Nvidia® Quadro ® K1100M graphics / video card

Does anyone have any experience using this card with Rhino v5.0? Do you have any comments?
It’s used in Dell’s new M3800 mobile workstation and i would be interested to hear any user experiences.

Thank you
Sach

I have not used the M3800 personally, but the Dell Precision laptops have been a great platform for a long time. The K1100M has enough memory to keep up with the high resolution display plus and external monitor if you need. Quadro cards have recently gotten a lot better with improved drivers.

You may find similar platforms on the Holomark Thread

Thanks Scott.

Do you suggest going for the 1920 HD or the higher res display?

I’ve heard there are issues with graphics displaying on the higher res? Have you experienced this with Rhino or other apps?

ThanksSach

For comparison, I posted scores on a K2100 in my W540 in Holomark thread (near the end).

Get the K2100, or better : )

Much of the interface can get very small at the 1920 resolutions. This is especially true if the the screen is smaller. Others on this forum would have a better idea on this.

@sach

I’m about to order one of these soon. From what I have read, the display is totally usable at 3200 x 1600 on a 15 in LCD. A better workflow is to use a second monitor when at home or work. I plan to use the laptop with my new favorite monitor, the Dell U2713, link here I’m using two of these on my main 3D workstation and they are amazing. (You can buy two of these 27 in monitors for the price of one 30 in monitor, so its a no-brainer.)

Yes great.

My friend has starting using one and says speed and stability are great in Rhino. She also says that using Keyshot for rendering is not that much faster than our 4 year old Dell Precision M4500 (mobile workstation) and 380 (desktop) machines.

But I think that I’ll be going for it as well! My M4500 collapsed with a failed motherboard / processor. ! And, it’s out of warranty.

Sach

This thread started with a question about the K1100M in the Dell Precision M3800 mobile workstation, which I’ve considered, because it is lighter than the W540 and I’ve got a bad back. However, there’s a deal right now on the W540, that only allows configuration with the K1100M. Previously, I’d considered configuring my own W540, in which case I’d have gone for the K2100M; the money is not the concern when it comes to a few hundred bucks. Howeve, the preconfigured W540 with the K1100M is about $1400 cheaper than if I were to configure the same machine with the better GPU. If I go for the preconfigured model: 1. Do you think it’s going to make a HUGE difference? 2. If the K1100M gives me problems, can it be swapped for a K2100M, or is the computer going to be configured for the card it came with? I’d still save money buying the preconfigured and upgrading, just don’t know if that’s possible. Advice?

I’ve had a W540, since November. As long as it’s plugged in, it’s been a good computer, but it is throttled a lot unplugged.

Some notes:

  • Upgrading the video chip is not possible.
  • The W541 is out, which has a proper trackpad, although, I mostly use the machine with a mouse.
  • Some lower cost processors for the W54x can only use 16 GB or RAM, others can use 32GB. In mine, the 4800qm, can use 32GB.
  • There are 2 screens for the w54x, a crappy 1920x1080, which is fine for resolution, but it’s not IPS, so it’s not good. The other panel is a 2880x1680 IPS, which is the best screen I’ve seen on a 15" laptop, but Rhino icons get small. I run less anti-aliasing at higher resolutions.

As far as the GPU, I have the K2100, which performs pretty well for Rhino running on a laptop that I can carry on my back.

On Holomark v2,2,03
Adaptive CPU/GPU power management: Total Score: 43692
Full blast CPU/GPU power management: Total Score: 46464

So, what I did: bought the slightly upgraded processor and K2100, but not a SSD, which can be upgraded later, unlike the other two. You might look for K1100 scores. My processor is 2.7GHz, which is a medium speed one. Broadwell, will be slightly faster and more power efficient, but the next GPU will be much better on power.

I think it comes down to the size of the projects you are working on, and whether or not you might use the GPU for light gaming or Photoshop/Premier, which also use it, if it’s version 5.1 or better.

BTW, in thread: Holomark 2 Released!
I found a K1100 having a score of 42,294.
Perhaps the extra shaders are not as much of use to Rhino, or perhaps Rhino might be CPU bound. Interesting.

(Corrected K1100 Score.)

Thank you SO much, that is a big help. I have a few additional questions though, following up, but I’m helping someone with something right now, and she will be very irritated if I stop to write a proper reply, so I will shortly. However, just wanted to thanks you, and ask, if it’s not tooooo much trouble, to check back in two or three hours (or anytime today) for my full follow-up inquiry. You have no idea how many sources I’ve consulted, and gotten conflicting information that didn’t add up or saliently express the information I need. (I’ve done my own research, not lazy, only asking b/c desperate. Even called McNeel and spoke w/ someone from the company who gave me info that I am certain was incorrect.) The W540 on sale is only available until either tonight at midnight or tomorrow, so I do have to make this decision quickly, which is the only reason I’m asking for your prompt response sometime today after I send my follow-up (not normally so demanding). Quick question for now though: Is the color sensor option for the monitor a big deal? I will mostly use an external, but not when in CAD classes.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I’ve read that the color sensor and software offered is underwhelming. Someone had suggested that if you have a external monitor, then it might be best to get an external calibrator. If you are low on initial funds, I would forgo it and make sure the CPU and GPU are appropriate. When buying CPUs, the price and performance line up on an roughly exponential curve. I buy up where things are linear. Chances are, the first speed bump or two is linear for price and performance, and the last processor price is ridiculously and exponentially expensive.

I asked my friend to calibrate my screen with a Greatag-McBeth color calibrator. It did well.

The W541 Does have the upgraded trackpad, and not the W540.
BTW, by filling out a questionnaire or signing up for something, Lenovo may send you a coupon code anyway.