!Restored: new graphics card or a new computer?

[Anonymous]

One my current system working on 3D shaded renders can be painfully slow. This system is has an AMD 2400+ processor, 1.5GB of ram, a Matrox G450 Max dual head graphics card and two 21" Nokia analog CRT monitors.
I am considering getting a new graphics card, maybe a Matrox Parhelia 128 or 256, in the hope that the new card will speed things up. Today, I was told that I should look at getting a faster/newer computer rather as rendering happens in the processor not the graphics card. This is confusing to me.
Can anybody tell me if I could expect faster rendering speeds if I were to put a Matrox Parhelia on my current machine?
Part of the reason that I want the Parhelia is because I own 3) 21" monitors (analog CRTs) and would like to hook all of them up at some point.
Thank you,
John

[Djordje]

johncassel wrote:
All this and I haven't even begun to use ArchiCAD’s PhotoRender. I am pretty new to ArchiCAD. Most of my experience is using formZ which has many similar issues when it comes to rendering and modeling.

Do yourself a favour and get Link over there ... that's No 1.

Second, go to www.abvent.com and download the free beta of AV Works, and forget about long renderings.

johncassel wrote:
As I wrote this an architect from the bay area wandered into our office. He uses ArchiCAD on a G5 and says he has the same issues of speed and power. He did mention some third party software for site modeling called Terra...something from Italy. Have you had any experience with this software?

Now you just hurt Fabrizio's feelings ... "something from Italy" is the best set of Add Ons for ArchiCAD that you ever saw!

ArchiTerra, my man!

http://www.cigraph-store.com/html/home/DESCRIPTION/ATerra2.htm

http://www.aboutarchiterra.com/

For rants/experiences, look into http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=1862

Let's continue this thread there.

Enjoy it!

[Anonymous]

Djordje,
Thank you for sending me to these sites. AV Works and ArchiTerra both look great. I'll try the download for AV Works today.
Thank you,
John

This week Link would need an umbrella.
The principals in our office pretty much expect that we already know everything that we need to do in ArchiCAD. If there is something that I don't know I try to find it out on my own. Often I want to offer the office the ability to do something that we haven't had been able to do previously.
The principals prefer that we get our support from the dealers who sold us our ArchiCAD licences which makes sense because that is part of what they paid for in buying ArchiCAD from them.
I am often asking the question to both the dealers and the forum at the same time. Because I get such great information and response on the forum it is often where I ask my questions first. Because we are on a small outer island it is often easier to get support from the forum that from other sources. The forum gives me access to a large community of users from a location that I would otherwise be very isolated.
I am keeping Link's information handy in case the principals ever want to bring in a new hired gun. Till then I am dependant on you, the forum, Graphisoft's support (thanks Dave T.), my office mates and the dealers for solutions to my ArchiCAD problems.