SPECviewperf 11: CATIA And EnSight Results
A Quick Introduction to SPECviewperf 11
Next up, we have the individual benchmarks from the SPECviewperf 11 suite. What makes this collection of tests special is that it employs the original source code from the applications it comprises. Consequently, we end up with a proper representation from a number of popular titles. There's one big drawback, though. SPECviewperf 11 uses old versions of those applications. Usually, that's still good enough to give us a general overview of an app's performance, but there are exceptions. Software that recently underwent major changes to its foundation won't be represented well at all. As an example, we already benchmarked Maya 2013 separately, allowing us to compare the results from an older engine on the next page.
Drivers Used
We used Nvidia's 311.35 driver in viewperf because the 311.50 build came out after we were already partly done with testing. At this point, though, with 320.49 out as of early July, it's possible (though unlikely) that the performance profile of these older titles is different. We really do love to have the very latest drivers in all of our stories (which is why you see Angelini constantly starting from scratch in his own benchmarks, such as in GeForce GTX 760 Review: GK104 Shows Up [And Off] At $250). This time, however, we have to accept that both companies continue working on their software, even as we're forced to draw a line in the sand and get busy with benchmarks.
Driver | Nvidia | AMD |
---|---|---|
Workstation | 311.35 | Catalyst Pro 9.003.3.3 |
Gaming | 314.22 | Catalyst 13.3 Beta 3Catalyst 13.5 Beta 2 (Radeon HD 7990) |
CATIA (catia-03)
Nvidia dominates this benchmark, and the consumer graphics cards don’t stand a chance due to their missing driver optimizations. It’s very apparent that AMD’s Catalyst Pro driver isn't tuned for this benchmark or, more specifically, the engine on which it's based. The Quadro K4000 solidly beats the FirePro W7000 by a wide margin.
EnSight (ensight-04)
The consumer graphics cards fare more favorably in an older version of EnSight. The newer Quadro K5000 leads the pack by a mile. The more interesting (read: affordable) professional cards, AMD's FirePro W7000 outmaneuvers Nvidia's Quadro K4000.