Gaming on a Workstation ?

First, I have searched many of the threads and cannot find anything that specifically addresses my question. I have also read the excellent "sticky" on gaming GPU's and the "sticky" for Professional GPU's. They are excellent articles, and if I was getting a standard laptop I would not need to post. However, I have only the most basic understanding of video graphics cards, and even the article on the professional GPU's does not get specific enough for me to derive an answer to my question, hence this post.

I am looking at a Dell Precision or Lenovo Thinkpad for the screen, docking options, ports and connections, and other office applications… however, I like a game of Ghost Recon or other battle simulation games on occasion. These notebooks have high-end graphics cards, but they are for engineering applications and not gaming.

Nevertheless, will either or all of the following business graphics cards still handle Ghost Recon or other similar games? (I do not play any of the newer high-end 3D stuff):

ATI FireGL V5700 (512 MB)
NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700 (512 MB)
NVIDIA Quadro FX 770 (512 MB)
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M (256 MB)

I would appreciate your comments before I blow some serious cash on something I can’t use for at least some gaming.


Thanks.

 

The Quadro FX2700 is a decent card. It will handle most of what you can throw at it.

 

if you get a high-end (256-bit memory interface) workstation card like the Quadro 2700M... it should do fine for gaming and be much better than all of the current mid-range videocards (like 9600M GT)

 

Professional cards use similar cores and architectures as their gaming GPU counterparts.

For example, the Quadro FX 770M is roughly similar to the 9600M GT(but one is optimized for one thing and another for the other).

The Quadro NVS 160M is closer to the 9300M GS.

The Quadro FX 2700M is near the higher end GPUs(with 256bit interface) such as the 9700M GTS.

The ATI FireGL v5700 should be near the HD3650 I believe.

So in order you'd have:
1) Quadro FX 2700M
2) Quadro FX 770M
3) FireGL V5700
4) Quadro NVS 160M

Note that 2) & 3) should be more or less on par if they resemble their mainstream counterparts.

Now, can they game? That is the question

Well... Those GPUs do have similar features to their gaming counterparts, but they are optimized for precise rendering and other such tasks whereas the gaming card is optimized for fast rendering of landscapes in games .

Now, if my knowledge is correct, workstations cards are nearly always on AA(to increase the precision of what they render). For example, if you trace a circle on a screen with both cards and zoom x100 times, the workstation will still yield smooth lines(due to AA) while the gaming card might produce straight segmented lines. The workstation will eventually yield straight lines mind you(if you zoom enough), but this threshold will be far above that of the gaming card because that's what it was made for .

AA is usually something that slows down games(because it stresses the GPU more). So if you'd want to optimize games, you'd have to force the card to remove its AA settings(which is possible, but I hear it's a pain).

The other option is to either reduce the other settings(so that the card can cope with the extra AA you might normally remove).

The final option if you still want to have a nice gaming experience is to simply purchase a better GPU. If the GPU is stronger, then it will be able to cope with the AA and the extra settings(of course not to the level of the gaming card since there'll be AA active).

Now, to FINALLY answer your question lol (yeah I know, took me long enough right? )...

Ghost Recon is an older game and isn't the most graphics demanding game it seems(at least judging from the recommended specs I'm reading) so the 1 first ones listed(on my list that is) should be able to handle it quite well.

If you want to be sure to get a good experience...as others have said, the FX3600M is a cut above the rest because it has a 256bit interface whereas the others have a 128bit interface so that one would be able to take most of what you shoot at it.

Sorry for the long essay and I hope this helps a bit lol XD

 

Actually.... the Quadro FX 3700M is the top of the mobile workstation cards now... it even outperforms the 9800M GTX.

Current high-end mobile workstation videocard comparisons:

Quadro 3700M = 128 shaders
9800M GTX = 112 shaders
Quadro 3600M / 8800M GTX / 9800M GT = 96 shaders
Quadro 2700M / 9700M GTS = 48 shaders

 

The OP didn't mention the Quadro FX3700M though did he?

The highest card on his list was the Quadro FX 2700M which according ot your list is roughly near a 9700M GTS.

 

^^ well he didnt mention the 3600M either.

LOL.

 

Where do you see a 3600M in my post? *rolls eyes*

Just kidding I changed it lol XD

Yeah the FX 3600M was a typo lol , I meant the FX 2700M XD

I guess I am just not completely used to typing the Quadro card numbers by intuition >.>

 

Excellent. This is the kind of information I need to make a decision.

On the other hand, how can you get some of these high-end graphics cards if they do not offer it as an option on the respective website? I have read here that replacing a graphics card is very difficult.

Thanks.

 

depending on the notebooks... although 99% of them will require a lot of effort to get to the videocard modules... if they are not integrated or soldered to the motherboard.

The only type of notebooks that are currently on the market that are advertised to be "user upgradeable" are the high-end Clevo notebooks (D901C, M860TU, M570RU, M570TU).... which is true since the videocard modules are quite simple to get to and standard to switch out.

To date, the Clevo's MXM Type module has seen:
- 7950GTX
- 7950GTX SLI (with Clevo D901C)
- 8700M GT
- 8700M GT SLI (with Clevo D901C)
- 8800M GTX
- 8800M GTX SLI (with Clevo D901C)
- 9800M GTS
- 9800M GTS SLI (with Clevo D901C)... not confirmed yet
- 9800M GT
- 9800M GT SLI (with Clevo D901C)
- 9800M GTX*
- 9800M GTX SLI (with Clevo D901C)
- Quadro 1600M
- Quadro 2500M
- Quadro 2700M
- Quadro 3700M*

* not recommended in the M860TU.

Thats a lot of videocards for one MXM Type IV slot...

 

I want to see a D901c with 2x Quadro 3700M in SLi

 

Quadro's have not been done in SLI in notebooks yet.... AFAIK.

 

Quadro 2700M is about a 9800M GTS in performance.

 

it really is more like a 9700M GTS.

both have 48 shaders.

 

In my experience, my FX 770M outperforms the 9600M GT in games by a couple of FPS.

This is a misconception. As a matter of fact, this is only true if your video control panel allows it, and every single game I turn on has AA completely off and every line looks disgusting.

So to answer your question OP, I own the Dell Precision you are speaking of. The FX 770M performs very well in gaming and can be overclocked to perform even better (see sig). Now if you take a FX 2700M, you'll be much much happier with that. & especially dont listen to when people say "oh quadros aren't for gaming", sure they aren't meant for it but they surely do it d*mn well!

 

Once again, great information from everyone. Thanks alot.

***I♥RAM Questions !

What is your overall impression of the M4400?
What type of screen do you have (finish/resolution/etc.) and what would you recommend?
It doesn't come with all the typical Dell junkware does it?

I just went through the Dell cusomization process and discovered that they do not offer the 2700 card, only the FX1700 for another $499. How does this compare to the 2700?

 

Overall impression: Highest quality of business laptops you will find, see my mini-review w/ opinions & numbers here (the insides and screen lid is magnesium alloy): http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=299869. Also check out Enducts full blown review: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=300199

I have an AU Optronics screen, many report you can also get an LG screen or a Samsung screen. These are the same screen's found in the new MBP, but I recently had a chance to compare my screen to the unibody MBP, and the M4400 LED is much more vivid and brighter. My resolution is 1440x900 WXGA+, plenty of space! I've seen 1920x1200, and for me the windows look too tiny. However, if you choose to get the higher resolution, Dell offers the following:

"15.4" WUXGA TrueLife RGB LED display (1920x1200) featuring 100% Adobe® Color Gamut"

RGBLED w/ 100% Adobe Color Gamut is truly impressive, nothing but good things about it.

Junkware? Most manufacturers are paid to put junkware on the system, but I noticed very minimum amounts of bloat on here, one being Google Desktop which is easily removed. However, if you want maximum performance of your system, it is in your best interest to reformat the HD (we can show you how in very simple steps) and start a clean slate.

Oh & don't get the FX1700M, @ the Dell business forums here, we've found it offers identical performance compared to the FX 770M, which can be overclocked to surpass it. It is inferior to the 2700M, but I'm not sure what laptop you are looking at in your price range that offers that. For your needs, the 770M is more than enough.