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    What's the deal with Nvidia's Quadro cards?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by Jest, Mar 1, 2008.

  1. Jest

    Jest Notebook Guru

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    I am looking at getting a laptop (not really hardcore gaming, but would like to be able to play while I am at school with nothing to do) and have been browsing Lenovo's site. I love the idea of getting a T9300 for really cheap ($1150 with rest really basic).

    My question is how good are these cards offered on Lenovo.com (Canada)? What is the deal with these Quadro NVS 140M and Quadro FX 570M offered in the Thinkpad T61 and T61p?

    Please enlighten me.
     
    Jest, Mar 1, 2008
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  2. NAS Ghost

    NAS Ghost Notebook Deity

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    I believe the Quadro based cards are made for things such a Autocad, while the GeForce cards are made for games. Each can do both, its just that one will do something better.(Quadro does CAD better, Geforce does games better.)
     
    NAS Ghost, Mar 1, 2008
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  3. MrFong

    MrFong Notebook Evangelist

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    The Quadro series cards are professional video cards meant for workstation computers used by working professionals. They -can- be used for gaming, though you're likely to get better framerates with a regular "gaming" GPU.
     
    MrFong, Mar 1, 2008
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  4. Nocturnal310

    Nocturnal310 Notebook Virtuoso

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    And which is the Latest in Quadro Cards?
     
    Nocturnal310, Mar 1, 2008
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  5. Kdawgca

    Kdawgca rotaredoM repudrepuS RBN

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    I believe the latest is the NVIDIA Quadro FX 3600M which is offered in the Dell Precision M6300

    Also check out this thread-Mobile Professional GPUs Performance Chart
     
    Kdawgca, Mar 1, 2008
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  6. morphy

    morphy Notebook Deity

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    The 256Mb Quadro 570M is pretty much equivalent to the 8600M GT with GDDR3. If you install 'gaming drivers' like the ones on laptopvideo2go.com like what I am currently using you basically have a 8600M GT performing card for games. The 128MB 570M is a nerfed version of the 256MB and is closer to the 8400M in terms of performance. The 140M is also pretty weak. In other words if you want decent gaming from a T61/p the Quadro 256Mb 570M is the one to go with.

    There are other higher performing mobile quadros like the 1600M which is equivalent to the 8700M and just recently the FX3600M which is based on the 8800M GTX. But the prices for them are prohibitively expensive - it'll be better going 8800M GTX than a single FX3600M (if gaming was the purpose).
     
    morphy, Mar 1, 2008
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  7. Han Bao Quan

    Han Bao Quan The Assassin

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    Short and simple, very good explanation.

    And also please read the stickies before posting like Kevin said.
     
    Han Bao Quan, Mar 1, 2008
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  8. manelmontenegro

    manelmontenegro Newbie

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    I have been hearing that the Quadro isn't a plus when it comes to Autocad, because the newer versions use DirectX instead of OpenGL, making the workstation versions a waste of money.

    Can someone explain it to me?

    I don't want to waste my money in a workstation GPU if I don't need for Autocad or Photoshop....
     
    manelmontenegro, Aug 10, 2008
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  9. pogitz

    pogitz Notebook Consultant

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    Just in case i failed to mention it, Quadros are optimized for OPengl and Geforce for Directx. (Most games use directx, while most 3d programs are optimized for opengl. )

    It would really be up to you. Geforce vs. Quadro is almost like Opengl vs. directx. Autocad is optimized for opengl, but can also run in directx. 3dsmax i believe is optimized for directx. And Adobe Photoshop is dependent on CPU ( not the GPU's ). So research a little on the program(s) that you would mainly use, and the optimizations that they have in terms of opengl and directx.
    Then decide which card would be best for your needs. Goodluck !
     
    pogitz, Aug 10, 2008
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