What exactly is a Quadro?

[prophet001]

Hey all,
I was wondering. What exactly is a Quadro card? It is far more expensive than anything that i've ever seen in the gaming market. I'm not quite sure what it is? What is so different that it would be worth 3 times the cost? If anyone can help me understand a little bit I would appreciate it.

Thank you

 

[keeleysam]

It's optimized for CAD apps.

 

[prophet001]

ok that helps a little bit.. so it's a different architecture? different way of doing graphics? or just a modification of a typical gaming card

 

[amheck]

I am pretty sure they run openGL stuff pretty good. FWIW

 

[CKXP]

Originally posted by: prophet001
Hey all,
I was wondering. What exactly is a Quadro card? It is far more expensive than anything that i've ever seen in the gaming market. I'm not quite sure what it is? What is so different that it would be worth 3 times the cost? If anyone can help me understand a little bit I would appreciate it.

Thank you

http://www.nvidia.com/page/workstation.html

 

[DeathReborn]

Originally posted by: prophet001
Hey all,
I was wondering. What exactly is a Quadro card? It is far more expensive than anything that i've ever seen in the gaming market. I'm not quite sure what it is? What is so different that it would be worth 3 times the cost? If anyone can help me understand a little bit I would appreciate it.

Thank you

This should help you see what the differences are: Consumer (GeForce) vs Professional (Quadro) Cards PDF

 

[imported_Kiwi]

For nVidia, TTBOMK, they use the same GPUs for both Geforce 3D, and for Quadro, but with vastly different drivers.

 

[zephyrprime]

As I understand it, the chips used in both are the same chips. Consumer chips simply have a few key features turned off and that is the difference. There have been some hacks in the past that turn the consumer cards into the workstation cards.

 

[pkme2]

Nvidia recommends the Quadro for CAM & CAD uses.
I've replaced my ATI FireGL with a Quadro FX-1400 and feel justified in doing so. For high-end graphic work, I can see the results. Mind you that some gaming cards (some enthusiasts will interject) can do the similar work but I prefer the Quadro.
Using it will definitely correct any doubts and justify its acquisition. I've been fortunate finding system pulls and if it does the job, who cares if its not the newest model on the market. If you can find one inexpensively, then go for it.
Quadro