Pegster, I have not figured out all the differences between Hex an C5 so I'm afraid I am not much help there. You can get the Carrara basic for $6 bucks if you are a Daz PC member ($9 if you aren't). As I understand it the basic program is a slightly limited version of C4. You could always try that and then decide if you need more umph. If you are still a beginner then that may be all the more you need until you have advanced a bit, and by then the newer version may be out. So my advice would be to not max out your card until or unless you know for sure you need the bigger guns.