# [B]Video Card for Autodesk Maya ...[/B]



## sagittar (Jun 14, 2007)

Hi !!
A friend of mine is setting a budget rig and i told him that the best video card in his price range would be the ATI X1950 pro 256MB (where i live the x1950pro costs about 35$ less than a 7900GS!!!!! )
anyway he's getting the computer primarily to learn and work on Autodesk's maya ..

so, my question is: does nVidia have any certain privilege over ATI concerning Maya 3d animation ?
and would that card work well or he needs at least something more powerful like an XT for example?
and what would he expect from a card like that in terms of performance with maya ?

thanks a lot ......


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## sagittar (Jun 14, 2007)

anybody !!!


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## sagittar (Jun 14, 2007)

come on guys !!!


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

I don't use Maya, but similar apps like 3D Studio Max 9 and AutoCAD run very well with an x1950Pro (which I have).

What are the rest of his specs? RAM, CPU and hard drive space/speed will have more effect than the graphics card on performance in this case.


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## sagittar (Jun 14, 2007)

first of all , thanks man for replying i was beginning to think i was talking to myself !! 
second, his cpu is Athlon X2 4400+ , ram is 2x512MB in dual channel (bus 667) and he's planning to get another 2x512MB sometime next month ..
hard drive is Seagate 160GB 7200RPM ..

would you happen to know if nvidia cards is better when using Maya ?
thanks again ..


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

You won't notice any difference between the performance of similar-spec models from either ATI or nvidia. They both perform well in programs like Maya.

The 4400 CPU is more than adequate for 3D work, just make sure he installs the dual core optimizer program to get the best out of it.

1GB RAM is a good start, 2GB would be much better though.

The hard drive needs to be regularly defragged, and there should be at least 15% free space for Windows to run efficiently. 160GB should be enough if the system is not being used for games and other large programs. I would recommend partitioning the drive into 2, one for OS and program files and the other for storing 3D work. Or even better, a second hard drive.


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## sagittar (Jun 14, 2007)

well he won't use it for gaming , serious gaming at least ..
actually i am not familiar with this dual core optimizer program ??
would you care to elaborate plz ?
and thanks for the HD tip , will do ...


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

*http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html*



> *AMD Dual-Core Optimizer* - The AMD Dual-Core Optimizer can help improve some PC gaming video performance by compensating for those applications that bypass the Windows API for timing by directly using the RDTSC (Read Time Stamp Counter) instruction. Applications that rely on RDTSC do not benefit from the logic in the operating system to properly account for the affect of power management mechanisms on the rate at which a processor core's Time Stamp Counter (TSC) is incremented. The AMD Dual-Core Optimizer helps to correct the resulting video performance effects or other incorrect timing effects that these applications may experience on dual-core processor systems, by periodically adjusting the core time-stamp-counters, so that they are synchronized.


Although it says it's mainly for games PCs, it's advised to install it on all AMD dual core systems that use graphics-intensive apps like Maya.


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## sagittar (Jun 14, 2007)

thanks a lot Koala , i really appreciate you help.
will get back to you if anything else came up.
peace man ..


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

No problem. You know where we are if you need any more help. And we'll try and be quicker next time. I think the Design team must be away for the weekend :tongue:


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