Please recommend a Graphics Card...

Ok guys, I'm running Autocad 2012 - WinXP on a PentiumD processor @ 3.4GHz with 4 gigs ram and a video card that has been called "anemic" by a member of this forum...

After looking at some of the specs of other cards, it would seem that I tend to agree. This issue I'm having is that Autocad gets jerky when I'm in REALISTIC mode.. I move my mouse and it takes about two or three seconds for the screen to respond.

I need something that operates smoothly so I can get some work done.

I don't want to spend big money on the latest tech.. I'm not a gamer depending on millisecond timing in a first-person-shooter game, and on the other side of the fence, I don't want to get a card that just barely meets minimum specs either.

I've been told to stick with Nvidia.. I bought their stock when I heard they were getting into driver-less cars..

What would you guys recommend? There has to be some robust options on Ebay in the $40 to $50 range yes?

Thanks for all the help.

Breaking out the big bucks are we? Take a look at nVidia GeForce cards (GT series). Ex. - GT 610 2GB GDDR3 used will cost you about $45-$50. No matter what card you are considering before actually buying it look up the specs and make sure it can be installed in your computer.

You haven't answered my question from your other thread.

What computer model/motherboard do you have? What size power supply? ...

 

Motherboard and Power supply will determine how much Ram and which graphics cards you can use.

You haven't answered my question from your other thread.

Oops! Sorry.. I thought I read every reply but I guess I missed that.

I build my own computers... always have, probably always will..

Motherboard is Intel.. do you need exact model number? My eyes aren't what they used to be so I'd have to have my wife read off the exact model.. its an ATX board and nothing mini or micro.. I think it has 4 PCI and 1 AGP for the video card.. Onboard sound and network. If I recall correctly, it came out back in 2005 or so.

My power supply is only 300 watts so I know I'm going to have to upgrade that.. I'll probably jump to a 500w since most of those video boards seem to draw in the mid ~150w range.

Breaking out the big bucks are we?

That's funny.. I've never understood why folks pay to have the latest and greatest with all the bugs and incompatibilities that come with them.. and to spend 3x as much to have it. I have always bought computer hardware that is a few years old.. usually considered obsolete by most.. I'm the same way with cars... I buy my underwear new though! LOL

Take a look at nVidia GeForce cards (GT series). Ex. - GT 610 2GB GDDR3 used will cost you about $45-$50. No matter what card you are considering before actually buying it look up the specs and make sure it can be installed in your computer.

Umm.. I thought that as long as it fit into the AGP or PCI slot and you had the appropriate power and power connectors, it would work fine.. Am I missing something besides the obvious physical space requirements?

Thanks for the model number as it gives me sort of a control reference..Can I assume that the highter the GT--- number is, the better??

AGP is pretty much dead, you really need a PCI-E slot, if you have one, it might be worth upgrading the PSU. You might find something on Ebay with AGP, but I'm not sure if they will be an improvement over what you have now.

Lots of good cards out there for 500W PSU, ebay will get you something better in your price range.

Yes, please post all the information you can on the Motherboard and anything else. Hopefully you have a PCI-E slot.

Looking at this one myself for home use, GeForce GT 610 2GB GDDR3 , but I don't run AutoCAD at home either and it is PCI-E.

Specs on Nvidia show 300W PSU for the 1GB, you might not need a new PSU. GeForce GT 610

I just ordered it, we will see how it goes.

I did not recommend buying the latest or the greatest but you do get what you pay for. Since your computer is 10 years I guess an investment of $50 will about double what it is worth at this point. No sense spending $100 on a graphics card (used) when you are also planning on upgrading the power supply. I have a used 535 watt power supply I could sell you. It's an Enermax model EG565P-VE (24P).

I would not suggest at all to upgrade this computer. Any new computer in the $300 range would be 5x the performance of your current machine. I would look at any new computer with a Core-i5, 8GM RAM minimum and an onboard Intel 4000 series graphics accelerator. This would be a very cheap computer and 10x the performance of your current computer and could run up to around $500 tops. It's simply time for an upgrade is all, but I'd say you got your monies worth from the last one since it's a decade old.

AGP is pretty much dead, you really need a PCI-E slot, if you have one, it might be worth upgrading the PSU. You might find something on Ebay with AGP, but I'm not sure if they will be an improvement over what you have now.

I do have a PCIe x16 slot good to 8 GB/s.. Sorry about the AGP comment..I was mistaken with my acronyms.

Yes, please post all the information you can on the Motherboard and anything else. Hopefully you have a PCI-E slot.

Link to the features manual here: https://www.manualowl.com/m/Intel/D945GNT/Manual/299682

For a system config that is 10 yeas old, my computer is surprisingly fast.. It wasn't until I installed autocad 2012 and started trying to draw in realistic mode that I saw any performance issues.

I run all kinds of programs simultaneously and never have a problem.. if anything, the only complaint I have is my ridiculously slow Frontier Internet DSL connection at just over 1 MB/s on a good day.. Painful !

Other than that, I have found that using Services.msc and MSconfig and disabling all the unnecessary garbage that runs in the back ground will drastically speed up almost any computer.

Anyhow.. I think maybe I'm just going to spend $50 on a video card and maybe another $40 on a larger PSU. In another couple years, maybe I'll upgrade the motherboard and processor..

Good plan??

I don't think it's a good plan because AutoCAD relies on the processor and ram more than the video card. AutoCAD is not a "gaming" software so a graphics accelerator will help, but it's not the necessary core piece of hardware. I'm just afraid that you'll put in a new video card and not see the results you were expecting. Then again, it may give you exactly what you were expecting in terms of a performance increase. This also is contingent on how complex and how large your 3D models will begin to develop into.

In my opinion, upgrade the computer if you are using this for any type of production work of any level. It is the only way to guarantee the fullest expectation in performance increase.

I don't think it's a good plan because AutoCAD relies on the processor and ram more than the video card. AutoCAD is not a "gaming" software so a graphics accelerator will help, but it's not the necessary core piece of hardware. I'm just afraid that you'll put in a new video card and not see the results you were expecting. Then again, it may give you exactly what you were expecting in terms of a performance increase. This also is contingent on how complex and how large your 3D models will begin to develop into.

 

In my opinion, upgrade the computer if you are using this for any type of production work of any level. It is the only way to guarantee the fullest expectation in performance increase.

Do you think one could make an argument that the video card would need to be upgraded anyhow? So lets say I put in a better processor and motherboard combo.. with my "anemic" video card, wouldn't it have to be upgraded too? If so, then I might as well get the card first and see what kind of difference there is.. if for nothing else, educational experience.

The only drawback with the current build is that your motherboard is limited to 4GB RAM.

You are correct, the PSU and Graphics card can be reused on upgrade, so not wasted money.

You might look into a SSD in the future as well, if you aren't already.

OK, by your link your motherboard has a LGA775 cpu socket. It will support a descent cpu, Core 2 quad but I am not sure that it would be worth it unless you got a good price on one (almost free). Sorry not being mean but just laying out the facts. Best I found on ebay was a C2Q Q9650 3.0 Ghz for $78. But to compare you can get a new AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7 Ghz for $75. These are pretty close spec wise with the slight advantage going to the AMD. I am in agreement with Tanner. Save your money and buy a new PC.

Examples:

Acer Aspire: $399.99

Intel Core i5 4440 quad (3.10 Ghz), 4 gb ddr3, 500gb hdd, 300w PS, Win 8.1 64-bit

edit:

Or an Asus Desktop for $369.99

Core i5 4440s 3.3 Ghz, 4 gb ddr3, 1 tb hdd, 300w ps and Windows 8

nVidia GT740: $64.99

2gb

Another 4gb stick of ram will be around $20-$25 and $50 or so for a new power supply (500w).

$550 for a new i5 based system with dedicated nvidia graphics. Not a high end machine but far better than what you have and should last for at least 3-4 years. To buy the cpu by itself will be about $185 and then another $50 for a mother board. Then at least $99 for a copy of windows 7. Then add dvd-rw, ram, case and power supply. You come out better just buying the OEM unit.

Ok long post but I just wanted to give out some examples. Good luck

Sean

Do you think one could make an argument that the video card would need to be upgraded anyhow?

But f700es pretty much nailed it. You are so far behind it's literally time to invest in a new computer. The other thread with the food washer, that is quality work and it attests you're in need of a new computer with that level of 3D modeling. It seems you're deadlocked on simply upgrading only the graphics card so by all means, do as you please - it is your decision after all. Just note that it will pretty much be a wasted purchase. But I spend more on food and drinks with my wife once a week on date night so it's all relative in the end.

Apologies if this has been posted before. but have you tried this site? I often use it as a reference for PC builds.

PC Part Picker

Apologies if this has been posted before. but have you tried this site? I often use it as a reference for PC builds.

 

PC Part Picker

Nice site.. Thanks for the link..

f you are using a workstation desktop computer, we recommend using a Quadro or FirePro workstation video card; consider the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 or 6000, or the AMD FirePro W7000 or W8000 series cards. For laptops, we recommend the NVIDIA Quadro 2000M or higher. While we have minimal experience testing gaming video cards, the GeForce GT 650M is also recommended for laptops running InfraWorks 360.

f you are using a workstation desktop computer, we recommend using a Quadro or FirePro workstation video card; consider the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 or 6000, or the AMD FirePro W7000 or W8000 series cards. For laptops, we recommend the NVIDIA Quadro 2000M or higher. While we have minimal experience testing gaming video cards, the GeForce GT 650M is also recommended for laptops running InfraWorks 360.

Who is this "we" that you speak of?

f you are using a workstation desktop computer, we recommend using a Quadro or FirePro workstation video card; consider the NVIDIA Quadro 5000 or 6000, or the AMD FirePro W7000 or W8000 series cards. For laptops, we recommend the NVIDIA Quadro 2000M or higher. While we have minimal experience testing gaming video cards, the GeForce GT 650M is also recommended for laptops running InfraWorks 360.

Who is this "we" that you speak of?

The "We" is actually "They". Hanter's post is just a copy and paste job from here: http://autodesk.typepad.com/bimagination/2014/10/recommended-graphics-cards-for-autodesk-infraworks-360-2015.html

Hanter, next time please just post a link to the website so the OP can read the entire article and make an informed decision based on ALL the information instead of just a small excerpt. And if you do copy and paste, again, please link back to the site where the article exists.

Also, as Tanner mentioned, please read the OP's question thoroughly before replying. The cards mentioned in that article will not work in the OP's machine and are far too expensive.