Quadro vs. GeForce?

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trekkie00

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My computer is a bit over a year old, and considering it was a budget build then, it's starting to show its age. Right now, I'm an engineering student and will likely have to use CAD software for the next several years. When I either upgrade this computer or build a new one, should I go with a Nvidia Quadro or GeForce card? I can't imagine the lower end (sub-$200) Quadro cards being more powerful than the GTX 260, but that's definitely from a gamers perspective. Right now I use a 7600GT (like i said, budget build), so how would they compare to it?

Just figured that running CAD software on a card designed for it might prove beneficial in the long run.

Thanks for your help.
 
As far as i know they make quadro's based on the some of the latest GPU's. For example i remember one of the old quadro's which was similar to an 8800gtx but engineered for CAD. Obviously CAD cards cost a lot more, and I'm guessing they do a lot better in CAD work then gaming cards would, but a high end gaming card would still provide unless you are doing very high end work. I don't know a whole lot about this maybe zmatt will come and help since he is into CAD, but i can tell you this, a CAd card would do alot better than a 7600gt, they are weak even for gaming.
 
from what i have heard the quadro's are not good for gaming compared to the high end gaming cards. for you its not worth buying one, to expensive. just upgrade to a gtx260 core 216 that will own your old 7600gt
 
I would agree, unless you're doing very high end modeling I don't think it'll be worth it if you're still trying to play new games. I'd grab a higher end Geforce card if I were you.
 
from what i have heard the quadro's are not good for gaming compared to the high end gaming cards. for you its not worth buying one, to expensive. just upgrade to a gtx260 core 216 that will own your old 7600gt

I would agree, unless you're doing very high end modeling I don't think it'll be worth it if you're still trying to play new games. I'd grab a higher end Geforce card if I were you.

i think he want's this new card primarily for Cad over the next years and not for gaming. what he is asking however is, whether or not a lower end quadro would be as powerful as say a gtx 260 because quadro's are expensive. I do know the newer powerful cards are substantially better for cad then the old but not sure how they stack up against the Quadro's. They are designed for huge amounts of pixels and geometry calculations and they do not do as good as gaming cards in games of course.
 
Depends what it kind of programs your going to run, and the complexity of work your doing. If your doing mostly 3D modelling (like 3ds max, maya etc)with alot of polys then a quadro might be a good idea. However, if your doing lighter 3D (like solidworks) or alot of 2D work a quadro is not needed. Autocad for example runs fine on integrated graphics.

Still, if your going to go with something like a GTX260, or 285 then i would think to get a comparable (in terms of performace) quadro would be $500+

If your just a student and want to game as well, your best bet will be a normal GTX card.

EDIT: And just to be clear, i have researched this before, as i was considering getting a professional card to do 3D design work. What it comes down to is most of the people that use high end quadro cards are in automotive or aeronautical design/engineering, or doing work for movies/advertising. There isnt too much point in buying one outside of a professional work environment.
 
Depends what it kind of programs your going to run, and the complexity of work your doing. If your doing mostly 3D modelling (like 3ds max, maya etc)with alot of polys then a quadro might be a good idea. However, if your doing lighter 3D (like solidworks) or alot of 2D work a quadro is not needed. Autocad for example runs fine on integrated graphics.

Still, if your going to go with something like a GTX260, or 285 then i would think to get a comparable (in terms of performace) quadro would be $500+

If your just a student and want to game as well, your best bet will be a normal GTX card.

That is what i was thinking, since the low end quadro's are old, the new gaming cards despite being not made for CAD would still be more powerful. I tried to find some reviews showing performance in modeling or something between quadros and geforces but i couldn't find anything.
 
What will you be doing mainly, gaming or modeling?

Tomshardware said:
If you're mainly buying the card for modeling, dont even bother with a geforce card. A Quadro FX 4800 moves up to 10 times faster when running workstation applications than the GeForce GTX 280. This leads swiftly to a clear and inescapable conclusion: there's no good reason to use a GeForce graphics card for workstation applications. It just doesn't pay.

Performance Gaming Vs. Workstation: GeForce GTX 280 And Quadro FX 4800 - Review Tom's Hardware : Nvidia Quadro FX 4800: Workstation Graphics At Its Finest?

That applies to the highest end graphic cards in both categories. I would seriously look at this card right here:
Newegg.com - PNY VCQFX580-PCIE-PB Quadro FX580 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card - Workstation Graphics / Video Cards

Shop around for that, you can get it down to ~160.

Now if you're going to be doing 99% gaming, then go with the geforce. If the ratios are closer to 50/50 then its a tough call - just buy them both.

Now in college when I was working with Solidworks my 7900GTO was adequate for what I was doing. I dont think you'll be managing 1000+ part assemblies in CAD systems. I'm pretty serious about Solidworks, I'm looking into buying that card I have linked above.

Firegl's are also very competitively priced.
 
Right now, my processor is an Athlon X2 4000+, usually running at stock speed of 2.1ghz. Not the most powerful processor, but not the slowest in the world. The most system intensive games I run are Source engine - Half Life 2, Team Fortress 2, stuff like that.

As much as I would like the extra performance, I'm not able to spend that much more for a CAD-focused card, and I'd imagine that the ones in my price range are pretty close to the GTX 260 and 285.

Thanks for your help.
 
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