Nvidia Releases Quadro 400 Graphics Card For Professional Apps
Built for use in professional applications including Autodesk AutoCAD, the Quadro 400 GPUs provides up to 5X the performance of high-end consumer gaming cards and 10x more performance while running Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) applications, said Nvidia.
The Quadro 400 is designed to run inside desktops and workstations, including smaller form-factor devices, according to Nvidia, and it’s certified to run on leading professional applications. The GPU offers 512 MB of DDR3 memory, a 30-bit color engine, and power consumption under 35 watts.
"Designers and engineers, whether designing the largest assemblies or smallest components, rely on Quadro," said Jeff Brown, general manager of Nvidia’s Professional Solutions Group, in a statement. "The Quadro 400 is the right tool to help ensure that job gets done the right way, especially when it comes to running professional apps like Autodesk AutoCAD."
Nvidia says its Quadro 400 cards offer high-quality display connectivity on high-resolution displays with support for two connectors at a time. Quadro 400 supports both DisplayPort with up to 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution and dual-link DVI with up to 3840 x 2400 pixel resolution.
In addition, Nvidia’s Quadro 400 graphics card features its Unified Driver architecture that’s compatible with older drivers and upgradable to future ones, Nvidia’s Hardware 3D Windows Clipping for faster data transfer and improved graphics, and Nvidia Mosaic Technology for taskbar spanning and transparent scaling. Nvidia’s Quadro 400 GPU also supports its 3D Vision and 3D Vision Pro stereoscopic technology.
Nvidia in October added the Quadro 2000 and Quadro 600 professional GPUs, both of which are based on the company’s Fermi parallel processing architecture. The graphics specialist followed up in December with the release of the Nvidia NVS 300 graphics card, which targets enterprises and powers mission-critical applications such as control centers and digital signage installations. Nvidia in March launched its Quadro 2000D professional graphics cards , which is specifically tailored to medical imaging applications running Fermi.
Nvidia’s Quadro 400 is available now in select models from manufacturers including HP, Fujitsu, and Lenovo. Currently, HP’s Z800, Z600, and Z400 desktops all support Quadro 400, as do Fujitsu’s Celsius Workstations. Nvidia said Quadro 400 will ship inside Lenovo ThinkStation D20, C20, S20 and E20 models later this month.
As with other Quadro models, Nvidia’s Quadro 400 GPU is also being distributed in North America through Nvidia channel partner PNY Technologies. Nvidia said its channel partners ELSA and Leadtek will distribute Nvidia’s Quadro 400 in Japan and Asia Pacific, respectively. Nvidia’s Quadro 400 graphics card starts at $169.