graphics card for spice & layout?

L

ldg

Guest
Any suggestions?

I just built a new computer and haven't bought a new video card yet.
I'l like to go to linux eventually, so I'm interested in having linux
drivers available.

It seems to me that to open large files (2 gigs?) and zoom in, etc.
you need large memory and agp8x for speed. All I know is that it
really makes a difference which card I use for this. I've never seen
a benchmark.

There's no need for 3d graphics I wouldn't imagine.

Regards,
Larry
 
ldg engraved with a +2 athame:
Any suggestions?

I just built a new computer and haven't bought a new video card yet.
I'l like to go to linux eventually, so I'm interested in having linux
drivers available.

It seems to me that to open large files (2 gigs?) and zoom in, etc.
you need large memory and agp8x for speed. All I know is that it
really makes a difference which card I use for this. I've never seen
a benchmark.
Click to expand...
First, for simulation you need quick output. Get a fast hard drive (7200 RPM, at
least 40GB) and memory (512mb would be ok).

For a video card, I don't have a specific brand suggestion, but I'd suggest one
where you can work at (at least) 1280x1024 resolution. 2 monitors would be
useful for PCB design, but not for SPICE, IMHO. Most modern video cards are
suited for gaming or 3D editing/CAD (e.g. 3D Studio, Autocad).

--
Please reply in the group or ask for a valid e-mail/ICQ/MSN/YM/IRC address.
 
Larry,

Any suggestions?

I just built a new computer and haven't bought a new video card yet.
I'l like to go to linux eventually, so I'm interested in having linux
drivers available.
Click to expand...
I really like the GeForce 4 cards(and presumably later) cards. A nice
combination I'm using in both of my offices now is a GeForce with
ViewSonic P225f's. 2048x1536 at 75Hz for about $700 total cost.

--Mike
 
On 09 Oct 2003 04:20:38 GMT, "Mike Engelhardt" <pmte@concentric.net>
wrote:

I really like the GeForce 4 cards(and presumably later) cards. A nice
combination I'm using in both of my offices now is a GeForce with
ViewSonic P225f's. 2048x1536 at 75Hz for about $700 total cost.

--Mike
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,

Who makes the cards you're using? Nvidea doesn't make anything
itself. I guess this high end chip now is the 5900. I assume the
$700 is just for the video card. The lcd monitors are still almost
twice that. Some are 3x that price even at Fry's. I was looking at
ASUS for nvidea based video cards.

I've thought about the 3dlabs wildcat cards, but spice isn't really
like cad. Layout is closer. Some cards have an ability to shift the
image by 90 degrees so that you can turn the lcd monitor sideways for
documents. That could be pretty useful.

When I open a 2 gig file is seems like having more ram would be good,
though I have no idea if this is really true. I'm thinking 256 or
512 megs for this card.

I do have the 10k rpm wd sata drives in raid 0, so I can handle large
files pretty quickly. Also I used 1 gig of low latency corsair ddr
ram in an asus a7n8x motherboard. I have an amd 2500+ overclocked to
3200+. It's probably my last 32bit machine.

I also have an amazing Zalman heatsink on the cpu. It has a huge fan
built into it. I have the best temps I've ever seen on a cpu and it
makes no noise. This is probably the quietest machine I've built.

Next I think will be a Sager laptop with a 17in screen, then a move to
linux.

Regards,
Larry
 
Larry,

I really like the GeForce 4 cards(and presumably later) cards. A nice
combination I'm using in both of my offices now is a GeForce with
ViewSonic P225f's. 2048x1536 at 75Hz for about $700 total cost.

Who makes the cards you're using? Nvidea doesn't make anything
itself. I guess this high end chip now is the 5900. I assume the
$700 is just for the video card. The lcd monitors are still almost
twice that. Some are 3x that price even at Fry's. I was looking at
ASUS for nvidea based video cards[...]
Click to expand...
I don't think it matters where you get your GeForce4
cards. They have the 350MHz DAC on the ASIC.
www.centralcomputer.com has a Gainward MX440 AGP 8X
for $48. (The more expensive GeForce4 cards are only
if you need to digitize video input). I've also used
the LeadTek Central Computer carry, another generic
"brand" I would have no trouble using or recommending.
The lowest price for the monitor I've seen is $600,
but most sources will what a bit more for that. So
$700 was enough for card and monitor -- a complete
2048x1536 @75Hz system for under $700 street price and
that is what I use. It's amazing. However, I would
make sure that you can return or exchange the monitor
if you buy that particular model. The second one I
procured didn't have a uniform focus field and wasn't
usable so I had to return it.

--Mike
 
On Wed, 08 Oct 2003 01:48:31 -0700, ldg <lgipson@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

Any suggestions?

I just built a new computer and haven't bought a new video card yet.
I'l like to go to linux eventually, so I'm interested in having linux
drivers available.

It seems to me that to open large files (2 gigs?) and zoom in, etc.
you need large memory and agp8x for speed. All I know is that it
really makes a difference which card I use for this. I've never seen
a benchmark.

There's no need for 3d graphics I wouldn't imagine.

Regards,
Larry
Click to expand...
Dunno about Linux.

Right, for pcb you won't care about 3D.

I doubt you'll notice the 8x vs 4x, the memory you'll need is in the PC not on
the vid card, 32Meg on the card will do any resolution you'll need.

I've done CAD on PC's for 20 years now, and without a doubt, hands down, the
single greatest increase in productivity came by going to dual monitors. And if
you're doing layout you'll want as large as possible, preferably a pair of 21".
(Look around, I've seen beautiful used 21's for ~$100.)

Aside from layout you'll use them constantly to improve everything you do on a
PC.

Now, as for a specific video card, save your money and nevermind the latest
whiz-bang game cards. Go to ebay and get a Matrox g450 32M, or an ATI 7500 dual
head, for about $50 (sometimes way less). These are great cards for CAD. If
you wanna splurge go for a g550. Use the money you saved on more pc memory, a
faster disk drive, or your monitors.

And BTW, LCD's etc are pretty, but not quite there yet for CAD unless you're
paying way big bucks. (but that could change any day [maybe even yesterday while
I wasn't looking])

Gary Crowell
Micron Technology (yes, buy lots more memory!!)





(__ (__ (_____ (______ TM
(__ (__ (__ (__ (__ (__
(__ (__ (__ (__ (__
(__ (__ (__ (________ V1.64
(__ (__ (__ (__
(_____ (____ (__ (__ Freeware CP/CG Calculator
(____ (______ (__ (c)1996 Gary A. Crowell Sr.
vcp@cableone.net
http://myweb.cableone.net/cjcrowell
 
And BTW, LCD's etc are pretty, but not quite there yet for CAD unless you're
paying way big bucks. (but that could change any day [maybe even yesterday while
I wasn't looking])
Click to expand...
A year or two ago, a friend broke down and got an LCD when the price of the
big (then) ones at 1280x1024 dropped under $1K.

A week or so ago, my boss got annoyed at his dingy/dying monitor and
when to Frys. He came back with a 1600x1200 Samsung LCD. I think he
said $1K. A quick scan on the web didn't find anything quite that cheap.
It's really crisp and bright, great viewing angle. He looks like a kid
who just came out of a candy store.

--
The suespammers.org mail server is located in California. So are all my
other mailboxes. Please do not send unsolicited bulk e-mail or unsolicited
commercial e-mail to my suespammers.org address or any of my other addresses.
These are my opinions, not necessarily my employer's. I hate spam.
 
Thanks for all the advice!

I eventually bought a viewsonic vp211b and a radeon 9800 pro (256)
card. I like the large lcd monitor, but the video card is way
overpriced - and seems to flicker on various settings. I chose
poorly. :)

I'm going to have to become a gamer now I guess :)

Regards,
Larry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top