Whats the best Nvidia card out for 3D Art ?

[Kravit]

Is the 6800 Ultra best of 6800's ?

[Knotter8]

Both Maya and Max like Nvidia's professional QuadroFX cards very much ; they're app certified.

One of the Geforce 6800 cards will do pretty well also, save for a few 'glitches'. Yes, the Ultra is the most fast of the 6800's.

I use Cinema4D myself which not picky at all about what type of videocard ; I used to have a QuadroFX1000 which worked very well. Now I have a Geforce6800GT which works just as fine.... a bit better actually even if unmodded.

If you go for the Geforce6800's I recommend the 6800GT since it's very OC' able to Ultra speeds and it only requires one molex psu connector.

[thomaspecht]

probably a quadro ;) especially if you're going to use maya. as for max, it does not seem to have issues with gaming cards and at my last job i was surprised how well it ran on an ATI X800 (actually better than on my already reliable geforce-based system at home) .

[kwshipman]

6800 Ultra is the best gaming card, Quadro 4000 is the best professional 3d card, however there is a small price difference.

[DanSilverman]

The Quadro FX 4000 has a slower GPU than the 6800 Ultra. The FX 4000 weighs in at 350 MHz while the 6800 Ultra comes stock at 400 MHz. The RAM on the FX 4000 is slower as well at 800 (400 x 2) while the 6800 Ultra's RAM is faster at 1.1 Ghz (550 x 2). So, the Quadro FX 4000 is actually a slower card.

The only real advantage the FX 4000 has over the 6800 Ultra is OpenGL speed. But, guess what? You can use RivaTuner and a Quadro driver to unlock the 6800 card and get as fast (if not faster) OpenGL with the Quadro. Another option is the flash the BIOS of the Ultra with a Quadro BIOS and install the Quadro drivers. Now your 6800 is recognized and functions as a Quadro ... expect with a faster GPU and faster RAM.

Therefore, in the end, there are only two real differences between the Quadro and 6800 Ultra ... certification (Quadro has it and the 6800 Ultra does not) and about $1000+ difference in price. Therefore, ask yourself a question, "Is certification worth $1000 or more?" If it is, then get the Quadro. If not, then save your money and go with the 6800 Ultra. It works well in every 3D app (Max, Maya, XSI, Cinema, ZBrush, Silo, Modo, etc).

[ktamiola]

Hi...

I think the best card is GeForce 6800 ultra - moded to Quadro FX 4000 (Ultra). Native quadro has got 350Mhz, and moded in my case (425 Mhz) what gives you big difference. This weekend I will post some benchmark results about tweeking and moding the card.

For now, Please refer to Rui's test:
http://newbietech.net/eng/qtoq/nvidia/6800/linuxbenchmark.php

If You calculate price/performance of moded geForce 6800 to Quadro You will see why I was proposing this solution!

best wishes!

[Kravit]

Thanks for info guys
Is the real big difference between gefroce 6800 ultra and the 6800 GT ?

[Knotter8]

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=gw6800gt&page=1

GT cards like that Gainward Golden sample GT perform just as good as an Ultra at a lower price point. It also doesn't require 2 molex psu connectors which the Ultra needs.

[imashination]

Thanks for info guys
Is the real big difference between gefroce 6800 ultra and the 6800 GT ?

Not a gigantic difference, but it is there. As others have said, you can press a few buttons to make the GT run at the same speed as the Ultra card anyway.

[VectorWrecktar]

Actually if you don't mind me asking a question, since im just starting out as a grapics artist mainly usint painter 8 and 3dsmax will it be a good idea to get dual quadro fx 3400 or a single?

i have already ordered a alienware quadro fx 3400 system but since they just bought out dual support in UK i though i should phone up and make the change.

if you also dont mind i dont qute grasp the split monitor function, i mean will each half be able to support the amount of maximum polygons that each card can support on a single base, in terms will it support double the amount of polygons? and be faster?

[ktamiola]

Hi... Hi... :scream:

Why should he buy dual x quadro 3400 ? I would recommend him quadro 4400 FX in such a configuration... :D Heheheh ...

The most important thing is not to say what kind of computer You want to have (alienware, or whatever) but what You want to do with it... If he wants to play with models, FX 5900 is totally enough. In other case (rendering or whatever that requires high CPU power) we should afford something really powerful! That is my personal opinion.

A... one more thing : Don't say I am jeaouls You have got Alienware PC... and that's why I am writting such a reply... It is obvious, the more money the better workstation...

Dear Kravit,
My personal advise: invest in Dual CPU + nVidia graphics. If You have got infinate resources $$$ buy dual Quadro, if not stick to 6800 and You won't be dissapointed !

Best wishes!

[Knotter8]

In short : your own CG ability and level of skill in the 3D app you use should be the factors to justify the cost of a graphics card.

Currently it would be absurd for my skills to get any card over 1000 Euro's.

[VectorWrecktar]

thank you for your reply, but can you tell me whether it is goin to be abl to handle more polygons as a two graphics card or should i save the cash snd buy a seperate cheap pc for networking?

BTW i cant aford the dual anyway as i have gone up wayyyyyyyyy above the credit card limit.

[Caypiranha]

If you would build up a machine for 3D works only, I would suggest to have a look at 3dLabs´s new Wildcat Series: http://www.3dlabs.com/press/detail.asp?ref=89&prreg=17
check therefore www.spec.org out ! And the Price is fantastic in comparison to the Nvidias Prof. Counterparts! (by the way: is there anybody who can tell a SIGNIFICANT Performance difference between a 6800 Daddleboard and a FX 4000?)
The Wildcats are @ Mayas Workspace double fast than the 6800. And these Cards - I don´t know why - don´t take any care about performancepresenting in (my Example) Maya. My old GForce 440 MX wasn´t that much slower than my 6800 TurboDiesel... Ok, loading Textures seems do be done a bit faster and the buffering is better, but thats it.

So Long!

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.