Best graphics card for an Asus M5A78L-MLE mobo for Revit/Autocad/Smax?

costellon

Hello all, I am building a computer as a designated workhorse to use strictly for Architecture software (Revit, Autocad, StudioMax etc ... ). My motherboard is an ASUS M5A78L-MLE and i'm running an AMD Phenom "2" x6 (hexacore) 1055T (2.8ghz) processor with an ASUS "silent square evo" cpu cooler, 4 gig of ram (which I will be upgrading to 8 gig) and my power supply is 700w.
My question:
What is the best possible graphics card that I can run on this machine for what I want (for fast, sharp rendering) without breaking the bank ?
I have trawled the net for answers and i'm confused to say the least, so any helpful information would be greatly appreciated. Comments specific to my motherboard and setup please only ...

Additional Details
Additionally, I have one PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot, two PCI Express 2.0 x1 and one regular PCI slot.
I also have an Integrated ATI Radeon HD 3000 GPU and it supports Hybrid CrossfireX.
Operating system is Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Thanks

IrishMetalhead

aslong as it's a pci-e card it will run on that motherboard, wouldn't know much about workstation graphic cards myself so i wouldn't be able to recommend a specific model at hand so hopefully one of the lads will get back to you on that

costellon

Thanks Irishmetalhead ... Well - I suppose I didn't word my question very well. I'm looking for a WORKSTATION PCI express 2.0 (or 2.1 ?) x16 GPU, preferably with hybrid crossfirex capability for complex 3D modelling and design. I'll only be using one display and I don't want to buy something that will be "too good" for my rig - I want something that's "optimal" for my setup - that will enable lightning fast rendering in all lighting scenarios and isn't too expensive ....

Andy!!

Sounds like an nVidia Quadro is what you need, but I have no experience with those cards, just the typical consumer line. But if you are not gaming at all and just doing arch-viz/product stuff, go for the cheapest Quadro. Definitely stick with nVidia here, ATI only really plays nice with Maya. Your best bet is to ask on a dedicated arch-viz site. And report back with your findings, Id be interested to know

costellon

I joined "Revitforum.org" and got some great replies to my question but this by far is the best ... I have been advised that crossfirex technology doesn't work well with such applications and have been advised to get a stand alone card ...

"As for which video card, maybe you're over-thinking this? Your CPU is going to be the main bottleneck to system performance, so unless you're going to be doing GPU rendering using an app outside of Revit, then a Nvidia GF GTX650Ti is probably a good fit for you. If that's a little spendy for you, dip down to a GTX650, but don't go lower than that. If you're going to be doing a ton of GPU rendering, get a GTX680 if you can swing it, with as much video memory as possible. You could add a second for even better CUDA performance, but you'll have to keep an eye on the power requirements so you don't overload your PSU."

Thanks to all.

Andy!!

He's suggesting you go for something in the consumer range? Thats very odd. But, maybe things have changed recently... but I dont think so tbh. You definitely want something thats good for GPU rendering anyway. Ask on CGTalk. There should be an Arch-viz sub-forum on there.