Video Card certified for Maya. Which one to buy?
 

Hello everybody!

I would like to upgrade my workstation with a PCI Express Video Card certified for Maya, in order to increase the performance of my system and its stability especially. For the moment I would prefer to stay on an entry-level solution, therefore I would have selected the following two products, both designed for the PCI Express bus.

Quadro FX540
ATI FireGL v3200

Which one would you suggest to buy? I understand they cost, more or less, the same amount of money… Are there any advantages identifiable with one model rather than the other? I’m perfectly aware they both represent entry-level solutions, but I would like to listen to your competent opinion before taking the final decision (looks like the FireGL v3200 has a higher bandwidth [12.8 GB/sec] than the Quadro FX540, which is rated at 8.8 GB/sec].
However, beyond the raw figures and taking into consideration the architecture and the overall stability/performance of these two cards, which one would you suggest?

Thanks a lot in advance for all your help.

Cheers,
Mark

Here's a start for you, Mark...

http://forum.simplymaya.com/showthre...threadid=15880

best

Keith

Quick update...

I've found a used Quadro FX 500 (AGP 8x) for sale at US$120/EUR95... would you think it would be a more convenient upgrade, compared to the Quadro FX 540 which is PCI Express, but priced at US$260/EUR210?

Would you guys believe it would be better for me to forget about the PCI Express bus and buy this one? Are there any significant differences in performance between the FX 500 and FX 540... even if the 115.00 euro of difference in price would still represent a good reason for choosing the Quadro FX 500...

Also, is the Quadro FX 540 newer than the Quadro FX 500 or were they introduced on the market at the same time... and it's basically just a matter of different buses (AGP/PC-X)?

Please suggest!

Thanks again,
Mark

the nvidia fx series is the ones im using right now

Hello again!

Just to inform you that, at last, I've bought a Quadro FX 1300 for 300 euro... I already know this is a price lower than the normal average retail price.
However, I would still like to listen to your comments...

Thank You,
Mark

Congratulations Mark - that's just a little bit more that I paid for my FX 500 - so, a real good deal for a great grapics card. (I'm very happy with my card and will only change it when I get around to building another PC).

best

Keith