workstation ATI V7100 vs. ATI HD 3870 Crossfire 3dsmax

[kansur0]

I haven't used a consumer graphics card for quite a while since getting my ATI V7100. What I am wondering is would the brute force power of two ATI HD 3870 cards in crossfire mode compare to the ATI V7100 workstation card.

Does anyone currently use consumer cards for 3dsmax or other 3d apps and what is their take on this? I have already emailed someone from xbit about this...to compare workstation cards to comsumer cards and see just how much of a difference there is.

Just seems that video cards are getting so powerful now...could a comsumer graphics setup be good enough for a hobbyist 3d animator? It would be nice to just run one system where you can work and play on the same system.

Any input would be great. Thanks!

 

[kansur0]

Here is a thread I have started on Xbit that has had a few responses to this topic. Here is the link:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=188532#188532

cheers.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Many of us use consumer cards (or similar mobile solutions) for workstation apps. They do a good job, but you lose out on optimizations and so sometimes under perform or have slightly limited feature sets (like lower levels of AA).
However for most pro-sumers the dollar value usually gets you either similar or better performance in the workstation apps and then a much more powerful card in more general or gaming apps.

The thing is your V7100 at the time was great, but being based on an X800 it is really underpowered compared to todays mainstream solutions, and the only drawback will be the drivers.

Their influence depends alot on the generation as well as the mode (3DSmax under OGL or DX?) , For DX mode you would likely get much more performance out of the newer 'gaming cards' however with any of the workstation apps that benefit for driver optimizations the brute power often cannot make up for the optimizations.

To give you a general idea of comparative performance (since there are few reviews that compare the two) you can compare the HD3850 review by Crashman done at Sysopt;

http://www.sysopt.com/features/graphics/article.php/12026_3716096_3

to the result of a V7200 (X1800 based) and V5300 (X1600 based) in Xbit's tests;

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/quadrofx-vs-firegl_11.html#sect1

With un-optimized drivers the HD3850 shows results well above the V5200, and just below the V7200, both of which I would think book end your V7100 likely closer to the V5200 side of the equation.

so if that's what the HD3850 does, it stands to reason that the HD3870 should compete well with the V7200 which even today is significantly more expensive than an HD3870.

Now compared to current generation Workstation cards the picture may be different, but unfortunately we don't have a good comparison, since the best and most recent review didn't show an HD2K or HD3K equivalent, only the weak GTS-320;

http://www.hothardware.com/articles/ATI_FireGL_V7600_512_MB_Workstation_Graphics_Card/?page=4

My general view from experience and benchmarks like those above, a solid upper-middle general purpose / gaming card, will usually be good enough for most hobbyist 3D animators/illustrators and CAD tinkerers. The only concern is for apps that require signed drivers or recognized hardware in order to function properly, and that's not the case with 3DSMaxwhich will work on both. And of course like you already know, it's really just for viewport acceleration and has no/little impact on final render as you can see from page3 of that HotHardware review.

Just something for you to note Xfire suport is iffy in most workstation apps and AMD has removed the option from some of the FireGL drivers (don't know if it's been added back), so I wouldn't jump into the Xfire solution unless you know you will see a tangible benefit from it. Best to get the fastest and largest memory HD3870 you can get IMO.

 

[kansur0]

Wow Grapes! Sweet response! You have really helped me out! I think I will be picking up another HD3870 and going crossfire! I should be able to sell the V7100 for the same price as this card so the upgrade will not cost me a penny.

I do plan to do some benchmarks before I sell the V7100. I just have to get the benchmark software.

Cheers!

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Good luck, and let us know your experiences, this info is so hard to come by that those of us who are hobbyist just wanna spend our money wisely (more money for beer the better ).

Just be aware, even on the FireGL level Xfire isn't supported yet, even though they have the Xfire connectors. So boost may depend on the app (I have a sneaky feeling 3DSmax will be OK in DX mode but not OGL, and maybe a few others).
Speaking of which, another review has since popped up from hotHardware about the Ultra-High end just so you can see the workstation-only side of the equation.

http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/Ultra_HighEnd_Workstation_Graphics_Card_Shootout

Note like I mentioned in the previous post Xfire is still an issue.

PS, 3D professor did a head to head a long time ago for your class of card vs the X1K desktops, but their archives don't show that article.