CAD requires High level card to softmod to Workstation card

[Lilija]

I am a professional designer in CAD. All of my work is depending on the working efficiency of CAD. I have been using a workstation which is nearly 2 year old for CAD purpose. Now I am lacking in some features and speed in this computer. So I decided to build a CAD Workstation myself which must be more reliable and superfast and managed to work in this new generation environment. I already got a good configuration but I need a good higher level Graphic card and my choice is between Nvidia and ATI. Which one is better in these? Which is the highest level and soft moddable? Please provide me some helpful information.

[Alondra]

When ATI and NVIDIA set in motion using many diverse GPUs for special product lines, graphics card modding cut down out of support because devotees could only overclock their graphics cards to take full advantage of their prospective. On the other hand, a technique for soft-modding an NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GSO into an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB has been found. This mod instantaneously offers you a GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB card at half the price. The most modern soft moddable Geforce is the 8800 series with the GPU ID G80. My EVGA 8800 GT 320 MB G80 revisions A3 is currently soft modded to Quadro FX4600.

[Mrigankasekhar]

Choosing of Graphic card is completely depends on what type of CAD software you're using. As I know that if you are going to use gaming cards in your workstation for CARD they will do their job but do not have full support on open GL. I've seen the latest personification of Inventor & Wildfire running absolutely fine on 9800GTS. If you're running Autocad, then nVidia is better because they seems to be as partners. If you intended to use Solidworks or any Dassault software then better to go on ATI side. other choices like HD5870 is the hottest card moddable (driver FirePro 8.723) and also HD5970 (Crossfire Pro)

[Muwafaq]

As I know Workstation GPU cards are optimized for only workstation-class 3D applications, which characteristically effort with compound wireframe models to show an elevated level of feature when engineers are scheming and directing the model. The difference and the choice is very simple. That is SoftQuadro for nvidia cards and FireGL mod for ATi.

[KennedII]

As far as I know manu Nvidia NV41 GPUs does not actually softmod, it is appealing greatly just makes software believe it has a quadro card. In other way the ATI softmods work extremely fine and are very effortless to achieve with RivaTuner and a few scripts.I checked the HD2900 XT and also a 3870, both are 512MB cards with GDDR4. What I found that the 3870 as it uses a smaller amount power and runs cooler. The 3dsMAX also showing that both are well and get performance numbers.

[CRiley]

ATI Radeon 3870 works very well. If you have vast projects then 1 GB versions of 3850 or 3870 are excellent. The 4800 works variably depending on the program that you use. The most recent functioning soft mod with the GeForce is the 6800 series. I think following that nVidia blocked the GPU in the silicon. I think that you may be talented to soft mod a HD 2900XT to a FireGL card. I have been using HD 4870 X2 and it is working in Vista runs the CAD program as I expected.