Recognized leader in the production of discrete graphics cards, nVidia has updated its line of graphics adapters, calling it the name of the great nuclear scientist Enrico Fermi. The NVidia Quadro 4000 card will be considered as the main indicator of the advantages of the line, and in order to fully appreciate the advantages of the graphics chip along with the disadvantages, we will try to compare it with previous and later generations of video cards.
The basic principles of the last Quadro adapter series have not changed so much, but their performance has grown literally at times. According to the company itself, the reason for the increase in chip power was precisely the Fermi architecture, which made it possible to achieve a significant increase in the FPS in all graphics applications, breaking away in many respects from the previous NVidia Quadro FX line.
Quadro Technology
After the brand announced new solutions for the high price segment represented by the Quadro 4000, 5000 and 6000 models, there were much fewer serious competitors in the market. And after the introduction and subsequent release of more affordable models (NVidia Quadro 600 and 2000), the company covered all segments of the professional graphics adapter market.
The new Quadro line while working with geometry shows excellent results thanks to the new scaling system - Scalable Geometry Engine. It is able to provide stable and high-speed operation of CAD applications during the creation of digital scripts.
Chip features
The entire line operates according to the modern 40 nm process and supports all available technologies: DirectX 11 versions, OpenGL 4.1 and the fifth pixel model. The NVidia Quadro graphics card is equipped with the well-established CUDA architecture for parallel computing, which is responsible for the speed increase in 3D applications.
3D Vision Pro Technology
Due to the popularity of 3D visualization, all popular cards, including PNY NVidia Quadro, can work in compatibility mode with professional stereo glasses from Nvidia - 3D Vision Pro. This provides the operator with new and modern analysis and other visualization capabilities in high-quality 3D mode.
The technology can be both a professional help and an entertainment center for ordinary LCD panels and monitors, providing complete and practical visualization in conjunction with a virtual environment.
In the piggy bank of the advantages of the new technology, which can be seen starting with the NVidia Quadro K620 models, you can add wireless communication at a fairly decent distance of about 50 meters, which is stably kept, eliminating any interference or interference between systems. The technology can be used in almost any field: professional writing of 3D applications, medicine (ultrasound), cinemas, etc.
So, let's go directly to the NVidia Quadro 4000 review itself, after which we will compare it with the rest of the lineup and video cards of the previous generation.
PNY Quadro 4000
Quadro 4000 is the first solution in its class for professional graphics applications that combines advanced hardware visualization and high-performance video computing, significantly transforming the workflow for the better.
The 4000 model outperforms the NVidia Quadro K620 lineup by almost five times in performance, allowing you to feel comfortable while working with a wide range of applications for design, games and animation in general. Thanks to the introduction of new geometric technology, the video card is capable of processing up to 890 million triangles in one second. The previous generation of NVidia Quadro NVS chips has been approved and listed on the Fortune 1000 magazine, which already says a lot.
Positioning
“Quadro 4000” with its technical characteristics is aimed at professionals and refers to high-performance graphics adapters. Even if the chip power does not seem enough, thanks to SLI technology, you can install additional video cards in one system unit, thereby further increasing the performance in complex 3D calculations.
As an alternative to using operating systems on the Windows platform, the NVidia Quadro 4000 is equipped with Multi technology, which allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single system like Linux applications.
To work with video content, the card provides SDI (Serial Digital Interface) technology with pre-installed solutions in the field of capture, mixing, detailed filtering and final processing of all popular SDI formats. The function will surely find its application both among professionals in the field of film production and broadcasting, as well as among ordinary fans of the video industry.
Design
NVidia Quadro 4000 is made in a single-slot style, but nevertheless is equipped with a powerful and relatively quiet internal cooling system, although some user reviews are full of complaints about noise during heavy load.
The entire cooling system is built in a radiator key with a massive copper base and an aluminum casing, which is in close contact with the video adapter, microcircuits, and BPM units (voltage regulation). The rear part is equipped with a special gasket that dissipates the accumulated heat, tightly covering the memory chips.
“Quadro 4000” has a very high performance, therefore, it needs additional power, which is provided through a PCI-connector on six pins. Accumulating hot air is ejected outside the case through a special hole on the front panel, which is located between the device connection interfaces.
During the tests, the maximum temperature of the working surface of the video card and graphic core did not rise above 93 degrees, but this is typical for all NVidia Quadro models.
The price of a video card on authoritative Internet resources ranges from 35,000 rubles.
Comparison with PNY Quadro 600
Unlike the 4000 model, this video card belongs to the entry-level chips, but nevertheless it is capable of performing most professional graphics tasks. The adapter processor provides a flexible, low-profile balance between performance and power consumption in many serious applications like AutoCAD or Autodesk.
The chip has enough power for basic work with the aforementioned software, but the data processing speed is significantly different from the “Quadro 4000” in a smaller direction. As positive characteristics, full support of the EnergyStar standard can be noted, allowing a good saving on electricity, as well as the presence of a Fermi architecture with support for 30-bit colors.
Gaming performance
As for computer games, the model is able to provide a stable frame rate at the average settings of modern gaming applications, overtaking such a "monster" as the GeForce GTX580. But looking at the big picture, we can conclude: the NVidia Quadro 600 is inferior in terms of data processing speed to the 4000 model, so high and ultra-high settings in games are not for her - twitching, freezing and destabilization of the image may appear.
The price of a video card on authoritative Internet resources ranges from 8,000 rubles.
Comparison with PNY Quadro 2000
The positioning of this model is unhindered and stable operation with SolidWorks and AutoCAD applications. Comparing this with the Quadro 4000, this card can be attributed to the average price and technology segment of video accelerators.
Model 2000 is a good solution for design companies and leading manufacturers in the field of architecture and construction. The model is distinguished by its excellent price / quality / performance ratio. Like the 4000 line, this chip runs on the CUDA architecture with the possibility of parallel computing, has 30-bit color resolution and automatic balancing of the parameters of the connected display or any other external device. This allows you to more effectively work with the recommended graphics processing software.
Like Quadro 4000, the NVidia Quadro 2000 is equipped with a large amount of memory of the modern standard like GDDR5 with a very attractive bandwidth. The characteristics of the video card make it easy to visualize complex scenes and large-scale models, but complex calculations, unlike the 4000 series, are a stretch, although numerous user reviews note that the difference in processing between 2000 and 4000 is not as noticeable as with previous generations of cards.
Performance
According to the test results, it can be said that the NVidia Quadro 2000 is several times superior to one of the most powerful gaming graphics cards GeForce GTX 580 in absolutely all respects, significantly overtaking the latest in performance, but slightly not reaching the level of the older model 4000.
The extremely attractive difference between 2000 and 4000 is silent. And if the older line starts to make noise under active loads, the younger one behaves relatively quietly with any data stream, regardless of the size and depth of information processing.
The model shows itself perfectly in modern gaming applications at high settings, allowing you to almost completely plunge into the virtual world.
The price of a video card on authoritative Internet resources ranges from 20,000 rubles.
Summarizing
The professional graphics solutions represented by the Quadro series and the 4000 model in particular have made a huge leap in performance compared to previous generations of video cards, and the innovative Fermi architecture allows you to work wonders in all well-known specialized applications.
The line is equipped with a sufficiently large number of CUDA cores, which to a large extent provide a performance boost both in games and in powerful graphics applications, which cannot be overlooked by professionals in their field.
According to the results of bench tests, we can confidently say that the difference in past and current generations of graphics accelerators is very significant. And if the performance of the young K620, NVS and Quadro 600 ranges is not so different, then the difference between 2000 and 4000 is very noticeable in terms of performance.
It is also worth noting that all decisions of the Quadro company are designed, assembled and provided with brand support in accordance with all requirements and quality standards, guaranteeing Nvidia products leading positions in terms of performance, reliability and opportunities for all interested industries.
The advantages of the line include the warranty period for products, which is almost 3 years, and this already indicates that the company takes its products seriously and does not expect any problems in terms of marriage or reduction of nominal characteristics. A huge number of positive reviews about cards with Fermi architecture allows us to say with confidence that the company's products continue to be in exceptional demand by both professionals and ordinary gamers.
As a result, the consumer received a completely revolutionary and universal product represented by Quadro. Using the Fermi architecture and next-generation video cards with 3D Vision Pro technology, the same Avatar movie will not be simply realistic, but real. All effects and their varieties, including high-parallel computing, work with ray tracing give the owner unrealistic possibilities for creating photo and video materials. “Quadro” is the level where you start to confuse real reality and virtual reality.