FireGL and Quadro cards?

[jb20thae]

Can someone explain to me what the FireGL and Quadra cards used in "business class" laptops are all about?

And while we're on the subject... what is the major difference between, say, Latitude and Inspiron laptops? Do Latitudes have a stronger frame or are they more durable?

 

[Trippytiger]

FireGL and Quadro cards are used in workstation setups that absolutely need high performance in 3D-intensive CAD programs. The main difference between these and consumer video cards are the driver optimizations that they allow to greatly increase OpenGL performance, which is what most (all?) CAD programs use, rather than DirectX.

Latitude laptops and Inspiron laptops are different in that the Latitudes are business laptops while the Inspirons are consumer laptops. Business-class laptops are generally stronger and more durable than consumer laptops, have better support, and often come with additional security features like fingerprint readers. Of course, the downside is that they cost more than equivalent consumer laptops and they tend to lack some of the high-performance options (namely, non-workstation video cards) and multimedia features found on other laptops.

 

[jb20thae]

Ah, OpenGL optimized. Thanks!