Nvidia launches entry-level Quadro 400 for graphics professionals

£99 Quadro 400 has five times the performance of a high-end 3D games card

Nvidia has introduced an entry-level model to its Quadro line of graphics adapters aimed at professionals such as designers and engineers.

Available immediately, the Quadro 400 costs just £99 but provides up to five times the performance of a high-end gaming card, or up to 10 times when running CAD/CAM applications, according to Nvidia.

The Quadro 400 contains 48 Cuda GPU compute cores combined with 512MB of DDR3 memory, and supports DVI-I and DisplayPort outputs offering resolutions up to 3,840 x 2,400 and 2,560 x 1,600 respectively.

Using Nvidia's Mosaic Technology, users can enjoy a workspace across up to eight displays by using four of the cards each driving two screens, enabling seamless taskbar spanning and transparent scaling of any application.

Nvidia said its Quadro 400 drivers are optimised and certified for leading professional applications.

"The Quadro 400 is the right tool to help ensure that the job gets done the right way, especially when it comes to running apps like AutoCAD," said Jeff Brown, general manager of Nvidia's Professional Solutions Group.

The new Quadro adapter is available immediately via Nvidia's reseller channels, and also with Fujitsu Celsius workstations and HP's Z800, Z600, and Z400 workstations. Nvidia said it will also be available later this month on select Lenovo ThinkStation models.