[Off-topic] Video Cards

Sarah,
We're a Unigraphics 18 shop but have evaluated Pro/E... your video card
should be a 3D double-buffered graphics accelerator set to 1280x1024
resolution, 70 Hz (or higher) refresh rate and 24 or 32 bits-per-pixel color
depth is recommended. If the accelerator cannot support this color depth and
resolution, the display should be set at the maximum supported
double-buffered color depth at this resolution.

Our Dell Precision 330 & 530 have Wildcat II 5110 & 6110 cards that support
Pro/E. (nVidia is also a recommended Pro/E card)

Here is a link to PTC (Pro/E's) system requirements for Pro/E:
http://www.ptc.com/partners/hardware/2001/proe.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: sarah.vareschi@... [mailto:sarah.vareschi@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 12:25 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] [Off-topic] Video Cards



Sorry about the off-topic msg. I have been sort of struggling without a
network admin. I'm working on a replacement, but need to get things done
in
the meantime. Anyway, we typically use Visiontek Xtasy GEFORCE4 TI4400
128MB Visdoe cards. I need to purchase a replacement card for one of our
PC's and found out that our promary supplier doesn't carry this card
anymore, but they do carry the 4600. I have found both cards, and could
get
either, the price difference being about $100. Just wondering if anyone
has
used either and cen say if the 4600 is worth the exta $100 or if anyone
knows of a website that I could look up info on comparisons on the two
cards. Oir, if I should just get the 4600 and test it for myself... I'm
new to this arena and just not sure the best way to go about things like
this... sorry.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sorry about the off-topic msg. I have been sort of struggling without a
network admin. I'm working on a replacement, but need to get things done in
the meantime. Anyway, we typically use Visiontek Xtasy GEFORCE4 TI4400
128MB Visdoe cards. I need to purchase a replacement card for one of our
PC's and found out that our promary supplier doesn't carry this card
anymore, but they do carry the 4600. I have found both cards, and could get
either, the price difference being about $100. Just wondering if anyone has
used either and cen say if the 4600 is worth the exta $100 or if anyone
knows of a website that I could look up info on comparisons on the two
cards. Oir, if I should just get the 4600 and test it for myself... I'm
new to this arena and just not sure the best way to go about things like
this... sorry.
Sarah,
What kind of applications are you running? That's quite a video card for typical Office applications.

Troy
----- Original Message -----
From: sarah.vareschi@...
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 9:24 AM
Subject: [Vantage] [Off-topic] Video Cards



Sorry about the off-topic msg. I have been sort of struggling without a
network admin. I'm working on a replacement, but need to get things done in
the meantime. Anyway, we typically use Visiontek Xtasy GEFORCE4 TI4400
128MB Visdoe cards. I need to purchase a replacement card for one of our
PC's and found out that our promary supplier doesn't carry this card
anymore, but they do carry the 4600. I have found both cards, and could get
either, the price difference being about $100. Just wondering if anyone has
used either and cen say if the 4600 is worth the exta $100 or if anyone
knows of a website that I could look up info on comparisons on the two
cards. Oir, if I should just get the 4600 and test it for myself... I'm
new to this arena and just not sure the best way to go about things like
this... sorry.

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sarah-

As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two is the
bandwidth: the TI4400 has 8.8GB, whereas the TI4600 has
13.(something)GB. I purchased the 4600 for one of my engineers' CAD
station. I know, I know, I should have gone with the Quadro, but I was
trying to keep the price of the (me-made) machine reasonable.

Here's the address, anyway:

http://www.pny.com/home/products/verto.cfm

Dan Maddox

At 12:24 PM 7/16/02 -0400, you wrote:

>Sorry about the off-topic msg. I have been sort of struggling without a
>network admin. I'm working on a replacement, but need to get things done in
>the meantime. Anyway, we typically use Visiontek Xtasy GEFORCE4 TI4400
>128MB Visdoe cards. I need to purchase a replacement card for one of our
>PC's and found out that our promary supplier doesn't carry this card
>anymore, but they do carry the 4600. I have found both cards, and could get
>either, the price difference being about $100. Just wondering if anyone has
>used either and cen say if the 4600 is worth the exta $100 or if anyone
>knows of a website that I could look up info on comparisons on the two
>cards. Oir, if I should just get the 4600 and test it for myself... I'm
>new to this arena and just not sure the best way to go about things like
>this... sorry.
>
>
>Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must
>have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
>(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
>Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
>(2) To search through old msg's goto:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
>(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
We're running Pro/Engineer and Pro/Manufacture CAD software...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
At 12:24 PM 7/16/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>the meantime. Anyway, we typically use Visiontek Xtasy GEFORCE4 TI4400
>128MB Visdoe cards. I need to purchase a replacement card for one of our
>PC's and found out that our promary supplier doesn't carry this card

What are you running on this PC? Unless you're doing 3D cad/cam or playing
3D games, there's NO benefit to high-dollar boards, or any need for more
then 4MB of ram on them.

I'm not advocating the really cheap boards either - they can suffer from
reliability problems, poor driver availability, inadequate refresh rates,
poor quality video output signals etc. These are the no-name bargain
basement junk that can be had for < $25, that the local mom & pop PC store
may throw in their "economy business special."

For about $30 - $80 you can get something like Matrox, ASUS, or ATI with
stable drivers, good signal quality, plenty of speed (for Vantage and
regular office & internet apps) and more memory than you'll ever use
(8-32MB). I've been happy ordering stuff on-line from www.5oclock.com or
www.provantage.com

If you are doing 3D cad/cam, then you definitely need a specialized
(expensive) board. You can go with one from the software vendor's approved
list for best reliability. But there's a new "top of the heap" board out
almost monthly. I can blab on about these for a while longer if anyone
made it this far... ;)

-Wayne Cox
Twenty Three -- Information Technology Consulting
828-685-2338
At 01:12 PM 7/16/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>We're running Pro/Engineer and Pro/Manufacture CAD software...

Ah, Ok. You might try Googling for:
("pro/engineer" OR "pro/e") CDRS (graphics OR video)

Or check the video guide at www.tomshardware.com The Nvidia Quadro boards
were hot the last time I was shopping (a year ago.) 3D Labs is good every
other month on Tuesdays. The Fire GL boards used to be nice, but I think
they've been bought out or bankrupt half a dozen times since I last bought one.

Try calling Dell; I was able to strike a really good deal. They have OEM
versions of the top-end boards with a bunch lower price tag. Normally,
they are only supposed to sell them with new systems, or as add-ons for
workstations they've sold recently. But they aren't real picky. They
listed a board I wanted for $700 as a new system option; it was $1300
everywhere else. The sales lady shipped it to me for $800. Told her it
was going in the notebook I bought from her last week, hehe.

-Wayne Cox
Twenty Three -- Information Technology Consulting
828-685-2338
I just went through all this for Pro/E about three weeks ago. On PTC�s web
site the �approved� hardware is a list of OLD video cards that you
basically can�t purchase anymore� unless on e-bay or something. They are
not keeping up with the evolution of video adapters. I found a company,
www.the3dshop.com <http://www.the3dshop.com/> , that has people on staff
testing video cards on Pro/E. I talked to the tech that is actually doing
the testing. He guided me to the PNY Quadro4 Pro 750XGL card. I purchased
one for testing (about $800 from The 3D Shop and about $700 from CDW). It�
s a 128mb card. The installation on a DELL Precision 420 workstation was
slick as glass and the performance of the video card is stellar. I haven�t
had a peep out of the Design Draftsman since the install. Now all the CAD
guys are wanting the Quadro4 card.

FYI
Paul L.

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Cox [mailto:wmc20@...]
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 12:29 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] [Off-topic] Video Cards

At 01:12 PM 7/16/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>We're running Pro/Engineer and Pro/Manufacture CAD software...

Ah, Ok. You might try Googling for:
("pro/engineer" OR "pro/e") CDRS (graphics OR video)

Or check the video guide at www.tomshardware.com The Nvidia Quadro boards
were hot the last time I was shopping (a year ago.) .


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]