#Best/Worst Video Cards?
20 messages in this thread
I am considering upgrading my video card to something supporting a few more
colors/resolutions. (I currently have an STB Powergraph 24) Does anyone have
any favorite cards? How about any that should definitely be avoided? I am not
looking to spend a bundle, so the really high-end cards are out of the
question. On a related note, would it be advisable to wait for the new breed o
f 3D cards, as opposed to buying now? Thanks for any input!
Bob W.
my experience with the Stealth line of cards has been nightmarish . Everyone
complains about Diamonds drivers. Boy , I would HATE to be the guy responsible
for writing those.
Phil,
Thanks for the input. Martin F. seems to like the Diamond stealth 64,
so (of course) there is not total agreement here :-). Since I am
somewhat crippled by my current card, I guess I'll have to look at
upgrading soon.
Phil:
/_______________________From your message________________________\\
Everyone complains about Diamonds drivers.
__________________________________________________________________
Wrong! I've got two Diamond products (Viper VLB and a Viper PCI). Neither card
has done anything but perform consistently. Perhaps the Stealth cards are a
different story but the Viper seems o.k. by me.
Bob
Everyone I know complains about diamond drivers. Historically they are
unstable. I have three diamond cards, speedstar, stealth 24, and viper.
Speedstar has been a pain in the past, cured with driver updates.
Stealth 24 is the ONE card that exhibits a different response to my software
calls to StretchBLT() function. Not sure why yet. I have also had more than one
software package come through here that had problems. Calls to the MFGs
resulted in responses that point to the Stealth drivers more than once.
The Viper card now works well with 3DS4 / Windows / etc with latest drivers.
That is all I know! I am glad that your cards haven't caused you any grief. It
is a bit surprising to me to find outthat the Stealth 64 is standard. Although
it is a different card than the 24. I'll probably end up with one.<g>
Phil:
It looks like Bob is getting an array of opinions and some good suggestions. I
know Diamond has to field many questions on their products but for 3DS their
cards have served many ASOFT forum members quite well. Bob is getting that
message now from the crowd.
Bob
Bob: <would it be advisable to wait for the new breed of 3-D cards> 3-DS will
be going to NT for Release 5. When more details are revealed about that
upgrade, there are many hardware decisions that will be influenced greatly. I
am guessing that 3-DS will support 3-D hardware accelleration. Also, will 3-DS
be written to run on chips other than Intel. Some motherboard manufacturers are
starting to put 3-D accel. directly on the motherboard. Also, NT utilizes Open
G-L. So, for me, it's sit and wait. I am going to purchase a new central system
as my main workstation, and am eyeing NTs ability to multi-thread.
Additionally, the P6 is scheduled for release in the fall. Or, if 3-DS will run
on ALPHA, that would be another option. Clearly, you don't want to eliminate
yourself from 3-D accelleration. If 3-DS does support it, the dividing line
between PC and SGI will get very comfortably fuzzy. Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
You are definitely right about all of the hardware that will likely be changing
once R5 is released. Since I am somewhat hobbled by my current card, it looks
like I'll be upgrading soon. Any major changes are likely to be about a year
away, so I'll have the new card for almost a lifetime in computer years! Thanks
for the input.
Bob W.
Bob: lifetime in computer years> You are totally correct. If you find
yourself hobbled by equipment, then you must go with that. These
days, a powerful video card my only cost $400-$500. FYI – many of the
people I team with like the Diamond Stealth. 2-4mb VRAM. With regard
to major changes being a year away – actually, 6-8 months (fall
sometime) is more like it. So, I've hoarded away a terrible summ of
money to buy a terrifying machine. Maybe some of that enthusiasm
leaked into my original answer to you. Jeffrey
I used to wait for new releases to by stuff, but I finally realized that
technology is like a conveyor belt — it's always moving. And the sooner you
hop on, the farther you get in the long run. (IMHO)
— James — Choreo Motion —
James <conveyor belt> agreed. Certainly with regard to a video card. But with
as many variables shifting over the next 4 months, bigger purchases might be
put on hold (i.e., P6 or ALPHA, multi-threading, 3-D accel, etc.). Jeffrey
I tend to find that first releases, especially with hardware, can be quite
buggy. Excepting an occasional indulgence, I usually wait about two or three
months after the release of a given product to see what the general consensus
is. By the time I'm ready to buy the fancy stuff, I'll have heard the reviews
and saved the cash. In the mean time, I just jump on the conveyer with the
tried & true! 🙂
— James — Choreo Motion —
James: Uh-huh, first releases can be buggy. But my next big acquisition will be
either dual P6 chips or DEC ALPHA with dual chips. The P6 will not actually be
a first generation. The P5 was a step between Dx66 and P6, probably rushed out
there to head of PowerPC hype. So either of these choices will be stable. I
have to wait and see what 3-DS R5 supports. The first release territory will be
in 3-D accel hardware, perhaps. This area of sophistry is way beyond me, I
don't really understand how 3-D hardware accelleration works. I have to say,
this really is exciting. The biggest drawback to 3-D development and complex
2-D processing has been render speed. Some rough calculations put render times
in the realm I dreamed about only a few years ago. I suppose soon we will all
start yearning for the holy grail — REALTIME –! Jeffrey
Bob,
I like the Diamond Stealth 64 VRAM cards. The DRAM is quite a bit cheaper but
also slower.
I wouldn't wait for the 3d cards – there's essentially nothing running on them
yet, in terms of 3ds realated applications.
My philosophy is to buy the latest industry standard stuff that others feel
happy with in a production environment. The bleeding edge isn't necessarily a
happy place to be, unless it's your business to test that stuff. Also a lot of
stuff with promises of future usability never materializes.
Martin
Martin,
Thanks for your reply. And let me say that I hope the new job is keeping you
busy and interested! Diamond does seem to be kind of a standard – have you had
any (insurmountable) problems with them? You are one of a handful of people on
this forum whose opinion I really respect, so whatever you say carries a lot of
weight 🙂 BTW, was one of your models (like a comic strip super-hero type)
used in an ad for some kind of product – maybe software or a printer something?
I saw an ad that had something very similar, but I never compared them
side-by-side, so I couldn't be sure. If you don't know of anything, let me
know, and I'll see if I can find the ad. Thanks again,
Bob W.
Bob,
Thanks very much for your encouraging comments. It means a lot to me. My job is
working out very well. We're in the middle of a feature film and I'm working
with some great people, on both the 3ds and visual effects side.
Diamond does not have a good reputation for software or product support and
sometimes they rush hardware to market with barely stable drivers – but then
this is true of many of the other big display card companies (ATI etc).
Generally, I wait to see if a card is stable before I buy it. This was the
case with the Diamond Stealth 64 4mb VRAM – it just works. I've had no need to
call anybody. I did buy a Diamond Stealth 24 from them and it was very
troublesome but that was just the chipset at that time and the drivers. You
have to take it on a card by card basis.
>> BTW, was one of your models (like a comic strip super-hero type) used in an
ad for some kind of product <<
I've no idea. I did do an animation of a spiderman-like character and gave it
to Autodesk as video and a still image. It could turn up anywhere after that –
and often without credit, which is annoying.
Martin
Martin,
I'll start checking out prices on the Diamond 64 cards. Regarding the ad using
what may have been your model – I saw your model on the CD that shipped with
3DS, so you are probably right about that. Thanks again for your help.
Bob W.
Bob
I've got Diamonds in both my machines and am happy with the results.
TedB
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Ted,
It looks like I'll be checking out the Diamond 64's. Thanks for the info. Now,
if I could only get more 3DS work, and less ACAD work! Enjoy this weather
while you can!
Bob W.
Bob
Autocad looks some sharp with that Diamond 64, though<BG>
Went to Boston to the Seybold show yesterday and the weather was so nice I
took two rides up Newbury St!<G>
TedB
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