

Hey Toby - Don't make me kick your *^* - Quadro all the way man (chair)

[ger21]

Yeah, ATI's OpenGL drivers have always sucked.

[AnOldUR]

tobyaxis wrote:

Hard choices out there but it would be wise to stick with cards that are supported by the software your running. Just to avoid problems.

Toby

Thanks for the serious reply. All that the BobCAD site reccomends is a 512MB card that supports OpenGL 1.1. I just ordered a Diamond Viper ATI X1650PRO AGP with 512MB. It supports DirectX 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0.

Think it will do the job?

Thanks

[DareBee]

That should do the job quite well

[DonW]

I have a MacBook Pro, with a GeForce 8600M GT card, with 128MB of VRAM. Are there any issues with this for using BCCV22? If not enough VRAM, is there a way to add more VRAM to the video card, or is it locked into a set configuration? Anyone? Toby?
...Oh, and I'm running XP Pro as an OS on this.
Thanks...

[AnOldUR]

DonW

The system that I'm upgrading from is an old PC that I put together years ago. It has a 1.2ghz Celeron and a 128mb video card. I'm still using it while waiting for the upgrades to my new system. It has run v21 with no problems and v22 works ok also. The graphics card works, but the processing speed when calculating large surfaces is really slow.

Don’t know mac’s so can’t help you there, but I don’t think that you can just upgrade video memory. You’d have to replace the video card if it’s not built into the motherboard. Hope one of the experts here will chime in.

[tjones]

Don,

First just let me say that I love Macs. My personnal favorite and wish the whole world would switch.

Now for the question. I have heard of another person running on one but no info on the speed. I doubt you could add more video memory though but if you could you should be able to find info on the apple web sight.

I hear that the macbook runs XP pretty fast though. (wishing I had one)

[DareBee]

In regards to video card and CAD/CAM or art-type rendering. It is not necessarily about the amount of memory on the card. Memory is always good but it has to do with opengl.
Mainstream cards are designed first and foremost to render games at high frame rates, the majority of these are developed on the directX API. These cards usually have direct 3D and opengl support but it is in a limited capacity.
If CAD/CAM/CAE is your living it is highly recomended to get a proper CAD card. These being a Quadro or FireGL.

Having said all that, I am not a BobCAD guy and I suppose it is remotely possible that it is not based on Opengl, very unlikely though.

[HuFlungDung]

I figure that 512meg video cards are overkill by about 100x for what we actually use in most cad work. Video memory is primarily utilized to store textures, and most of us could work in 16 colors Real artists and realistic rendering of complicated cad models might start to tickle the memory a wee bit, but even then, the required frame rate for that type of work is very low. Game rendering is far and away a much more arduous task than cad.

But, the higher processing speed of the newer graphic processors only comes on 'fat' cards, so what are you gonna do? Thank god we don't have to spend hours fiddling with fussy, expensive cad cards for obscure settings that don't really put any more money in your pocket.....if you can ever get a driver that works all the time.

[DonW]

Well, I downloaded the V22 demo today and got the resolution of the laptop optimized to be able to fit the software on the screen properly. It seems to scream on this MacBook Pro. I got news today that my package from BobCAD is finally in the mail, and I should have V22 and BobArt Pro and the training videos etc. within a few days. Looks like I'll be in business! My first project will be to draw a bunch of parts for the cnc router I'm going to build, and then I plan to tackle a guitar bridge and neck.

[tjones]

Gotta love those Macs (even when running Windows)..hehehe

[tobyaxis]

tobyaxis wrote:


Toby

Thanks for the serious reply. All that the BobCAD site reccomends is a 512MB card that supports OpenGL 1.1. I just ordered a Diamond Viper ATI X1650PRO AGP with 512MB. It supports DirectX 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0.

Think it will do the job?

Thanks

That should be ok but make sure you get the updates drivers.

As for the other two replies, they are serious and well put. ATI is Ok but I have seen better bench mark scores for the Nvidia Quadro FX series cards than any other graphics cards.

Go to this site and read up on the reviews to get more specific info.:rainfro:

http://www.cadalyst.com/

[DonW]

I've been using mine for a couple weeks now with my licensed install of V22, and I have had very minimal issues that could be construed as a graphics card related problem. So far, pretty good success with this computer.