Test Drive: Nvidia Quadro CX and Adobe CS4, Part 1

DCP by Jan Ozer
Last month, we compared Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4) performance on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows systems, finding that 64-bit proved superior in nearly all tests (see part 1 and part 2). This month, in our quest to identify the optimal CS4 configuration, we look at graphic chip manufacturer Nvidias Quadro CX technology—which, according to Nvidia’s website, “is the accelerator for Adobe Creative Suite 4—giving creative professionals the performance, tools, and reliability they need to maximize their creativity.” If you find this marketing language sufficiently compelling to press the soothing green BUY NOW button, you’ll find prices ranging from about $1,650 to $2,200, depending upon the card’s manufacturer. Obviously, maximizing your creativity doesn’t come cheap.

So, in this month’s affordable HD, I’ll analyze the Quadro CX’s performance in Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro, but you’ll have to wait for the second installment for that. To provide a perspective for those results, in the first installment, I’ll present a very brief history of the graphics marketplace, describe OpenGL and detail what new OpenGL features are supported in CS4. read more...