Searching archives I'm finding fairly generic advice on video cards - i'm mainly checking to see if Version 8 changes anything.

Working off Win7 - an i3-540 | 8 gig ram. I'm willing to spend upwards of ~$300 - Sketchup will be the only thing I'm upgrading the video for. The term 'Fermi' was frequently used in other posts but this seems very generic - Newegg shows 'Fermi' ranging from $50-500.

What specific card features should I be focused on?
thx

Appreciate the feedback, Dave. I'll be approaching most of my projects in a slightly different angle than a conventional woodworker in that I'll be designing/building 'built-in' rather than stand-alone pieces. So I think one of my first tasks is going to be learning to model rooms.

I've worked my way thru the video tutes and am ready to start with some real-world stuff. Any idea where I go to see an example of modeling a full room?

thnkx again
--steve...

Greetings...it's great to find such an active SU forum of woodworkers. Here's hoping my questions and learning curve will help expand the niche's knowledge base even a little.

I picked up a home design program (Punch Software) quite a few years ago, so when my wife and I decided to design and build our house i didn't look at SU - wish i had. Punch did a pretty good job for us with the floorplan and framing process - the 3D flyarounds are actually very good. But now, with the shell of the house completed, it's time to turn to the finish work. Unlike sane owner/builders, Paula and I have chosen not to etch our design decisions in concrete (at least until the concrete truck was in route). The ability to live inside the space before interior walls are raised has allowed us to get a much better sense of distance and proportion to traffic flow and room dimensions.

So now we have a very good sense for the best place for a reading nook in the sun room, storage cabinets in the utility room, a deeper layer in the walk-in closet and so on. This is where I'm hoping to tap into the power of SU. I'm hoping I can design the interior space with enough detail to take into the shop - ideally armed with a cut list.

From what I can tell - this seems a realistic expectation for an experienced user but I'm starting pretty much from scratch. I'd would be depending on Dynamic Components that I don't think exist - things like joinery profiles that can be dropped on a cabinet door's stile. OTOH, if one has access to, for example, a catalog of router bits that include dimensions, how hard is it to produce that capability?

I know cabinet design software exists but it's pricey and proprietry with (i think) nastier learning curves - it seems like SU has the power needed and, from the looks of 3Dwarehouse activity, has the momentum of user community to fill this sort of space.

But then, perhaps not.

Any thoughts how much i should depend on SU to address this needs as I go forward would be very helpful. Pointers to others who've used it in this fashion as well.

thx
--steve...