At this time, I am looking to build a new system that will either be an i7 3960X or 2 Xeon 8 core CPUs (depending on budget). The software I use are: Vue Infinite, Poser Pro 2012, ZBrush and maybe Maya later on. Most of them recommend nVidia due to their "CUDA" core support, but was not sure of that any more. Also, I know the Quadro 5800 or 6000 cards would be the absolute best, but those will most likely be way out of my price range.

So, I was wondering what is best for those out there using software like this? AMD or nVidia and if I should get a 680 (duel SLI) or 690 card? Also, I was told the new nVidia cards, while they have "CUDA" support that is very good, really are no longer good for 3D programs like the ones I use due to them being poor on 3D benchmarks that have been done (i.e. Toms Hardware, Ars Technica, etc.) They say they are limited on purpose and pushing the Quadro cards instead and only get them if you want to game. Is this true or is CUDA and 3D rendering still very good with the 680/690? I was told AMD Radeon 7970 cards do not have the same issues and score higher in the benchmarks. However, they do not have "CUDA" support obviously, which I may need I think.

Thanks for any advice and feedback.

I would get a killer system that can play SKYRIM at full throttle without hiccups.  Anything else run on the thing would just be another boring 3D program. Much like Word is a boring word processor.

If the system is not killer, and connot run SKYRIM worth beans, you may not be happy with 3D programs you run on it.

P.S.  3D rendering is done by the CPU.  The video card just lets you click and drag objects in the scene.

Vue dosn't use GPU rendering, so all rendering (except OpenGL) is done by the CPU. For OpenGL display, Nvidia has always palyed better than AMD, but best is to check compatible cards at e-on.

High end AMD cards also have CUDA cores these days.

Good video game play and good graphics play are not neccessarily the same, that's why they make video cards specifically for graphics work. If that's what this computer is solely going to be used for, that would be your best bet. More reliability, better driver support.

That being said, my computers have always done both. Getting a high-end gaming card has always worked fine for me. The last I knew, AMD's 7970 was at the top of the heap, although that tends to change every few months or so.

I wasn't aware that AMD had CUDA support, as CUDA is/or was a proprietary NVDIA technology. Nor is CUDA necessary - at least with Vue- as I've only used AMD cards since Vue 3.5 and they worked fine for the most part. As Bruno says, if you're going to use a gaming card, I would check with E-on and get the best one they reccomend that you can afford.

Vue isn't a CAD program.  So an expensive video card specifically for graphics work is not needed.

Anyway, I haven't seen you in awhile, 3DNeo.  Hope you have been well.

It has nothing to do with CAD. Pick up a copy of 3d World or 3D art. Nearly all of the computers or video cards featured in ads or reviews are workstation cards. Then read the articles and see what the professionals use. In all cases, regardless of what software they use, they will use professional video cards.

Are they absolutely necessary? No, not even for CAD. Hell, I'm in the building trade and everybody I know that uses CAD uses a standard desktop, nothing fancy. However, if you're building a computer for a specific purpose (and you have the cash - as you stated, these cards are quite a bit more expensive), then it stands to reason that you would want a card specifically designed for that purpose.

Here are the cards that E-On has specifically tested and approved:

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_10_infinite/?page=15

If you buy one of these cars, you should be good (for Vue anyway). I have Poser Pro and Zbrush. I am using an AMD 5780 and have no problems with any of these programs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you won't...

Thanks for the replies. After doing some research, checking the software: Vue, ZBrush, Maya, etc. I am leaning to the nVidia GTX 690 card at this time. According to e-on, the nVidia cards are better with Vue due to some display glitches they have had on the 6000 series. They told me they have not tested a lot with the newer 7970 cards so can't say for sure. The nVidia 680 and 690 I was told should work fine since they know the 500 series is good to use. Not a lot of testing done with those cards, but they seem to recommend nVidia.

Would love to have a professional Quadro 6000 or new Tesla, but those are not in my budget for just a graphics card. I plan to focus on the CPU with at least an i7 3960X or Duel Xeon and 32GB RAM.

I've had a AMD Radeon card in my PC for 2 month - Vue had to switch off a few things (like background draw for instance), because it wasn't a Nvidia card.

AMD Radeon cards don't use CUDA - that's a NVIDIA specialty. Radeon cards use something close, but not as strongly supported as CUDA, which is called OpenCL !

After getting the new Nvidia GTX 680 (single GPU) card, Vue works great with this graphic card. It doesn't use the GPU for rendering (CPU), but it supports (since Vue 10 or was it Vue 9 ?) the calculation of Anti-Aliasing using the GPU to speed it up. Important, too, for sure, is the onboard RAM amount. They've got at least 2GB , which will help with displacement-mapping and heavily loaded scenes.

Surely the 690 version (double GPU) is for sure a monster card for speed ! The 680 is already very fast, but logically a twin GPU card like the 690 beats it by huge steps. The fastest card so far - but really expensive !

The now to be released GTX 670 card is just a little weaker then a 680 (first tests shown that), but cost wise it spares you quite a lot of money for barely loosing too much speed compared to a 680 card.

So - 690 is for sure top-notch - but the price with more then a 1000$ is quite something - unless you don't have a problem to spend ...

Sure - Quadro cards are pro cards for CAD or stuff like that - but those are not as versatile in their use and strength with everything 3D (...like running stuff like Skyrim game or others) you like to run on a PC besides 3D software like Vue,3dsmax and such.

Quote - I've had a AMD Radeon card in my PC for 2 month - Vue had to switch off a few things (like background draw for instance), because it wasn't a Nvidia card.

AMD Radeon cards don't use CUDA - that's a NVIDIA specialty. Radeon cards use something close, but not as strongly supported as CUDA, which is called OpenCL !

After getting the new Nvidia GTX 680 (single GPU) card, Vue works great with this graphic card. It doesn't use the GPU for rendering (CPU), but it supports (since Vue 10 or was it Vue 9 ?) the calculation of Anti-Aliasing using the GPU to speed it up. Important, too, for sure, is the onboard RAM amount. They've got at least 2GB , which will help with displacement-mapping and heavily loaded scenes.

Surely the 690 version (double GPU) is for sure a monster card for speed ! The 680 is already very fast, but logically a twin GPU card like the 690 beats it by huge steps. The fastest card so far - but really expensive !

The now to be released GTX 670 card is just a little weaker then a 680 (first tests shown that), but cost wise it spares you quite a lot of money for barely loosing too much speed compared to a 680 card.

So - 690 is for sure top-notch - but the price with more then a 1000$ is quite something - unless you don't have a problem to spend ...

Sure - Quadro cards are pro cards for CAD or stuff like that - but those are not as versatile in their use and strength with everything 3D (...like running stuff like Skyrim game or others) you like to run on a PC besides 3D software like Vue,3dsmax and such.

Thanks for letting me know about your experience with those cards. I was planning on nVidia so should be good there. Most likely will go with 690 when they are more plentiful.

Can you post a couple of screen shots of your render settings that are setup for the 680 card? Such as the video card memory settings, some high-quality user settings, etc. That would save some time for me to get an idea of what is needed for these cards.