It's not a meaningful question in those general terms, unless you specify the software to be run, there is no answer.
Quadra video was pretty anemic, other than doing big spreadsheets at a low color depths.
Even the mighty 840AV with both MB of VRAM installed falls to its 16bit knees slinging just two pages of pixels, something any 3MB 68030 era NuBus Card can do with ease, some sporting four DSPs to the 840av's one for use in Graphic Design and CAD redraws.
Video doesn't count, it never leaves the NuBus slot on any Quadra w/o the av suffix. The 660 can't do much of anything at all with its paltry 1MB of VRAM. There was maybe one(?) VidCap Card ever made for the 840av's PDS. Dunno if it was worthwhile or not, some claimed it could do better than the NuBus Cards in PPC Macs, but I've never heard any claims about an 840av PDS/VidCap solution running head to head with a PCI Mac.
So unless your Quadra era gaming needs exceeded 640 x 480 at 16 bit, 1MB VRAM Quadra Video was fine and faster than NuBus.
2MB Quadra 840av Video got you over the 24bit hump at 640 x 480, 800 x 600 and a big whopping 832 x 624.
No, NuBus VidCards need not be relegated to the 68030 machines . . . unless you've got a really crappy little monitor! }
Quadra video was pretty anemic, other than doing big spreadsheets at a low color depths.
Even the mighty 840AV with both MB of VRAM installed falls to its 16bit knees slinging just two pages of pixels, something any 3MB 68030 era NuBus Card can do with ease, some sporting four DSPs to the 840av's one for use in Graphic Design and CAD redraws.
Video doesn't count, it never leaves the NuBus slot on any Quadra w/o the av suffix. The 660 can't do much of anything at all with its paltry 1MB of VRAM. There was maybe one(?) VidCap Card ever made for the 840av's PDS. Dunno if it was worthwhile or not, some claimed it could do better than the NuBus Cards in PPC Macs, but I've never heard any claims about an 840av PDS/VidCap solution running head to head with a PCI Mac.
So unless your Quadra era gaming needs exceeded 640 x 480 at 16 bit, 1MB VRAM Quadra Video was fine and faster than NuBus.
2MB Quadra 840av Video got you over the 24bit hump at 640 x 480, 800 x 600 and a big whopping 832 x 624.
No, NuBus VidCards need not be relegated to the 68030 machines . . . unless you've got a really crappy little monitor! }