OpenGL

Does anyone know exactly what makes a Quadro card optimized for CAD. I know its optimized for OpenGL, but how? Is it a hardware thing, or software thing. I imagine its in the drivers, but I'm not sure. Anyone who knows anything in detail, please let me know.

 

Generally, it's a combination of both hardware and software differences.

Hardware-wise, even though Quadro chips are nearly identical to their GeForce counterparts, they usually have a few additional circuits enabled in order to speed up certain workstation-specific tasks which aren't seen much in consumer level applications. It may include things such as hardware anti-aliased lines and polygons, and higher-quality output circuitry for better colour reproduction. Software wise, the drivers usually get optimized per application requirements, because each application emphasizes different aspects of the chip's performance. Therefore, you see multiple profiles available for 3DSMax, AutoCAD, etc. in the driver. In general terms in the CAD world, texture throughput isn't as important as polygon throughput, for example, and the driver developers can tailor performance towards that.