A single workstation GPU can run all of these.
Desktop video cards are typically designed for non-commercial use. Workstation video cards are engineered with graphically intensive applications in mind. Workstation video cards are frequently used in jobs ranging from processing high resolution imagery from scientific surveys, to creating and editing digital content. Workstation video cards perform a number of specialized functions and are typically built to a higher standard.
Color Depth
Many workstation graphics cards are capable of processing 30-bit color depth. This feature allows workstation video cards to choose from over a billion colors per pixel. This feature ensures that workstation video cards are capable of accurately rendering and representing data that is processed at a workstation. Typical desktop video cards are only capable of 24-bit color depth. Although most desktop cards claim to support 32-bit color depth this is actually a misleading designation that includes non-color depth bits.
Multiple Displays
Many modern desktop video cards are capable of running two or more monitors simultaneously. However, workstation video cards are frequently designed to operate more than two monitors at time. Workstation cards offer the ability to operate multiple screens in conjunction, to form one large screen or to process different images to be sent to separate monitors.
Hardware
Desktop and workstation video cards utilize significantly different types of hardware. Workstation video card GPU's are designed to provide workstation users with a variety of features that are useful in professional settings, such as 30-bit color depth and framelock.
Framelock
Framelock is a feature offered on workstation video cards that allows an image to be displayed across multiple monitors. Framelock works by synchronizing images that are displayed in stereo to turn several monitors into one larger monitor. This technology is different from multi-monitor displays found on desktop computers in that workstation computers using framelock can also synchronize with other video cards to maintain a multi-monitor display.
Drivers
According to Alexis Mather, the marketing manager of AMD's workstation graphics division, workstation graphics cards typically have higher quality drivers due to the fact that developers work very closely with vendors and consumers of workstation graphics cards to ensure a high level of quality. Workstation graphics cards also put more emphasis on openGL support. Desktop video cards also utilize openGL but tend to emphasize direct3D. OpenGL is an important feature for workstation video cards due to its heavy use in the digital content creation market.
Tags: video cards, video cards, color depth, graphics cards, workstation graphics, cards capable