Budget Pro (Solidworks) Performance build

[dclems93]

So I am looking to build a Solidworks rig for my dad, and seeing as how I don't know too much about the pro graphics card, I thought I would consult some forums.

 

WITH a lower budget in mind, as the Quadro and other pro cards are drastically more expensive, could I get better/good performarnce on professional performance on going with something like a GTX 1070 compared to some of the lower priced Quadro graphics cards? I know a lot of what you are paying for on those cards is the "official support" drivers, and even the low-end quadros that I have seen start at around $500, so this would seriously cut into my budget of the build.

 

This isn't going to be his main rig, it is his at-home work rig, so he wants to keep the cost at around $1,000 and I was going to spend a good portion of that on the processor and cooling (so I could overclock).

 

Most people writing about quadros don't have a budget in mind, so I could use some advice on this build. 

 

 

Thank you for any advice.

[Majestic]

Certain features are sectioned off from solidworks without a certified card. Things like full-scene anti-aliasing.

You really want a quadro card or firepro if you're serious about solidworks.

[scottyseng]

1 hour ago, dclems93 said:

-snip-

The 1070 would outperform for sure, but the Quadro / FirePro have certified drivers. I remember Solidworks being very picky about workstation GPUs for certain features.

 

I feel bad because I have two FirePro V7900s sitting on my shelf (I moved to a 980 Ti...it works for the programs I use, and is much faster).

[dclems93]

2 hours ago, Majestic said:

Certain features are sectioned off from solidworks without a certified card. Things like full-scene anti-aliasing.

You really want a quadro card or firepro if you're serious about solidworks.

Oh wow, that is unfortunate. 

I am looking and the Quadro M4000 is ~$750, which will increase my build by at least $300, was trying to find a good workaround. 

 

From what I can tell from searching through various forums, the GeForce and Quadros are often the same hardware (although I don't believe that the quadros have had an update very recently)  so any performance gains are software related, which is bullshit.

[Majestic]

Yes, it is bullshit. But there it is.

 

Find out what features non-certified drivers exclude and decide whether that's worth the extra investment or not.

[scottyseng]

1 hour ago, dclems93 said:

-snip-

Yeah, I was thinking of getting a M400, but I tried my luck with a 980 Ti first. It also sucks that I remember getting my FirePros used (new, back in the day, were $700) for $350. Now they're worth $100 or less...You might look at ebay, but no warranty (Since they're made by Nvidia / AMD, they have to be retail new otherwise no warranty)...

 

Yeah, they are the same hardware (Though the Quadros usually have more VRAM) and pretty much it's mostly software. Back in the day, you could hack gaming cards to be FirePro ones.

 

Yeah, I would weigh your options, if you don't need the features, stick with a gaming GPU. It's much faster.