Uwe Scheffel

Nvidia sure didn't waste any time introducing its Fermi architecture to the workstation space. Its Quadro 5000 is one of the first models to use the company's GF100 graphics processor. How does this card stack up against ATI’s flagship FirePro V8800?

Not only did we get our hands on Nvidia's Quadro FX 4800 to test against a host of other workstation cards, but we also compare this high-end board against a GeForce GTX 280 to gauge whether or not a gaming card can stand in as a workstation board.

AMD's recently-released FirePro V8700 centers on the same RV770 GPU as the Radeon HD 4870. We test this new workstation card against its desktop equivalent and a handful of other pro cards in apps that engineers and artists really run.

We have four of Nvidia's Quadro FX cards and three AMD FireGLs in a free-for-all battle of price, performance, and professional functionality.

The graphics card market for the workstation segment used to move at its own, more leisurely pace - until now

Manufacturers have never shied away from using superlatives. ATi pits its "Ultra High End" cards FireGL V7350 and V7300 against the honorable Quadro FX 4500 by Nvidia. With these models, both card companies enter the era of graphics cards with a full 1 gigabyte of video memory.

You, of course, have a flawless understanding of SATA, AGP, IDE and PCI-E or any other PC interface. But for those of you who are afraid to admit even minor lapses in your standards knowledge base, THG details which connectors go where and what they do.

Ati takes another stab at the OpenGL graphics market for mid-range workstation applications after a longer-than-usual pause since its last OpenGL product launch. Based on Ati's X700 processor with 128 MB of memory and a PCI Express interface, was the FireGL V5000 worth waiting for?

The wraps are hardly off PCI Express, and the first OpenGL workstation graphics cards with the interface are ready for purchase. ATi and NVIDIA have released three and two PCI Express cards, respectively, which THG runs through the benchmark mill.

ATi and NVIDIA have unveiled their latest OpenGL graphics cards for mainstream graphics applications. ATi offers processing power. NVIDIA, while short on window dressing, attempts to win the price/performance battle. We let the performance benchmarks speak for themselves on an HP xw4100 Workstation.

Why has the PC not managed up to now to gain acceptance as a high-end multimedia device for stereo-quality sound and DVD video? The reasons vary, between fan noise and lack of compatibility with big-screen TV screens. But now, Pinnacle has launched a silent player that imports videos, music and photos from the PC to the TV with or without wires. Appropriately called the ShowCenter, the system was designed to fit stereo cabinets. Do we even have to say it comes with a remote-control unit for couch potatoes who can't be bothered?

NVIDIA lets its Quadro FX 3000 and FX 500 cards out of the gate. ATI unveils its FireGL X2 and T2 devices. We tested the cards and compared them to the tried-and-tested FX 2000, FX 1000, X1 and Z1 products. Both companies, in a few cases, should have heeded American history icon Benjamin Franklin's words: "Haste makes waste."

ATi wants to secure its shares in the PC and notebook markets with two new chipsets whose focus is on 3D performance. It'll be more than another month until ATi starts delivering, but we already have some early benchmarks from the RS300 to show you.

With its 875/ Canterwood, Intel increases its bandwidth to 6.4 GB/s through Dual DDR400. The Pentium 4 takes off with 200 MHz Quad-FSB and declasses Rambus to the lower ranks. Serial ATA is now integrated on the ICH5, and Gigabit LAN has migrated to the Northbridge.

The results in our previous tests were quite modest. Now ATi has a new driver for better OpenGL performance, which puts the graphics card in a different position. Here, we give you the results of the FireGL Z1, as well as details of the X1 with 256 MB.

Even before ATi brings out its revised driver for the FireGL X1, NVIDIA has upped the ante with its QuadroFX series. In contrast to the GeForceFX, the eighth OpenGL card in the test field was a surprisingly solid performer in the gaming section.

OpenGL - the story so far: the last Quadro4 chip to predate the GeForce FX, Nvidia entered the ring with the NV28GL. ATi countered with the R300, alias 9700 Pro, for use on the FireGL X1. Seven graphics cards take up the challenge.

Matrox follows the trend: High CPU clock speeds yield hardware savings and make the product less expensive. For around 750 euros (US$730) you can turn your PC into a video editing system.

Three motherboards - Asus, Gigabyte and Tyan - run Intel's new Granite Bay chipset through its paces in the THG laboratory. Also: First server board with E7500 for dual Xeon from Tyan.

3Dlabs is back in the spotlight with a completely new chip. The Quadro4 from NVIDIA and ATi's FireGL 8800 draw the short straw here because the P10 sets new standards in the workstation area. The proof is a performance test featuring eight OpenGL graphics cards.

Pure 3D chips or GPUs are out! This is the year of the Visual Processing Units (VPUs). 3Dlabs rushes ahead of NVIDIA and ATI to the market. The OpenGL cards of the Wildcat VP series are to position themselves alongside the NVIDIA Quadro4 and ATIs FireGL 8800.

Canopus' DVStorm series can do more than just process digital video material - it can even convert analog signals from old camcorders to digital format. Add a modern PC system to the mix, and you're all set to create video effects and lettering in real time.

For $599, the DVRaptor-RT offers 20 filters, 38 effects and 15 transitions in real time. Its video editing performance is at a par with other high-end products of its ilk, provided the CPU in your computer has a clock speed of at least 1600 MHz.

ATI's graphics card FireGL 8800 and ELSA's GLoria4 750XGL are duking it out over workstation users. The hardware is complete, but the drivers still need some brushing-up. The first round of benchmarks offers an initial glimpse at their performance.