I just got a new computer with Max 2011 design installed and a NVIDIA QUADRO FX 1800 graphics card. Though…I feel like I am working on an old computer! Moving around the scenes in not very smooth at all…and max often does not respond and gets stuck. I have been told that the drivers have not yet been updated to work well with Max…even though I feel like it is a problem not only with max but also with other programs. Is anyone else having any similar problems? Should I have gotten another type of graphics card? Are there special settings to take care of in max which I did not set properly? Any suggestions would be much appreciated…I would like to feel like I am using a new computer!
I don’t know about 1800 but my old 1500 still do its job; are you in direct x or open gl?
anyway, I don’t think driver could not be optimized; 1800 is new but not so much 
I would try in order:
- newest driver
- Performance driver
- Certified driver
I have the NVIDIA QUADRO FX 3600 and I hate it! My laptop and slaves have much better display then my main workstation with the NVIDIA QUADRO FX 3600. My slaves have intagrated video, too. I’ll be moving right along on my main workstation and half my toolbars disapear in both MAX and PhotosShop.
Wow…and here I am testing out a GTX480 and I HATE IT!!! I am even using the latest 257 series drivers. My old Quadro FX4500 is WAY better in every aspect. I am really having a hard time justifying the price of a new quadro card, but the game cards just aren’t cutting it for me. Unless there are some secret special sauce settings for the GTX line, I am about to kick them to the curb in favor of the Quadros.
How can there be such a drastic difference between people with similar hardware and their performance? These are the things that I have really been trying to track down and isolate so that I don’t waste a LOT of money getting the quadro cards.
I switched to the new ATI line and have never looked back…5850, super fast and very solid with the last few driver releases.
that’s exactly what’s my experience too. my sever has an onboard card and it’s ways faster than my quadro fx 3600! these stupid onboard graphiccards are really fast. I also have a geoforce 275 and it sucks, eh stucks. 
also with tha newest driver.
best regards
themaxxer
SHould I be in direct x or open gl???
If you are using gaming nvidia cards like 275,280,285 (didn’t try the new ones like 480 but should be the same) run it in direct-3d mode, not openGL and try this in your scene:
-Select All
-Right click on any object
-Remove the “Backface Cull” option under “Display Properties” and press OK
This will speed up your viewports a lot.
You can automate that for new Objects in the preferences/viewports tab but you have to do it manually for most third-party models that you merge.
for 3dsmax, direct x should be a lot better
Tammo, you are absolutely correct! The newer cards are much more efficient when displaying all the triangles. It usually takes the CPU too long to calculate which faces should be culled.
What type of systems are people using. ATi and nVidia game cards are not cutting it on my machine. I am using a dual Xeon 5355 with an intel 5000X chipset. I know it is old, but are those running the iCore7 procs that don’t use a workstation/server class motherboard and chipset have different performance capabilities?
After much advice for and against I bought an ATI FirePro V7750 1GB and Max 2010/2011 is running fine.
I can second the 5850, but I would recommend avoiding the 5770. Despite being in the new ATI line, it is a very flakey card.
I just feel that this is just so hit and miss. I have been very fortunate with the Quadro cards, yet others despise them. I hate having to buy a new video card because I never know what I am going to get. I need to put video cards in the new workstations we are getting and I hate spending more money on the video card than almost everything else combined!
ATi is on my short list to get a FirePro card and give it a go, but they aren’t necessarily affordable either. *sigh*
Guys, are you using win7?
I’ve noticed a slow down performance while using win7 + max2011 + nvidia graphic cards. Since I switched back to win xp x64 everything is going fine here.
I am on Windows 7 with the ATI 5850, it’s pretty fast over all.
Cheers
Mike K
The main Thing to remember is that Quadro’s are made for fast & accurate line drawing [Cad lines.etc] &Geforce are made for fast texturing.
It all depends on what is most important to you!!! Textures or lines.
Also remember that a big scene with too many models will be slow on ALL cards…you are far better getting a better workflow with Layers & isolating objects to make things faster.
Cheers
Jamie
Win 7 + ATI FirePro V7750 + 3ds Max 2011.
what is different between ati fire pro and ati fire gl ?? i tought fire pro is designed for 2d , and post processing maybe …
Fire Gl are 3d and fire pros are 2d, mainly for stock traders…
I will back you up on that!!!
Have recently got a new computer with windows 7[64bit] & a new gtx 480 & max design 2011…and it is soooooo Fu%*ing slow it’s not funny…in fact it’s making me quite sad & angry
After a bit of research I have come to the conclusion that I am totally over Nvidia cards for working in max with windows 7 .
I used to get really good performance out of a GeForce GTX 275 with max on XP 64 but the performance of the GTX 480 on windows 7 [64] is not even a fraction of what the pervious setup was getting. In fact it is so messed up in directX mode that it can’t even draw some scenes [goes completely blank] that I used to fly around in the previous setup
Maybe I have been drinking the Nvidia cool-aid too long! It’s time to change flavours!
After even more research I am convinced that Nvidia quadros are soo over priced that I won’t even go there.
ATI …here I come! Have a look at this spec link for comparison between ATI firpro & Nvidia Quadros …my jaw dropped when I saw this…and the price difference is just not even worth talking about it’s so redicules
http://sites.amd.com/us/atwork/promo/Pages/autodesk.aspx
The price difference [In Australian Dollars]
ATI PCIe FirePro V4800 $357
Nvidia Quadro FX 4800 -- $2500
The price difference is basically a new render node!!!
Anyone have more thoughts/ideas on this
Cheers
PS . working in max 12 hours a day with a bad video card experience… is just not fun at all …I need help befor I kill myself out of frustration