Graphics Cards for Computers – Vectorworks 2013

I’ve just seen some specifications for the graphics card for computers specifically Vectorworks 2013. I’m thinking about buying a new computer, and I’m concerned that I’m going to buy computer with the correct graphics card.

The current wisdom is that you should buy a computer with a graphics card at least 512 MB of VRAM. The following article suggests that provided you’re not using too much OpenGL or your screen is not too large you can get away with as little as 256 MB of VRAM.
http://www.vectorworks.net/fundamentals/sysreq.php
I’m currently looking at replacing my computer I have my eye on a Macintosh Mac Mini server this computer has a decent sized processor but a small graphic card.
Quote from the web site:

Video Cards

IMPORTANT – Vectorworks 2012 and Vectorworks 2013 contained improvements that placed significantly higher demand on the graphics hardware. The performance and quality of the graphics provided by Accelerated Navigation and Improved OpenGL Shadows depend directly on the speed and memory of the graphics card. These new features have the potential to provide a very fast and fluid experience when used on capable hardware, and a noticeably slower experience when used on older or incompatible hardware. In general, the more powerful your video card is, the better your Vectorworks experience will be.
The amount of Video RAM (VRAM) required to drive Vectorworks adequately depends largely on the size of the display being used and the complexity of the Vectorworks document. Medium-sized displays with a native resolution of 1600×1200 or less should be driven by a graphics card with at least 256MB of VRAM. Larger displays, such as displays that are 30” or larger, should use a modern graphics card with at least 512MB of VRAM, with 1GB or more recommended.
If you use OpenGL rendering, Vectorworks 2012 contains significant OpenGL improvements that drastically improve the rendering of shadows. These improvements are VRAM-intensive, however, and require at least 512MB, with 1GB or VRAM being preferable. If you want to take full advantage of improved OpenGL shadows in Vectorworks 2012 and Vectorworks 2013, especially in situations where you have any combination of the following:
– many lights
– point lights
– image textures
– anti-aliasing
– high shadow quality
and if you have a video card with less than 512MB of VRAM, you should consider upgrading your video card.
We strongly recommend that all users check that their video drivers are current. The majority of display problems reported to our Technical Support department have been traced to older video drivers.

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