# ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 AMP! vs AMD/ATI FirePro V4800 1 GB GDDR5



## shirazhansen (Feb 12, 2014)

Hi all, 

Which of the 2 cards in the title do you thing would be better for me? 

I would be using my system for a lot of Image editing, 3d modeling/rendering as well as moderate gaming (think NFS Rivals, Crysis and the like).
Any suggestions regarding better/more suitable options? I'm looking to keep the budget around/below 12k.
(My current card draws too much power for the UPS to handle during powercuts.)

The rest of my config is in my signature.

Thanks in advance!


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## harshilsharma63 (Feb 12, 2014)

you should first check whether the softwares you'll be using use CUDA or OpenCL for acceleration if any.


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## shirazhansen (Feb 12, 2014)

harshilsharma63 said:


> you should first check whether the softwares you'll be using use CUDA or OpenCL for acceleration if any.



I would be using 3ds Max, ZBrush, Lightroom and the like. Don't think any of them support OpenCL, but i read that Viewport performance is generally better in FirePro cards. Equivalent performance from NVidia can be had only if u go for Quadro cards, which are way out of my budget rt now.

The reason why i'm considering the Zotac GTX 650 Amp! edition is because of the humungous 2GB ddr5 memory.. I'm wondering if it would be enough to overlook its comparatively larger power draw.. The Firepro 4800 would be more specific for 3D and Content creation apps.. but would i be able to play the odd game on it? And should i be worried about driver issues? AMD is kinda notorious for that, and i have had minor inconveniences with my current radeon 4850..


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## harshilsharma63 (Feb 13, 2014)

if you also want to games, get 650ti for 11k.


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## shirazhansen (Feb 13, 2014)

Hmm.. the more i look at it, the more i'm tempted to go for the zotac card..  Thanks a lot for your take harshilsharma63!

Just wanted to confirm whether anyone here has had any driver related issues with the AMD FirePro v4800.. I will wait for a day or 2 to order.. If anyone has suggestions/advice for me, i'm open for them..!


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## ico (Feb 20, 2014)

Viewport is intentionally crippled in nVidia consumer cards. On the other hand, AMD consumer cards can compete with lower-end workstation at times. Crippled in certain cases, not crippled in certain cases. I'm not even talking about FirePro.

V4800 is an old card. I think it was replaced by V4900.

Then came W600, W5000 etc. which are based on the newer GCN architecture, I think. Still very expensive.

But then gaming on consumer cards isn't going to be good. A question of priorities and compromise.


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## shirazhansen (Feb 20, 2014)

ico said:


> Viewport is intentionally crippled in nVidia consumer cards. On the other hand, AMD consumer cards can compete with lower-end workstation at times. Crippled in certain cases, not crippled in certain cases. I'm not even talking about FirePro.
> 
> V4800 is an old card. I think it was replaced by V4900.
> 
> ...



Interesting information there, about Viewport performance being intentionally crippled by NVidia.. I always wondered why viewports shouldn't be rendered by the graphics card by default, since it's basically just like rendering a low end game.. something Graphics cards are good at.

I also remember reading something about how the 8800 could be made to 'transform' into a Quadro variant, by installing a different driver.. Not sure how true that is though. Maybe nvidia/amd want to keep the 'pro' cards separate so they can charge companies higher prices? Or is there any physical difference in the way these cards are made that justifies the high premium they command?

Anyway, to come back to the topic, if i were to choose between gaming and viewport performances, i'd definitely choose Viewports. 
Should i then go for the Firepro card? I'm hearing a lot of people saying there are driver issues.. don't want to spend all that money just to end up pulling my hair out trying to get it to work..

I checked out the W600 and 5900.. both WAY over my current budget! 

What would you suggest i do? Get an nvidia gaming card and live with the viewport throttling or go with firepro and live with potential driver issues? Again, gaming is NOT the priority..

- - - Updated - - -

Stumbled upon this while browsing : *www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=539&pgno=1

Wonder if i could end up bricking my card if i go ahead with SoftModding a geforce into a quadro..


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## funkysourav (Feb 20, 2014)

Get the newly launched GTX 750Ti for 12k (available at MDcomp)
its gonna be faster than most(if not all) of the Firepro or Quadro cards you are gonna get below 20K and it good enough to game as well.
but before bashing my head in, please do read this here
Professional Applications - GeForce GTX 750 Ti Review: Maxwell Adds Performance Using Less Power


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## shirazhansen (Feb 20, 2014)

funkysourav said:


> Get the newly launched GTX 750Ti for 12k (available at MDcomp)
> its gonna be faster than most(if not all) of the Firepro or Quadro cards you are gonna get below 20K and it good enough to game as well.
> but before bashing my head in, please do read this here
> Professional Applications - GeForce GTX 750 Ti Review: Maxwell Adds Performance Using Less Power



Damn! That looks like a radical card alright! 
If i wasn't confused enough already, i definitely am now..!

I haven't really heard about MD computers though.. are they reliable?


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## ico (Feb 20, 2014)

@shirazhansen

I was talking about V4900, not V5900. FirePro won't have driver issues with your software (in relative to consumer cards) because that's their _only_ selling point. But still you can research on the subject.

Consumer cards will no matter have issues.

You're right. Earlier mods like flashing Quadro BIOS on a 8800 GT to turn 8800 GT into a Quadro were possible. These days they are not. Workstation and consumer cards actually have the same silicon. All what companies do is, cripple the driver so that they can charge a premium and increase their margins.



funkysourav said:


> Get the newly launched GTX 750Ti for 12k (available at MDcomp)
> *its gonna be faster than most(if not all) of the Firepro or Quadro cards you are gonna get below 20K and it good enough to game as well.*
> but before bashing my head in, please do read this here
> Professional Applications - GeForce GTX 750 Ti Review: Maxwell Adds Performance Using Less Power


It's not really going to be faster than them.

See the margin by which workstation cards are outperforming GTX 680, 690, Titan and HD 7990. Performance is intentionally crippled in consumer cards via drivers.

*Maya 2013: OpenGL Results - Workstation Graphics: 14 FirePro And Quadro Cards*

I do agree on the fact that if the OP wants to go for a consumer card, GTX 750 Ti should be the card to get in his budget.


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