“A game isn’t CAD, and vice versa, so the ideal set of features and optimum balance of performance for the CAD professional will be different than that of the gamer,” said Herrera.  “For professional-grade 3D hardware, it’s all about tuning the pipeline and balancing the typical workload for AutoCAD, not the latest version of Halo.  NVIDIA Quadro graphics offers the price, performance and features AutoCAD professionals need to balance productivity and maximize workflow.”

In the paper, Herrera also highlights the differences between gaming and professional graphics cards and pinpoints many of the visual differences between the two types of cards in AutoCAD-specific visual modes, the importance of specialized drivers for maximum performance, and ISV certifications for increased reliability.

Now with the release of AutoCAD 2009, choosing the right graphics card for AutoCAD can save you substantial time and money by maximizing your workflow and increasing productivity.

For more details about the benefits of a professional graphics card, and to see video of how NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards compare against consumer graphics cards, please visit www.nvidia.com/builtforpros