It's cheaper and maybe also safer to acquire a desktop model instead. Desktop graphics cards for professional users start from about 70 Euros (previous generation) and allow to swiftly, cheaply, and simply turn an existing desktop computer into a workstation. So, there might be some money left to buy some more peripherals (or a subnotebook for the university) or something of both. We decided to test the AMD FirePro V3700, which currently sells from 72 Euros plus P & P. So  it is a cheap entry-level solution.  The used desktop system also belongs to the lower performance range and could conform to many older computers ready for such an upgrade. An overview and further background information about professional graphics cards are available in our article "Mobile Graphics Cards for Professional Users".

Our test model is a previous generation graphics card for professional users. It is based on the old RV620 graphics chip. So, it is comparable with the consumer-oriented Radeon HD 3470. Just 40 stream processors, a 64-bit memory bus, and 256 MB GDDR3 graphics memory confirm that it belongs to the entry-level range of professional graphics cards.

Test System:

• ASROCK 880G Pro3 , Radeon HD 4250 (driver version 8.871.0.0)

• AMD FirePro V3700  (driver version 8.85.7.1)
• GPU 800 MHz
• Memory 950 MHz
• 40 stream processors
• 64 bit memory bus
• 256 MB GDDR3

• Athlon II X2 240
• 2 x 1 GB DDR 3 RAM
• 2 x 2 GB DDR 3 RAM
• Toshiba MK3256GSY 320 GB 2.5” 5400 rpm

One thing gets obvious immediately after turning the computer on. The system noise of the test system increased from 35.4 dB(A) to 37.1 dB(A) once the AMD FirePro V3700 is built-in. This is a rather high noise level compared to many laptops. However, most desktop-style computers are placed below the desk and are thus further away from the user than their mobile competition. Nevertheless, the noise of the fan is always present.

The energy demand when idle increases too. It climbs from 49.8 Watt to 62.7 Watt. In using exclusively laptop components, e.g., the power consumption of a latest revision Mac Mini is just 7.8 Watt and so clearly lower. In the Cinebench R11.5 (CPU) test the power consumption of our test system rises from 92.3 Watt to 109.8 Watt. Heaven 2.1 demands 124.4 Watt instead of 103.1 Watt. To summarize, the power consumption is a minimum of 13 Watt higher.

The results of the usual DX10 benchmarks are very disappointing. These are clearly worse than the results of current entry-level laptops. Merely 2626 points are achieved in the 3D Mark 06 and no more than 559 points in the 3D Mark Vantage 559. The result of Heaven 2.1 is 4.6 fps and thus very low. The result of the Open GL rendering of 3.4 fps is even worse. Please also compare to our comprehensive Benchmark List of Mobile Graphics Cards. This is the bitter truth, which you have to accept, when using the FirePro with its drivers optimized for professional applications. If at all, computer games are only playable under heavy restrictions.

The results of Cinebench R10 and R11.5 (both 64 bit) of 3733 points and 7.34 fps in the Open GL Shading look slightly better. Nevertheless, they are clearly behind up-to-date solutions, e.g., the Radeon HD 6490 in the HP ProBook 4730s. In the typical CAD applications the test system can finally demonstrate its power. In the SPECviewperf 10 it nearly achieves results at the level of many latest generation workstations (latest drivers might increase the performance) and in the SPECviewperf 11 the difference is, depending on the application, still acceptable. In any case, here the FirePro V3700 is better than consumer graphics solutions. That is, except for Ensight, which profits from enhanced hardware capabilities. In all other cases, the optimized driver of the FirePro results in a performance advantage despite supposedly weak hardware.

In 3dsmax and AutoCAD the results could be even better, because optimized performance driver/plug-ins are available for these. However, we did not test these.

Friends of GPU-based video conversion will be disappointed. Software like Cyberlink's MediaEspresso cannot utilize the FirePro GPU for such calculations.