Video card options?

theartguy · August 19, 2006 7:28AM

Hello all,

I'll probably be ordering a new MacPro in the next 2 weeks, heck my G4 will be 7 years old in January. I have seen all the specs for the video cards, but I don't really know how those specs impact real world performance. I plan on running 2 - 20+ monitors. I do a ton of Photoshop work, 3d modeling and vector illustration and animation - no gaming here. Whats a good video option for me? Thanks in advance?

imacfan · August 19, 2006 10:20AM

Everything apart from the 3D should work fine with the standard card. As for the 3D, it depends how much it relies on the GPU or the CPU. Remember, if it is important to you, the basic card has no fan to make the machine louder.

David

onlooker · August 19, 2006 11:56AM

I'm guessing your thinking of getting in it as a hobbyist, or just beginning.

My advice is stick with the base system for now. If you think you need more later then you can upgrade. There will probably be better choices available at that time anyway. But for someone to even need the ATI card in what I think is your situation, that would be your user defined option. If your situation were anything more than what I assumed you would be able to make that distinction on your own. Again no offense, but IMO the user should define the system. And it's also MO that you don't need anything more than the base graphics configuration at this time. Not until your firmly on your feet, and fully versed in your area of 3DVFX are you going to need to spend the money for it, so your best saving the extra money or putting it towards something to take you where you want to go educational wise.

theartguy · August 19, 2006 6:26PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onlooker

Your obviously not very knowledgeable (no offense) about 3D, or system requirements for it so I'm guessing your thinking of getting in it as a hobbyist, or just beginning.

My advice is stick with the base system for now. If you think you need more later then you can upgrade. There will probably be better choices available at that time anyway. But for someone to even need the ATI card in what I think is your situation, that would be your user defined option. If your situation were anything more than what I assumed you would be able to make that distinction on your own. Again no offense, but IMO the user should define the system. And it's also MO that you don't need anything more than the base graphics configuration at this time. Not until your firmly on your feet, and fully versed in your area of 3DVFX are you going to need to spend the money for it, so your best saving the extra money or putting it towards something to take you where you want to go educational wise.

Could you possibly be more pretentious, pompous, condescending, and arrogant? No offense!

vanilla afro · August 19, 2006 6:41PM

The graphics card wont effect the 2d applications such as photoshop and illustrator. You will just need some extra ram if your working at high resolutions. The graphics card only comes into play in your 3d work, especially if your using something like maya or your playing games, which your not. Im sure someone could be more technical for you without being annoying to you though

gregmightdothat · August 19, 2006 9:35PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theartguy

Hello all,

I'll probably be ordering a new MacPro in the next 2 weeks, heck my G4 will be 7 years old in January. I have seen all the specs for the video cards, but I don't really know how those specs impact real world performance. I plan on running 2 - 20+ monitors. I do a ton of Photoshop work, 3d modeling and vector illustration and animation - no gaming here. Whats a good video option for me? Thanks in advance?

The 7300 is probably fine... as has been said, Photoshop and Illustrator don't use it (although I think After Effects does, so possibly Photoshp CS3 will).

Unless you're modeling huge scenes with full textures and lots of complexity, the 7300 will be enough. Maya isn't very efficiently programmed... it didn't really seem to use the full power of my Radeon 9800 (which if I recall right is only about twice as fast), so I imagine that it's CPU bound (meaning the graphics card is sitting there waiting for Maya to catch up). Which will be doubly so, on the Intel Mac Pro. But if you really think you'll be pushing Maya, then why not go for the X1900. It's a much faster video card.

Also, 20+ monitors is absurd. I think you can run up to 8 23", or 4 30". But you would need to get 3 extra 7300's to fill up all your PCI-e slots.

imacfan · August 20, 2006 3:34AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregmightdothat

Also, 20+ monitors is absurd. I think you can run up to 8 23", or 4 30". But you would need to get 3 extra 7300's to fill up all your PCI-e slots.

I know what you mean - he confused me with that as well, but I think that he's talking about using two 20-inch or larger screens.

David

onlooker · August 20, 2006 6:31AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theartguy

Could you possibly be more pretentious, pompous, condescending, and arrogant? No offense!

You asked for help. Is your situation any different? I had to make judgement leaps based on what little information you provided, and tried to accurately explain why. Maybe you could try giving us a better description of your situation instead of giving us almost no information about your background using those applications, or what your using them for.

Sure my assessment may have been wrong, but I explained why I came to the conclusions that I did, and apologized for doing it when I did it.

So fuck off.

placebo · August 20, 2006 9:00AM

You didn't need to inform him that he was "obviously not very knowledgeable". That is neither relevant to the help he was asking for, nor news to him most likely.

So fuck off.

lundy · August 20, 2006 9:46AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onlooker

Your (sic) obviously not very knowledgeable

That's a keeper. LMAO.

I love the AI crowd.

blackbird_1.0 · August 20, 2006 9:49AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lundy

I love the AI crowd.

Ditto.

zachpruckowski · August 20, 2006 9:50AM

if you want two large monitors, you need two dual-link DVIs. I'd want that for anything 23"+, just do to graphics bandwidth increases. and that means the x1900xt. the 7300gt can easily do 2 20inch monitors though, or a 20 inch and a bigger one.

i hurt my hand and can't type, i have to hunt and peck and can't use caps

imacfan · August 20, 2006 10:16AM

I'm not sure if there are any problems with bandwidth, but I'm pretty sure that the 23/24" monitors still use normal single-link DVI. If that's the case you should be fine with two on even the 7300gt.

David

slughead · August 20, 2006 10:56AM

I'm pretty knowledgeiaaeeable in video cards for the mac pro.

Basically there are 3 confirmed cards

- Nvidia 7300

- ATI x1900

- Nvidia Quadro

No other card has been confirmed to work in the machine, though the x1900 for PC ($330) is rumored to work out of the box.

The 7300 is cheap and worthless for 3d stuff, the x1900 is a hardcore gaming card, and the quadro is overpriced and should be avoided at all costs.

Very soon, we'll have 3rd party graphics cards available for the system which will cost less than the $350 upgrade to the x1900.

Once those options are available, I'd recommend going that route. Stay on the boards and watch what I post as I'm going to go batsh¡t nuts when these cards are confirmed.

In the meantime, use the stock card (7300) unless you simply MUST play doom3 right away.

onlooker · August 20, 2006 11:53AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Placebo

You didn't need to inform him that he was "obviously not very knowledgeable". That is neither relevant to the help he was asking for, nor news to him most likely.

So fuck off.

For crying out loud man. Do we all need to be involved? Like I said I was making leaps in judgment based on what he wrote, and "obviously not very knowledgeable" was my first impression, and I requested, "a pardon" by saying, "no offense", and I thought explaining why I said that in that post was relevant.

If I was just going to throw a random graphics opinion at him with out telling why, he could have just as easily came in here with a Poll topic saying "which card should I get" and gotten the whole board involved, and taken a wild stab at it, but I tried to give him an opinion on what I would recommend a person in that position should do.

The nerve.

slughead · August 20, 2006 1:10PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onlooker

For crying out loud man. Do we all need to be involved?

Onlooker, I would like to personally state how much of an asshole you are.

I wake up every morning and I think "damn, I really hate that 'onlooker' guy because he's such a dick."

If there's any justice in this world, you'll die of herpes and burn in the 7th circle of hell for eternity.

Sincerely,

Some random guy who doesn't even know you but cares anyway for no apparent reason

gregmightdothat · August 20, 2006 1:18PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iMacfan

I know what you mean - he confused me with that as well, but I think that he's talking about using two 20-inch or larger screens.

David

Haha... that makes a lot more sense

I thought, "20 monitors, no wonder onlooker's making a little fun of him"

guartho · August 20, 2006 1:22PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slughead

I'm pretty knowledgeiaaeeable in video cards for the mac pro.

Basically there are 3 confirmed cards

- Nvidia 7300

- ATI x1900

- Nvidia Quadro

In the meantime, use the stock card (7300) unless you simply MUST play doom3 right away.

I played the Doom 3 demo on my iMac G5 w/ 1.5 gigs of ram and 128meg X600 w/o any noticeable lag. I think you can still play Doom 3 right away.

gregmightdothat · August 20, 2006 1:35PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slughead

The 7300 is cheap and worthless for 3d stuff

The 7300 is cheap and worthless for games and Aperture, but Maya is vertex-limited rather than fill-limited. All the graphics cards are overkill as far as vertices are concerned.

Again, I haven't used Maya on the 7300, but I imagine that it'll be the least of your worries.

gregmightdothat · August 20, 2006 1:35PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guartho

I played the Doom 3 demo on my iMac G5 w/ 1.5 gigs of ram and 128meg X600 w/o any noticeable lag. I think you can still play Doom 3 right away.

But the X600 is a much better card than the 7300.

onlooker · August 20, 2006 3:11PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slughead

Onlooker, I would like to personally state how much of an asshole you are.

I wake up every morning and I think "damn, I really hate that 'onlooker' guy because he's such a dick."

If there's any justice in this world, you'll die of herpes and burn in the 7th circle of hell for eternity.

Sincerely,

Some random guy who doesn't even know you but cares anyway for no apparent reason

Thank you slughead. Without friends like you I would probably go into a deep depression, and fall back to my old life in porn. Your words give me the strength to go on, and there is no greater thanks I can give you. Unless there is something sexual I can do for you.

Video card options?

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