Best Video Card under $500 for Graphic Design & 3D Modeling

[yougotjaked]

So I do a lot of work in programs like Photoshop and After Effects, and I do 3D modeling/animation in Cinema 4D. Right now, I have a 6850 and it's fine for gaming, but it's just barely acceptable in my opinion for playback in those programs. It lags a lot and frequently says "not responding". I know it's my graphics card as I have an i7-2600k and 16 gigs of ram. So with this is mind which card should I get? Should I get a workstation or regular desktop card? Also I don't have a preference on AMD or Nvidia as none of the programs benefit from CUDA. The graphic design and 3d work comes first; gaming comes second. And yes I realize this won't benefit my render times; those are fine, I just want smoother & quicker playback.

Here's the card I had in mind: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127615

 

[esrever]

Im pretty sure both photoshop and aftereffects have some cuda support but Im not 100%.

 

[yougotjaked]

Im pretty sure both photoshop and aftereffects have some cuda support but Im not 100%.

I think it's only certain plug-ins, but I'm not 100% sure either haha

 

[tlmck]

It is my understanding that Adobe programs love CUDA, but I could be mistaken. For such apps, most recommend the highest Nvidia Quadro card the budget will allow. I know the 4000 is particularly popular on the PC and Mac Pro. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008333%20600044686&IsNodeId=1&name=NVIDIA&Order=PRICE

For combo usage machines that would include gaming, most recommend a Nvidia GTX 570 with double memory like this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130687

 

[yougotjaked]

It is my understanding that Adobe programs love CUDA, but I could be mistaken. For such apps, most recommend the highest Nvidia Quadro card the budget will allow. I know the 4000 is particularly popular on the PC and Mac Pro. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008333%20600044686&IsNodeId=1&name=NVIDIA&Order=PRICE

For combo usage machines that would include gaming, most recommend a Nvidia GTX 570 with double memory like this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130687

I also forgot to mention that my psu is 650w. Here is the exact model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139031 So how would the GTX 560 Ti 448 cores compare to the GTX 570?

 

[tlmck]

The 570 is faster, plus the extra ram helps with storing textures and such.

 

[yougotjaked]

The 570 is faster, plus the extra ram helps with storing textures and such.

Is the extra ram worth the extra $100 though? I'm referring to the 1gb version of the 570...

 

[tlmck]

Is the extra ram worth the extra $100 though? I'm referring to the 1gb version of the 570...

Again, for the video editing and such, yes. Gaming no. Plus the card is still way under your budget so what is the issue?

 

[yougotjaked]

Again, for the video editing and such, yes. Gaming no. Plus the card is still way under your budget so what is the issue?

I just don't want to spend an extra $100 on something that won't be that beneficial. Also, do you think I should just wait until the GTX 600 series cards come out?

 

[tlmck]

Typically you have to wait 2 or three generations for there to be significant improvement in tech so no I would not wait. Supposedly the next gen Nvidia will be much like the AMD 7000 series cards which are already out. The only real advantage seems to be the same speed at less power usage.

 

[yougotjaked]

Typically you have to wait 2 or three generations for there to be significant improvement in tech so no I would not wait. Supposedly the next gen Nvidia will be much like the AMD 7000 series cards which are already out. The only real advantage seems to be the same speed at less power usage.

Ok thanks

 

[yougotjaked]

Best answer selected by yougotjaked.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey