Workstation Card: Upgrade Debate

[Enigmatic Runner]

So my pal's attending university for graphic design and is looking to upgrade to a better GPU solution. Originally bought for gaming, she's been using a 5770 since '09 but, as you can imagine, that's never really been suitable for workstation related activities. By nature of her uni co-op program, she's actually working in an industry job hence the compelling desire to upgrade.

 

The programs that she's using are ZBrush, 3DS Max, UDK, Photoshop and Maya. She no longer games much, i.e. 90% work, 10% gaming before anyone asks.

 

She's been considering a used GTX Titan ($550) which would obviously give a considerable performance increase. However, the advice that I've given her is to continue saving money and buy an actual workstation card like a mid to high-end Quadro or FirePro.

 

I'm too unknowledgeable about the WS environment to provide a solid argument against the Titan since it's been mostly falsely advertised as a pseudo workstation card hence why I'm here asking my fellow forum members about this. I.e. be as brutal and damning as you can on why she shouldn't go through with what I'm sure is wasteful spending.

[WoodenMarker]

What kind of work does he do?

[Jack.EXE]

Firepro W7000

 

Games like a 7870 if you were wondering.