Hello,

I'm new to this forum, only just created this account, because I hoped you could help me with finding the answer to the following question:

What is the advantage of a workstation GPU* over a consumer GPU** in Solidworks (2009 and newer)?

* e.g. Nvidia Quadro or ATI FirePro/FireGL graphicscard series

** e.g. Nvidia Geforce or ATI Radeon graphicscard series

I know it enables RealView, but that's about the only exact result I could find. From several CAD related topics on other forums I learned that they also produce a more accurate view of the model. But that still does not justify the immense difference in price in my opinion.

For the price of a ATI FirePro v7750 I could also get a ATI Radeon HD5970, which is the fastest consumer graphicscard available today and which is a whole lot faster based on specifications.

I'm a student, I only use Solidworks for educational purposes, so I don't need a perfectly accurate view of my model displayed on my monitor. And although RealView looks fancy, it's not a very useful function, it's just eyecandy.

So I wonder if a workstation GPU gives anymore advantages, for example does it help with motion analysis? Does it help with rendering in Photoview 360? Any other advantages?

Thanks in advance, best regards,

Kid Jansen