Quadro 4000 for Architectural Modeling/Rendering

[michaelviviano]

I'm considering building a PC desktop workstation to accommodate complex 3D models built in Rhino and high-res rendering of those models with Vray for Rhino. Right now I'm looking at centering the build around the PNY NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB. Looking at keeping the whole build in the $2000 range, so that's about as high-end as I can go.

Assuming I'd do the i7 2600K quad-core processor and something like 16GB RAM. I'd like to know if you all think this move is worth it; in other words, will there be a perceivable advantage over my current situation (laptop), which is:

MacBook Pro
i7 dual core 2.66 GHz
8GB RAM 1067 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 512 MB.

I'm happy with my laptop's performance in CS5 graphic work, but I often run into memory issues when working on my Rhino models, and my render times are often terrible when I work on complex scenes in Vray. What I am seeking is improved viewport/display performance in the Rhino environment and improved rendering capabilities in Vray.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! If it sounds like I'm onto something with the desktop build, I'd appreciate opinions on preferred motherboards, cases, etc to go with the Quadro 4000...

Thanks!
Michael

 

[amuffin]

It all depends on your personal preference, what company you like the best, and how much space you have in your house (case). Also are you going to overclock your 2600k?

 

[cadder]

On single-threaded apps an overclocked 2600k will have over twice the speed of your current processor, and if your rendering can use more than 2 cores then you might get almost 4 times the speed.

The video card probably won't make that much difference unless you are creating high speed animations.

If you can find a group of users running this same software you can get their opinions on the importance of a high end GPU vs. a fast CPU.

I like Gigabyte motherboards but lots of other people like ASUS. For cases you can buy cheap or you can buy expensive, that is your choice. I use a lot of the Antec 300 cases. They are good solid cases, easy to build, and inexpensive. If you are overclocking then you need a good aftermarket cooler for your CPU, and for the work that you are doing you really should be overclocking.