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NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M vs NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M vs NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M

NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M

► remove from comparison NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M

The NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M is a mobile workstation graphics card for high end laptops. It is based on the Geforce GTX 280M core (G92 core) and features 128 CUDA cores (unified shaders).

Compared to the Quadro FX 3700M, the Quadro FX 3800M features a higher clock speed and is manufacturered in 55nm (compared to 65nm of the 3700M). In fact, the FX3800M is clocked even higher than the consumer GeForce GTX 280M and performs notably better as a result.

The Quadro FX series of cards are optimized for professional applications like CAD or DCC. Notably, OpenGL performance should be much improved compared to  consumer GeForce cards of similar specifications.

At the time its announcement (December 2009), the FX 3800M was the fastest workstation graphics card for laptops.

NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M

► remove from comparison NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M

The NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M is a professional middle class graphics card for mobile workstations (about 15"). It is based on the GeForce GT 330M graphics card with slower clock rates and therefore is a DirectX 10.1 chip that is produced in 40nm. 

Due to a special BIOS and professional drivers, the FX 880M should perform noticeably better than a 330M in professional applications (like CAD, DCC, Rendering). Another advantage for professional users are the certified drivers that should ensure a bug free experience with the most common professional applications. Futhermore, the Quadro FX drivers contain profiles for these applications to ensure the best settings (similar to the game profiles in GeForce cards).

The Quadro FX 880M is also based on the GT216 core in 40nm. The shaders are based on the desktop GTX 200 architecture and therefore a bit improved compared to the previous generation cards.

Without load, the Quadro FX 880M is able to downclock to 135 / 270 / 135 MHz (chip / shader / memory clock).

The gaming performance of the FX 880M should be beyond the GT 330M, because of the different drivers. Gamers should choose a GeForce card because of the better game support.

The chip supports Optimus for automatic switching between dedicated and integrated graphics card (e.g. in the new Core i5 CPUs). Still Optimus was for example not integrated in the Lenovo Thinkpad W510.

NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M

► remove from comparison NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M

The Nvidia Quadro FX 380M is a professional entry-level graphics card for mobile workstations. It is based on the GeForce 310M and therefore the 3D performance is not very good. Due to special drivers and optimizations, the performance for professional applications should be much better (than the 310M would perform). Another advantage are the certified drivers than ensure a good performance of professional applications without errors.

The card supports DirectX 10.1 and all the features of the G 310M (as it is based on the same GT218 core). Therefore PureVideo HD to decode HD videos with the graphics card is supported. The used Video Processor 4 (VP4) is able to fully decode H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, and also MPEG-4 ASP (DivX or xVID) in hardware to minimize CPU load. MPEG-1 is not supported but can be easily handled by every modern CPU.

The gaming performance of the FX380M is similar to the GeForce 310M and therefore located in the entry level class. The professional drivers are however optimized for applications and may therefore deliver a worse performance. Modern 3D games like COD Modern Warfare 2 run only in low details and resolutions fluently. Some demanding games like NFS Shift or GTA4 wont run fluently at all. Less demanding games like SIMS 3 run in medium details and resolutions fluently. Therefore, the graphics card can not be recommended for gamers.

As the FX380M supports CUDA, DirectX Compute 10.1, and OpenCL, the shaders of the graphics processor can be used for other tasks than rendering images (e.g. faster encoding of videos).

The used GT218 core is manufactured in 40nm and based on the desktop GTX 200 architecture.

NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800MNVIDIA Quadro FX 880MNVIDIA Quadro FX 380M
Quadro FX Series
Quadro FX 3800M 128 @ 0.68 GHz256 Bit @ 1000 MHz
Quadro FX 3700M 128 @ 0.55 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 2800M 96 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 1000 MHz
Quadro FX 3600M 96 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1800M 72 @ 0.56 GHz128 Bit @ 1100 MHz
Quadro FX 2700M 48 @ 0.53 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 880M 48 @ 0.55 GHz128 Bit @ 790 MHz
Quadro FX 3500M 24/8 cores @ 0.58 GHz256 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 2500M 24/8 cores @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 600 MHz
Quadro FX 1700M 32 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1600M 32 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1500M 20/7 cores @ 0.38 GHz256 Bit @ 500 MHz
Quadro FX 770M 32 @ 0.5 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 570M 32 @ 0.48 GHz128 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 380M 16 @ 0.63 GHz64 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 370M 8 @ 0.58 GHz64 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 360M 16 @ 0.4 GHz64 Bit @ 600 MHz
Quadro FX 350M 4/3 cores @ 0.45 GHz64 Bit @ 350 MHz
Quadro FX 3800M 128 @ 0.68 GHz256 Bit @ 1000 MHz
Quadro FX 3700M 128 @ 0.55 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 2800M 96 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 1000 MHz
Quadro FX 3600M 96 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1800M 72 @ 0.56 GHz128 Bit @ 1100 MHz
Quadro FX 2700M 48 @ 0.53 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 880M 48 @ 0.55 GHz128 Bit @ 790 MHz
Quadro FX 3500M 24/8 cores @ 0.58 GHz256 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 2500M 24/8 cores @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 600 MHz
Quadro FX 1700M 32 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1600M 32 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1500M 20/7 cores @ 0.38 GHz256 Bit @ 500 MHz
Quadro FX 770M 32 @ 0.5 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 570M 32 @ 0.48 GHz128 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 380M 16 @ 0.63 GHz64 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 370M 8 @ 0.58 GHz64 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 360M 16 @ 0.4 GHz64 Bit @ 600 MHz
Quadro FX 350M 4/3 cores @ 0.45 GHz64 Bit @ 350 MHz
Quadro FX 3800M 128 @ 0.68 GHz256 Bit @ 1000 MHz
Quadro FX 3700M 128 @ 0.55 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 2800M 96 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 1000 MHz
Quadro FX 3600M 96 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1800M 72 @ 0.56 GHz128 Bit @ 1100 MHz
Quadro FX 2700M 48 @ 0.53 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 880M 48 @ 0.55 GHz128 Bit @ 790 MHz
Quadro FX 3500M 24/8 cores @ 0.58 GHz256 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 2500M 24/8 cores @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 600 MHz
Quadro FX 1700M 32 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1600M 32 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 1500M 20/7 cores @ 0.38 GHz256 Bit @ 500 MHz
Quadro FX 770M 32 @ 0.5 GHz128 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 570M 32 @ 0.48 GHz128 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 380M 16 @ 0.63 GHz64 Bit @ 800 MHz
Quadro FX 370M 8 @ 0.58 GHz64 Bit @ 700 MHz
Quadro FX 360M 16 @ 0.4 GHz64 Bit @ 600 MHz
Quadro FX 350M 4/3 cores @ 0.45 GHz64 Bit @ 350 MHz
CodenameN10E-GLM4N10P-GLMn10m-glm
ArchitectureG9xGT2xxGT2xx
Pipelines128 - unified48 - unified16 - unified
Core Speed675 MHz550 MHz625 MHz
Shader Speed1688 MHz1210 MHz1530 MHz
Memory Speed1000 MHz790 MHz800 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit128 Bit64 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR3GDDR3, DDR3GDDR3, DDR3
Max. Amount of Memory1024 MB1024 MB512 MB
Shared Memorynonono
APIDirectX 10, Shader 4.0DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.1DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.1
Power Consumption100 Watt35 Watt25 Watt
Transistors754 Million260 Million
technology55 nm40 nm40 nm
FeaturesOpenGL 2.1, CUDA, PowerMizer 8.0DirectX Compute Support (Windows 7), CUDA, OpenCL, OpenGL 2.1, certified drivers
Notebook Sizelargemedium sized
Date of Announcement20.12.2009 07.01.2010 07.01.2010
Link to Manufacturer Pagewww.nvidia.comwww.nvidia.comwww.nvidia.com

Benchmarks

3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
min: 6584     avg: 6951     median: 6779 (2%)     max: 7491 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 2558     avg: 2643     median: 2638.5 (1%)     max: 2735 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
min: 5758     avg: 5926     median: 6002 (3%)     max: 6019 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 2128     avg: 2203     median: 2149.5 (1%)     max: 2385 Points
3DMark 2001SE - 3DMark 2001 - Standard
min: 32886     avg: 34790     median: 34790 (36%)     max: 36694 Points
min: 28169     avg: 32291     median: 33331 (35%)     max: 34331 Points
3DMark 03 - 3DMark 03 - Standard
min: 33146     avg: 37082     median: 38191 (20%)     max: 39909 Points
min: 18796     avg: 18980     median: 19002 (10%)     max: 19137 Points
3DMark 05 - 3DMark 05 - Standard
min: 16593     avg: 18199     median: 18043 (20%)     max: 19960 Points
min: 13154     avg: 13217     median: 13185 (14%)     max: 13298 Points
7095 Points (8%)
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Score Unknown Settings + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
3DMark 06
13232 Points (17%)
3DMark 06 - Score Unknown Settings + NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M
3690 Points (5%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
3DMark 06
min: 12050     avg: 12765     median: 12923 (17%)     max: 13323 Points
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 6366     avg: 6401     median: 6378 (8%)     max: 6473 Points
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M
3687 Points (5%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x768 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
3DMark 06
6392 Points (8%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - 3dsmax
32.8 Points (68%)
47.8 Points (99%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Catia
45.8 Points (96%)
47.6 Points (100%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - EnSight
47.4 Points (100%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Maya
59.7 Points (32%)
60.1 Points (32%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Pro/Engeneer
51.1 Points (100%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SolidWorks
59.7 Points (88%)
58 Points (86%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - UGS Teamcenter
38.5 Points (100%)
24.4 Points (63%)
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - UGS NX
35.3 Points (72%)
SPECviewperf 11
specvp11 snx-01 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 snx-01
18.8 fps (11%)
specvp11 snx-01 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 9.18     avg: 9.7     median: 9.7 (6%)     max: 10.27 fps
specvp11 tcvis-02 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 tcvis-02
18.7 fps (11%)
specvp11 tcvis-02 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 11.04     avg: 11.2     median: 11.2 (6%)     max: 11.32 fps
specvp11 sw-02 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 sw-02
30.6 fps (23%)
specvp11 sw-02 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 7.56     avg: 16     median: 16 (12%)     max: 24.45 fps
specvp11 proe-05 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 proe-05
6.9 fps (8%)
specvp11 proe-05 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 4.28     avg: 5.2     median: 5.2 (6%)     max: 6.21 fps
specvp11 maya-03 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 maya-03
16.6 fps (12%)
specvp11 maya-03 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 6.94     avg: 8     median: 8 (6%)     max: 9.09 fps
specvp11 lightwave-01 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 lightwave-01
38.4 fps (41%)
specvp11 lightwave-01 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 9.81     avg: 23.8     median: 23.8 (26%)     max: 37.84 fps
specvp11 ensight-04 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 ensight-04
16.2 fps (8%)
specvp11 ensight-04 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 10     avg: 10.3     median: 10.3 (5%)     max: 10.59 fps
specvp11 catia-03 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 catia-03
23.4 fps (12%)
specvp11 catia-03 + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 8.63     avg: 12.3     median: 12.3 (6%)     max: 15.92 fps
Windows 7 Experience Index - Win7 Gaming graphics
6.9 Points (87%)
6.4 Points (81%)
Windows 7 Experience Index - Win7 Graphics
6.9 Points (87%)
6.4 Points (81%)
Cinebench R10 Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit)
min: 4429     avg: 4928     median: 4928 (4%)     max: 5427 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 4809     avg: 4886     median: 4846 (3%)     max: 5002 Points
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit + NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit
min: 32.07     avg: 32.7     median: 32.7 (11%)     max: 33.29 fps
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit + NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M
min: 15.84     avg: 16     median: 16 (6%)     max: 16.14 fps

Average Benchmarks NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M → 100% n=2

Average Benchmarks NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M → 61% n=2

Average Benchmarks NVIDIA Quadro FX 380M → 34% n=2

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

Fifa 11

Fifa 11

2010
med. 1024x768
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
230.6  fps
56%
Quadro FX 880M:
129.2  fps
high 1360x768
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
124.2  fps
73%
Quadro FX 880M:
90.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Quadro FX 880M:
50.4  fps
low 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
155  fps
med. 1360x768
Quadro FX 880M:
42  fps
high 1360x768
Quadro FX 880M:
29  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Quadro FX 880M:
12  fps
low 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
58.8  fps
med. 1366x768
Quadro FX 880M:
30.4  fps
high 1366x768
Quadro FX 880M:
16.1  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Quadro FX 880M:
9.7  fps
low 800x600
Quadro FX 880M:
124.1  fps
med. 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
42.2  fps
high 1366x768
Quadro FX 880M:
35.4  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Quadro FX 880M:
21  fps
Risen

Risen

2009
low 800x600
Quadro FX 880M:
75.4  fps
med. 1024x768
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
64.9  fps
49%
Quadro FX 880M:
29.8 33.4 ~ 32 fps
high 1366x768
Quadro FX 880M:
18.2 20.6 ~ 19 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
31.8  fps
40%
Quadro FX 880M:
12.7  fps
Need for Speed Shift

Need for Speed Shift

2009
med. 1024x768
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
78.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
40.9  fps
Colin McRae: DIRT 2

Colin McRae: DIRT 2

2009
low 800x600
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
97  fps
82%
Quadro FX 880M:
79.3  fps
med. 1024x768
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
82  fps
57%
Quadro FX 880M:
45.7 47.8 ~ 47 fps
high 1360x768
Quadro FX 880M:
20 39 ~ 30 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
29.9  fps
43%
Quadro FX 880M:
12.8  fps
Anno 1404

Anno 1404

2009
low 1024x768
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
142.8  fps
70%
Quadro FX 880M:
59.7 60 131 147.3 ~ 100 fps
ultra 1280x1024
100%
Quadro FX 3800M:
61.9  fps
32%
Quadro FX 880M:
19 19.1 20.5 23 ~ 20 fps
F.E.A.R. 2

F.E.A.R. 2

2009
low 800x600
Quadro FX 880M:
179.6  fps
med. 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
65.9  fps
high 1280x1024
Quadro FX 880M:
42.3  fps
Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2

2008
low 640x480
Quadro FX 880M:
93.3  fps
high 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
32.4  fps
Racedriver: GRID

Racedriver: GRID

2008
med. 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
48.7  fps
high 1280x1024
Quadro FX 880M:
28.9  fps
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare

2007
low 800x600
Quadro FX 880M:
225.7  fps
med. 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
60  fps
high 1280x1024
Quadro FX 880M:
59.9  fps
Supreme Commander - FA Bench

Supreme Commander - FA Bench

2007
med. 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
29.9  fps
high 1024x768
Quadro FX 880M:
28.2  fps

Average Gaming NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M → 100%

Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%

Average Gaming NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M → 56%

Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 53%

NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800Mlowmed.highultraQHD4K
Fifa 11230.6124.2
Risen64.931.8
Need for Speed Shift78.540.9
Colin McRae: DIRT 2978229.9
Anno 1404142.861.9
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps


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NVIDIA Quadro FX 880Mlowmed.highultraQHD4K
Fifa 11129.290.550.4
StarCraft 2155422912
Battlefield: Bad Company 258.830.416.19.7
CoD Modern Warfare 2124.142.235.421
Risen75.4321912.7
Colin McRae: DIRT 279.3473012.8
Anno 140410020
F.E.A.R. 2179.665.942.3
Far Cry 293.332.39
Racedriver: GRID48.728.9
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare225.76059.9
Supreme Commander - FA Bench29.9228.18
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps

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For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List

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Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)