Video card upgrade for AutoCad

[jfenwick]

Hola, looking to update a video card for my uncle to run AutoCAD 2013. He's running nothing special right now, a dual core 2.93 with 4GB RAM. Looking for a video card that won't be overkill, I've heard that gaming cards aren't optimized for AutoCAD so looking for educated feedback. Any recommendations/options under $500 and $200 would be great!

 

[PP Mguire]

Sooo...under 500 or under 200?

Newegg.com - AMD 100 - 505635 FirePro W5000 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFire Supported Workstation Video Card

 

[jasonalwaysready]

i don't think a newer/faster gpu will make a difference in cad.

pretty sure it is cpu and ram dependent. it might make a difference if he does 3d...

 

[PP Mguire]

AutoCAD 2013 supports GPU acceleration. What I linked is supported as well as many other Firepro and Quadro cards.

 

[Matt77]

I run AutoCAD 13, TurboCam, MasterCAM, and SolidWorks just fine with 4GB of RAM and integrated video... never lags

 

[PP Mguire]

Rendering is accelerated by a beefier GPU the program supports. That is the whole point for this thread.

 

[Matt77]

I render fine, but I guess it differs.

Quadros and FirePros are the major cards AutoCAD recommends

 

[carnageX]

How well it renders isn't the issue. It's the speed it can render at. If you're in a workplace, and you have to wait 10 minutes for something to render after you change something, then you're not being very efficient and can't get as much work done compared to if you have a GPU better suited for rendering.

 

[Matt77]

You have a point, he's going for speed.

 

[PP Mguire]

You have a point, he's going for speed.

Which is what I already said.....
My first post was a Firepro in his budget.