OpenGL: ATi FireGL X2-256t and NVIDIA Quadro FX 1100

NVIDIA/PNY Quadro FX 1100: Light Flexing Of The Muscles

NVIDIA takes a different road. The NV36 chip, known from the GeForce FX 5700, is made into the OpenGL chip NV36GL by means of a teeny-weeny microcode update and goes about its duties on the new Quadro FX 1100 card. The predecessor model FX 1000 is based on the NV30GL.

Generally speaking, the NV36 stands out due to its revised shader units. In the mainstream variant, this is marketed under the name of CineFX 2.0. The floating-point calculations benefit from the revised shader units, in particular.

In general terms, the NV36GL is not a high-performance processor, and is geared for price/performance ratio considerations. Equipped with only 128 MB of DRAM, even the memory is ordinary. Can this package hold up against ATi's counter offer?

Although the FX 1100 still requires an auxiliary power supply, the amount of cooling required is comparatively little.

In addition to the two DVI-I ports, the socket for connecting a stereo glasses facility is a striking feature. ATi does not offer this with its X2-256t.