[Juggalo23451]

Quote:

AMD today introduced the ATI FirePro 2450, a low profile quad display graphics accelerator that consumes minimal power, delivering exceptional power efficiency. Designed to operate at less than 18 watts, the new graphics accelerator is another example of AMD’s leadership in energy efficiency. “The ATI FirePro 2450 offers the reliability professionals expect and the efficiency IT departments require. IT managers want a card they can test once, deploy virtually anywhere, and count on to run reliably,†said Janet Matsuda, senior director, AMD Professional Graphics. “The low power consumption enables cool, energy-efficient operation, as well as superior reliability and longevity. The compact form factor can be deployed in nearly any system. This accelerator is perfect for customers who need more than two displays, such as in financial services and process control.†The low profile design of the ATI FirePro 2450 enables IT departments to standardize on one card that can be installed in a broad range of systems, including workstations, desktop PCs and docking stations featuring AMD or other processors. With 512 MB of on-board graphics memory the card delivers high performance while streaming media and running applications in several windows and includes full Microsoft Windows Vista Aero support, all while consuming less than 18W of power on averageâ€"making the card an exceptional energy efficient solution for virtually any multi-view environment. In addition, the ATI FirePro 2450 supports PCI Express 2.0 and offers two VHDCI connectors with breakout cables for quad DVI-I or VGA support. It allows for flexible output configurations, making the card capable of driving multiple high resolution monitors for the maximum amount of screen space. The ATI FirePro 2450 is the latest addition to the ATI FirePro multiview offering, replacing the ATI FireMV workstation cards used today by many leading financial services organizations. The new ATI FirePro 2450 graphics accelerator is now available with a MSRP of USD$499. ATI FirePro graphics accelerators are available from system integrators and channel partners worldwide. For more information about the new ATI FirePro cards please visit http://ati.amd.com/products/workstation.html.

source

 

[Domino]

I always find it stupid with these type of things: lets make it very power efficient but charge an arm for a leg for one when a 4870x2 is a lot faster all round. Plus, the money you save with one of these? An old unefficent card would still cost less in the short and long run, or am i missing something? Its a good step forward, but make energy efficent actually save you money...

 

[d3v0]

Domino, these are mostly for people who work in IT settings troubleshooting different systems. This is a fast and easy efficient solution that is quite versatile for applications where a system repairman might need to diagnose an issue as perhaps a graphics card error or PCI-E slot error, etc.

 

[98uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Domino I always find it stupid with these type of things: lets make it very power efficient but charge an arm for a leg for one when a 4870x2 is a lot faster all round. Plus, the money you save with one of these? An old unefficent card would still cost less in the short and long run, or am i missing something? Its a good step forward, but make energy efficent actually save you money...

The expensive price tag is usually for extensive driver and software that comes with it and also the 24/7 support you get. There is a lot more than just the card you get for your money

 

[Pao]

My wife's design firm for example, I would estimate 10k designers world wide as my safe estimate, they don't want the power consumption of a 4870x2 in all their computers. They need workstation cards that are made with their type of applications solely in mind.

 

[jinja_ninja]

Radeon + GeForce = Gaming, Leisure

FireGL + Quadro = Workstations, Design, Professional

Although hardware-wise there might not be any major apparent differences, however the advantage comes with added 24/7 support, driver/software support and availability and a guaranteed reliability and lower failure rates on the cards.

 

[justarealguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinja_ninja Radeon + GeForce = Gaming, Leisure FireGL + Quadro = Workstations, Design, Professional Although hardware-wise there might not be any major apparent differences, however the advantage comes with added 24/7 support, driver/software support and availability and a guaranteed reliability and lower failure rates on the cards.

I would like to see proof on the point in bold.

Also, most reviews in CAD/Photoshop/Rendering applications show little gain with the "enhanced" drivers. Overall they lean towards a faster card, instead of a slower card with "enhanced" drivers.

 

[Villainstone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justarealguy I would like to see proof on the point in bold. Also, most reviews in CAD/Photoshop/Rendering applications show little gain with the "enhanced" drivers. Overall they lean towards a faster card, instead of a slower card with "enhanced" drivers.

What "they" are you referring to? If you mean business owners, and designers I think you are very wrong. If that were the case do you suppose that GPU manufacturers would make these cards. I mean Nvidia has one of these types of cards for nearly 16,000 dollars. I don't think they would have a successful market on these if companies were buying Radeon or Geforce cards LOL.

I would like to see proof of the bolded part as well.

 

[justarealguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villainstone What "they" are you referring to? If you mean business owners, and designers I think you are very wrong. If that were the case do you suppose that GPU manufacturers would make these cards. I mean Nvidia has one of these types of cards for nearly 16,000 dollars. I don't think they would have a successful market on these if companies were buying Radeon or Geforce cards LOL. I would like to see proof of the bolded part as well.

When I said they I was referring to the reviews. The people buy them because they are uneducated / need the support / need to burn money for the budget.

 

[Villainstone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justarealguy When I said they I was referring to the reviews. The people buy them because they are uneducated / need the support / need to burn money for the budget.

You obviously have a bias opinion on a subject you know little about. I'm no guru but these cards can handle 3d graphic designing MUCH better than any gaming card. These card render differently than gaming cards. I mean just stop and think... if they are no good then why make and buy them. They have their use and that is why they are made. Go do some research and post back with proof of whatever the hell you type next.

 

[justarealguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villainstone You obviously have a bias opinion on a subject you know little about. I'm no guru but these cards can handle 3d graphic designing MUCH better than any gaming card. These card render differently than gaming cards. I mean just stop and think... if they are no good then why make and buy them. They have their use and that is why they are made. Go do some research and post back with proof of whatever the hell you type next.

Whoah whoah whoah calm down there buddy. I read an article a while ago about the Quadro series is a waste of money and physically they're identical - The only difference is the insane driver development costs and naturally the drivers themselves.

I did a google of it and found this review: http://hothardware.com/Articles/Nvid...X-3700-512-MB/

It shows the 3700 vs the 8800GT (physically the same card) and the GT got absolutely wrecked. So obviously there is a significant gain with the quadro drivers - This is contrary to that review I read (which I don't have the link

).

So calm down, if someone is ignorant (or wrong) about the case don't bite their head off - Educate them.

 

[Villainstone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justarealguy Whoah whoah whoah calm down there buddy. I read an article a while ago about the Quadro series is a waste of money and physically they're identical - The only difference is the insane driver development costs and naturally the drivers themselves. I did a google of it and found this review: http://hothardware.com/Articles/Nvid...X-3700-512-MB/ It shows the 3700 vs the 8800GT (physically the same card) and the GT got absolutely wrecked. So obviously there is a significant gain with the quadro drivers - This is contrary to that review I read (which I don't have the link ). So calm down, if someone is ignorant (or wrong) about the case don't bite their head off - Educate them.

Sorry I guess I did wrongfully get snobby. I have not been to bed and worked all night long. My crankiness got the best of me lol.

 

[justarealguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villainstone Sorry I guess I did wrongfully get snobby. I have not been to bed and worked all night long. My crankiness got the best of me lol.

lol it's ok

 

[jinja_ninja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justarealguy I would like to see proof on the point in bold.

I can't be bothered. I was making an educated comment based on the fact that these cards are expected to have much lower failure rates than the mainstream cards. For the price they are sold at, I would not expect any failures in the first place - and if there were any failures, they would be rare.

If you are in "the business", you get the quality, high-support model. If you are a casual gamer, you buy an 8800GT because they are cheaper and offer less support and warranty etc.

Its a bit like a professional builder going to Walmart to buy a drill, instead of buying a more expensive, better quality drill from trade suppliers.

 

[samfreese]

I've used both flavors of nVidia, both geforce and QuadroFX(check my other system), and doing NOTHING but CAD/CAM work on them, I can say there is a noticeable difference in the two. The QuadroFX definitely outperforms the Geforce counterpart in Solidworks, Unigraphics(NX5) and Mastercam. I wouldn't necessarily say it's 100% worth the price difference, but if one has a spending account paid for by the company, may as well make the best of it.

 

[justarealguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinja_ninja I can't be bothered. I was making an educated comment based on the fact that these cards are expected to have much lower failure rates than the mainstream cards. For the price they are sold at, I would not expect any failures in the first place - and if there were any failures, they would be rare. If you are in "the business", you get the quality, high-support model. If you are a casual gamer, you buy an 8800GT because they are cheaper and offer less support and warranty etc. Its a bit like a professional builder going to Walmart to buy a drill, instead of buying a more expensive, better quality drill from trade suppliers.

You can't be bothered? That's cute.

That's a horrible analogy. These are physically identical cards, unless they are actually modified (rare) with more shaders / memory.

The only way your analogy would work is if you state that the Walmart drill was exactly the same as the one from the trade suppliers - except a different brand (but physically the same). If that were the case I'd buy Walmart - I can save money, and as a consumer that's my goal.

The price hike is because of the development of the drivers - Which is a lot of work.

 

[jinja_ninja]

I'm talking more about the Workstation cards in general, not specifically the Quadro 3700 etc. Yes, some models are almost identical hardware-wise. Some also come with 1.5GB VRAM instead of the standard 512MB found on regular consumer card equivalents.

If I spent my entire time on a forum providing proof for every bloody thing I say or comment on, I would be here 24/7 just to stop you from whining.

 

[CAHOP240]

I've always felt similar as most in regards to these workstation cards. I never understood why they're always priced so high. The argument I've always heard was that they are made for rendering programs such as CAD and not made for gaming. I guess since I'm not in that business I wouldn't understand the mechanics of it. But if your business is not CAD design or anything like that, why not just get a 7xxGX motherboard with an IGP. I would guess that would be enough for simple office use wouldn't it?

 

[jinja_ninja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAHOP240 I've always felt similar as most in regards to these workstation cards. I never understood why they're always priced so high. The argument I've always heard was that they are made for rendering programs such as CAD and not made for gaming. I guess since I'm not in that business I wouldn't understand the mechanics of it. But if your business is not CAD design or anything like that, why not just get a 7xxGX motherboard with an IGP. I would guess that would be enough for simple office use wouldn't it?

Well yeah - if you don't use CAD or other design programs an IGP will be more than enough. The term "Workstation" usually means a work/office computer that is used in an office environment and/or on a Network/Domain infrastructure. In relation to Graphics Cards, Workstation means the "high end" stuff.

 

[justarealguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinja_ninja If I spent my entire time on a forum providing proof for every bloody thing I say or comment on, I would be here 24/7 just to stop you from whining.

I'm sure "every bloody thing" you say doesn't blindly believe something. The fact of the matter is you have no evidence to prove that a Quadro / FireGL will outlive a GeForce / Radeon (or will be more reliable).

You are only assuming that since it's "higher end" it will be more reliable, and you have no proof to support this. It's not trivial if someone else reads your post and spends 800$+ on a card he doesn't need since he thinks it's more reliable - All because he was mislead.