Starting First build...

DuhQbnSiLo

This is my friends time building a PC.

Im trying to build a workstation.

• Dual Screen
• Video Editing
• Flash and Graphics

So Far i got this Asus Maximus II Formula Motherboard

With a Intel Cor 2 Quad Q6600

I'm looking into a video card right now... maybe ATI? any recommendations

Thrax

What is your budget?

DuhQbnSiLo

under $1000

well $565.02 with the Motherboard and CPU

DuhQbnSiLo

this
HIS Radeon HD 4830

doesn't look dat bad
<table id="header_specs1" class="viss" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> GPU/VPU: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">RADEON HD 4830</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> RAMDAC: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">400 MHz</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Additional Features: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">HDCP Enabled</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">DirectX 10</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">CrossFireX Ready</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">Game Physics Capable</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">Shader Model 4.0, ATI Avivo HD Technology</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table id="header_specs2" class="viss" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Video Memory: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">512MB</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Memory Type: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">GDDR3</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Memory Interface: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">256-bit</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Core Clock: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">575 MHz</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Memory Clock: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">1800 MHz</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table id="header_specs3" class="viss" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Interface Type: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">PCI Express 2.0</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Interface Speed: </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">x16</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="1"></td> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#f5f5f5" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> Connector(s): </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">TV/S-Video</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="5%">
</td> <td class="techspec" width="45%"> </td> <td class="techvalue" align="left" width="60%">Dual DVI (Dual Link)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Thrax

Does this include monitors?

DuhQbnSiLo

naw i got Monitors

Khaos

That is a good video card choice for editing full motion video, but not for 3D rendering. From what you've said, it sounds like you're not working with 3D (SMAX, Maya, etc). If that's the case, then it's perfect for you. If you do need 3D rendering, you might find the 4830 lacking the stuff. Especially texture memory for working with high-res models.

On the full-motion video front, the Radeon 4800 series provides good H.264 acceleration and HDCP compliance; plus it's cheap.

DuhQbnSiLo

Khaos wrote:

That is a good video card choice for editing full motion video, but not for 3D rendering. From what you've said, it sounds like you're not working with 3D (SMAX, Maya, etc). If that's the case, then it's perfect for you. If you do need 3D rendering, you might find the 4830 lacking the stuff. Especially texture memory for working with high-res models.

On the full-motion video front, the Radeon 4800 series provides good H.264 acceleration and HDCP compliance; plus it's cheap.

so what would be a good video card for 3-d rendering?

---

Listening to: Bloc Party - Little Thoughts

Khaos

Guess it depends how much real-time rendering you're doing and how patient you are. When I was doing modeling, I absolutely hated having laggy real-time but I'm a gamer and my systems always have high-end video cards in them.

Unfortunately, to get top notch real-time rendering you are approaching the realm of gaming GPU's. They get expensive. The next step up from the 4830 would be the 4850, which is a very solid card and offers some more processing power compared to the 4830.

After the 4850, they really start jumping in price and it only makes sense to leap all the way to the 4870 1GB, which runs around $300 or perhaps a workstation card that specializes in OpenGL, like a Matrox (But this is not my forte, so I can't comment on specific models).

So you are working heavily in 3D?

Leonardo

For 3D modeling you should also consider a Quadro-based card. They are certified for just about every 2D and 3D modeling workstation software you can imagine and are the professional standard. They are not 'fast' like a gaming card for high intensity playback, but they are the pinnacle for modeling. They are quite expensive, but you can find very good ones for reasonable prices on eBay. Forget the new ones. Only the entry level Quadros are priced for consumers are retail. Every Quadro is dual monitor DVI. Even the less expensive ones have native resolutions up to a 30" monitor. The expensive ones are simply amazing.

I wish you had posted a couple weeks ago. I just sold a couple older Quadros. I would have let you try one of them.

Khaos

Leo, since you seem to know more about these workstation cards than I do, I want to pick your brain for a second since I'm curious. What sets the Quadros, for example, apart from standard Nvidia gaming cards? Is it something that can be summed up in a nutshell, or does it vary from card to card?

I did some hobby-ish 3D modeling and level design back in the days of Half-Life mod glory, and I always just used my gaming cards for 3D rendering which worked OK. It wasn't fantastic, but they did accelerate it quite a bit over software rendering and provided far better fidelity in terms of design-time effects and lighting visualization.

So anyhow, I have been totally out of 3D for almost ten years at this point... But I do have a passing interest.

DuhQbnSiLo

Ok... im not going to do 3-D rendering... only Flash and Graphics 2-D??? what video card would be good...

the one i picked out?

Khaos

If you aren't gaming or doing any sort of 3D at all, you could get a less expensive video card like the HD4350 which is only about $49.

Leonardo

DQS, If you will only be working 2D, then the 4830 recommended to you will work just fine.

---

Khaos, answer: super high resolutions, ultra high line and angle precision (geometry), drivers and hardware tested and certified against every professional modeling and design software,

DuhQbnSiLo

thinking of going 2GB RAM but 4GB is looking good with a 320GB eSata HDD???