Is there a reason to get a Quadro

M

M4573R

Gawd
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Jul 30, 2006
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I can't find reliable information on whether purchasing an expensive Quadro card is worth it. I'll be using the latest Mastercam. I'd be willing to get the FX 1800 on newegg, but will it actually perform better then something like a GTX460?
 
There used to be mods out there to convert regular geforces to quadros. Have you checked to see if the new series that something like that?
 
It really depends on what you are planning on doing.

Unless you are doing professional-grade work and not just messing around as a hobby, I think you would be wasting money.
 
Based on this reply from Mastercam, http://www.mastercam.com/Support/TechTips/backplot/Bkplot_depthbuffer.htm it looks like Mastercam actually used opengl to render it workspace. Unlike something like Alibre Design with used Direct X 9.0c. So in theory, assuming Mastercam has coded itself to show up to the forceware drivers, the Quadro should help (open gl optimizations). I guess the better question is, if it will help the price difference amount for a quadro vs geforce in you time or opportunity cost.
 
The machine is exclusively a work machine for the latest Mastercam. The machine won't be upgraded for probably another 5 years.
 
herfalerf said:
if i recall correctly there actually was one for the gtx 460, possibly the other 400 series cards.
Click to expand...
No, there are no tricks for anything beyond the old G80 chip cards, and even those were not 100% converted to quadro properly. A real quadro was still much faster and more stable.
http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=539&pgno=9

Is a Quadro worth it? Well, it depends. For some things a Quadro can be much faster than a Geforce. Look here for a GTX 280 vs a Quadro: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/quadro-fx-4800,2258-10.html
The quadro, which in this case is a bit inferior to the GTX 280, was about 10X faster than the GTX 280 in the Solidworks portion of the test.

I think the Quadro 1800 is overpriced. I would go with a FirePro V4800. It has 1 GB of RAM and performs pretty well, plus it is much cheaper. It's based on the 5670 ATI gpu, where the Quadro 1800 is very old. It only has 64 shaders, and only DX10, so it's basically a fancy 9600GT with some extra RAM. The V4800 FirePro should perform pretty well for your CAD work, plus you can game with it, but of course at some reduced settings probably.

Do not get a GTX 460. They are slower at OpenGL than the previous GTX 260/280 cards. See here for details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_400_Series#OpenGL_Problems
The quadro cards based on the GTX 400 series do not have these issues, just the Geforce cards.

edit: I just saw your post about this being for work only, no gaming. I would get the V4800. It's cheaper than the quadro you mentioned, has more memory, and uses a newer generation gpu.
The V4800 was beating a quadro 3800 sometimes in this review: http://www.cgchannel.com/2010/12/review-amds-ati-firepro-professional-gpus-2/
 
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Thanks for the great reply and sources. The V4800 looks to be exactly what I need, except it's out of stock on newegg -___- If budget allows, I may even jump for the 5800.
 
It really depends on exactly what you're using it for. In general, dollar for dollar you're money is better spent on a geforce card. However, it'll be very specific to the program you're using. I don't know where mastercam falls on the list. I do know that most of CAD systems don't need that much in the terms of graphics. A 150-200$ geforce card will be a HELL of a cad card for most people.
 
Thanks for the info pgaster. I'm going to try and softmod my old 8800GT for quad buffered stereo.
 
vengence said:
It really depends on exactly what you're using it for. In general, dollar for dollar you're money is better spent on a geforce card. However, it'll be very specific to the program you're using. I don't know where mastercam falls on the list. I do know that most of CAD systems don't need that much in the terms of graphics. A 150-200$ geforce card will be a HELL of a cad card for most people.
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No, a geforce will not be a good CAD card. Pro cards like the Quadro and FirePro cards can be up to 10x faster than a gaming card for pro apps. See my previous posts for proof. If you are running pro apps for real work then you should get a pro card.

Also, note that ATI gaming cards are faster at the pro apps then Geforce cards. Trust me, I have done lots of testing and benchmarks. The video built into a 785G motherboard were faster on Specviewperf 10 than a GTX 260 core 216. No, I am not kidding. Nvidia seems to cripple their Geforce cards for pro apps. I'm sure ATI does it too, but to a much less degree.

Check this out: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-firepro-v8700,2154-10.html
A Firegl based on the 4870 is 3X the speed roughly of a 4870.

My previous post here shows how a Quadro based on a GTX 260 was for some tests 10X faster than a GTX 280.

If you directly compare the GTX 280 to the 4870 you see that the 4870 is about 3X the speed of the GTX 280.

So again, if you must use a gaming card for CAD, get ATI/AMD.
On the pro side, just get the card that offers the most bang for the buck, which right now I think is the FirePro line from AMD, but this goes back and forth.


xDezor said:
Thanks for the info pgaster. I'm going to try and softmod my old 8800GT for quad buffered stereo.
Click to expand...
I have no idea why you think you can mod an 8800GT. It doesn't work. The G80 cards could sort of be modded, but they don't fully work as a Quadro.
The 8800GT is newer, has a G92 gpu, and cannot be modded. Also, the quad buffered stereo needs a special connector which the gaming cards don't have. Look at the round connector on this card: http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_quadro_fx_4800_us.html
Just click on more views and scroll through until you see the end connectors.
 
You're right, a 4870 isn't as fast as a V8700. It''s also not 860$. Neither is a 450$ 580 as good as a 4000$ Quadro 6000. However one's again about 10 times as much as the other one.
 
+1 for the FirePro V4800, recieved great reviews, almost as fast as the V5800 for a fraction of the cost, $159 + shipping, in stock now at newegg.
 
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