Workstation-Shootout: ATi FireGL V7600 vs. Nvidia Quadro FX 4600
Table of contents
- 1. A Balance of Power this Fall?
- 2. OpenGL Workstation Graphics - Market, Audience and Features
- 3. ATi FireGL V7600 - Hardware Details
- 4. ATi FireGL V7600 - Software and Driver Details
- 5. Nvidia Quadro FX 4600 - Hardware Details
- 6. Nvidia Quadro FX 4600: Software and Driver Details
- 7. Test Setup
- 8. 3D Studio Max 9: Test Results
- 9. Solidworks 2007: Test Results
- 10. Maya 6.5: Test Results
- 11. Viewperf 10.0 - CATIA, EnSight, Pro/Engineer: Test Results
- 12. Viewperf 10.0 - UGS Teamcenter Visualization Mockup & UGS NX: Test Results
- 13. Conclusion - Shader Model 4.0 Means Leap Ahead for the Workstation Segment
The graphics card market for the workstation segment used to move at its own, more leisurely pace - until now. Although the rule that cards aimed at the professional market space only appear a few months after their gaming/mainstream counterparts still applies, ATI is speeding things up a bit this time. The Canadian company has released no less than five cards based on chips belonging to the R600 series, creating a numerical balance of power with Nvidia’s product portfolio. After all, Nvidia’s professional product line based on the G80 chip also counts five members, as the following table shows.
| ATi cards based on the R600 series | Nvidia cards based on the G80 series |
| FireGL V8650 (R600) FireGL V8600 (R600) FireGL V7600 (R600) FireGL V5600 (RV630) FireGL V3600 (RV630) | Quadro FX 5600 (G80) Quadro FX 4600 (G80) Quadro FX 1700 (G84) Quadro FX 570 (G84) Quadro FX 370 (G84) |
In this article, we’re comparing ATI’s FireGL V7600 ($1000 plus taxes) to Nvidia’s Quadro FX 4600 (€1650 including tax). For reference, we’re also including the results of last year’s models, the FireGL V7300 (R520) and Quadro FX 4500 (G70).
