Workstation-Shootout: ATi FireGL V7600 vs. Nvidia Quadro FX 4600

Nvidia Quadro FX 4600: Software And Driver Details

If your applications require DirectX 10, then you'll have no alternative but to use Windows Vista, since XP only supports DirectX 9.0c. Although Nvidia's drivers are ready for prime time, the same can't be said of a good number of applications. You should check if your applications of choice have already been certified as being compatible with Windows Vista. For now, Windows XP remains the safe choice.

In the ForceWare driver v. 162, the user still needs to select the application optimizations manually using a pull-down menu, which shows a list of supported applications. ATI has chosen a different patch, as its drivers automatically select the best settings using the AutoDetect feature. Alternatively, you could also use the nTune utility, which is available as a separate download, and also allows overclocking of the card. However, despite the popularity of overclocking in the gaming segment, we strongly discourage this practice on workstation cards, where stability is of paramount importance.

The Forceware driver of the Quadro FX 4600 offers predefined optimizations for certain applications.

If you want to use your display in portrait mode, you'll find all relevant settings in the driver.

Color calibration settings in the Forceware driver of the Quadro FX 4600

System information on the graphics card.

Uwe Scheffel
  • tipoo
    Is there any reason why these applications couldnt run on a Geforce or Radeon card? Why spring over 1000 bucks for cards with seemingly tame specs?
    Reply
  • @tipoo : I've thinked aboute the exact same things!
    Reply