AMD and Quadro FX

[Jhones]

need to clear things…
the soundblaster card that we can get now is 5.1 or 7.1 only is that good anough?

[Rhewitt]

Firstly, you need to check the specs supported for the application. Only these are guaranteed to work but does not mean other setups will not work.

There’s no truth in the belief that Avid don’t like AMD. It all goes down to the way the processor operates and if it works with the application. The AMD Opteron processor is on the supported workstation list.

Avid Specs for XPress are here.

[Jhones]

ye i know that. too bad my boss didnt knew that….
im trying to close some holes now.

how about the quadro 560fx is it worth to spend this money (250$ in israel) to upgrade the nvidia 6200? what basicly the benefits r?

second.. i understand SoundBlaster is the recommended card for audio
here we have 5.1 or 7.1 wich one will u go for?

thx

[Rhewitt]

Only the following NVidia cards are qualified by Avid:

NVIDIA QuadroFX 3500 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 3450 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 3400 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 1500 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 1400 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 1300 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 560 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 550 PCI Express
NVIDIA QuadroFX 3000 AGP 8X
NVIDIA QuadroFX 1100 AGP 8X
NVIDIA QuadroFX 500 AGP 8X

Each card moving up the range has the ability to handle more complex on-screen FX and renders. The 560 is pretty much bottom of the current range. I would suggest something more like the 1300-1500 range if you want to work with HD media.

As for the sound card, most people have success with the Audigy 2 version. Avid qualified sound cards are required because the editing application needs to take control of the card to ensure the sound keeps in sync – most sound cards don’t allow this and is the primary reason for audio related problems.

[Michael Hancock]

RHewitt is dead on with the graphics card–buy the best approved card you can. Your system will thank you for it, and the likelihood of your system being outdated in the next release won’t be so great.

Regarding sound cards–the Audigy 2 works, and it’s cheap. The ironic thing about Avid–they don’t have a list of qualified sound cards like they do with the graphics cards. Unless you find out from your reseller or on a forum like this, you don’t know what to get. Huge oversight on Avid’s part.

Regarding AMD processors. The only system they’re approved for is the Symphony, maybe the DS. From Media Composer on down the only approved processors are from Intel. Some have had success with their AMDs, many do not. What works for you now might not work after the next upgrade, so beware of that. Running an unapproved system can lock you to certain versions of the software.

Michael.