Hardware Guide for X3

[lbuttery]

depending on cost, I would go with 4 GB on Vista/win 7 and put the extra money into the cpu or video card or save it for a rainy day


if you will be doing lots of mutl-tasking and renders and other heavy duty apps then maybe 6MB or 8 MB

raytraces use cpu ram

you can always add ram later when needed

Lew

[BuildingDesign]

There's been lots of good talk on ram, ram speeds and monitor set up on this thread http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread.php?t=41153&page=15 as well just to try and help a bit! Seems to be two similar threads with different guys inputting at the same time LOL!!

[JJHDC]

What video card do you suggest?

When is X3 coming out?

Will there be a price reduction on X3 for time lost using X2?

[lbuttery]

Will there be a price reduction on X3 for time lost using X2?



Huh ????




X3 is expected to be released around June 2010


Nvidia cards are recommended, but no need to go with the Quadro cards
OpenGL 2.1 is the current requiremen


Lew

[charlesu]

X3 will trigger my new system.

It will be a Dell and I need advise on specifics, the RAM, Processor and video card (see attached thumbnails)

Will I see a "gee wiz" improvement with 24 GB ram vs 12 GB?

Thanks,

[lbuttery]

24 GB ram vs 12 GB

either of those will probably cost a fortune ???

cost benefit ???

8 GB ram should be more than enough for normal chief running

if you have special needs or will be some serious raytracing ???

It will be interesting to see what CA says about 24 GB


Lew

[cache]

Looking at upgrading to the DELL precision M6400 Covet. Wondering if I should upgrade the processor. What is the significance of 6M L2 cache as compared to 12M L2 cache, specifically as it pertains to CA?

[nikpapag]

You said 'X3 will ship as a 32 bit application'. So, when will Chief Architect ship as a 64 bit application and what will be the advantages?

[nikpapag]

Are FirePro 3D and Quadro cards recommended over regular cards or is memory size all that matters?

What kind of improvement would FirePro 3D and Quadro cards have over regular cards?

Will X3 or X4 utilize OpenGL 3.2 or stay with 2.1?

[lbuttery]

The recommendation currently is for a good gaming card for OpenGL 2.1

Quadro cards seem to offer no benefit per CA staff
maybe same for firepro if it's not a gaming card ???

I imagine that in time Chief will run/require OpenGL 3.x
the question is when ???

Contact CA staff for better details or wait for them to reply here

Lew

[Doug Park]

You said 'X3 will ship as a 32 bit application'. So, when will Chief Architect ship as a 64 bit application and what will be the advantages?

I can't make promises on a delivery date yet, but we are actively investigating what needs to be done to support 64 bit. We have some questions on certain Third Party libraries that we use that could complicate the delivery time line. The good news is that this has floated to the top of our priority list.

Other good news is that X3 will be significantly easier on memory usage for certain 3D models.

[Doug Park]

Are FirePro 3D and Quadro cards recommended over regular cards or is memory size all that matters?

What kind of improvement would FirePro 3D and Quadro cards have over regular cards?

Will X3 or X4 utilize OpenGL 3.2 or stay with 2.1?

In my experience the improvements that I've heard of are not worth the premium price that you would pay. There also seem to be driver issues with some of these cards that are difficult for us to get fixed. It is logical that cards that have the highest installed base will also have the most solid drivers.

Often the these expensive graphics cards lose any advantage they had over their current generation gaming cards when the next generation gaming card is released.

My recommendation from an economic stand point is to stick with the gaming cards. You can buy 3 or 4 of these for the price of one of the high end cards and probably be outperforming your high end card within a year of purchasing it.

Getting a card that supports OpenGL 3 is a good plan as eventually we will support it, but X3 won't be going past 2.1 for now. We are also still supporting lower end cards with reduced functionality for certain features.

[Dan Park]

I found this link online comparing most of the Nvidia cards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...ocessing_units

[abqjimlynch]

Will hardware dongles be available for x3 when x3 ships?

[Doug Park]

Will hardware dongles be available for x3 when x3 ships?

Yes. Cost will be $50 as before.