Does the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 work better for Pro apps like motion?

Well… a good place to start is Apple's page…

http://www.apple.com/macpro/performance.html

While it does appear the Nvidia Quadro 4500FX does perform better I think the ATI X1900XT is far better value for money.

'well i cant speak on the X1900 but i have heard good things about it - but I can give my opinion on the Quadro and motion/FCP - i have no complaints at all in regards to the speed of this card - specially in motion - its blazing fast - i have worked on systems using motion that had a much inferior card and it was so aggravating to sit thru that process - YES - the X1900 from what i hear is very close to Quadro performace and quite a bit less $$$$$ - I got the quadro bacause at the time it was the only card that mac had that would run both my 30in displays - so i bit the bullet and got it - now that it has paid for its self im glad i did ..... but i dont think u can go wrong with either - and im getting MP system with it in it also - plus i dont have to wait as long .... good luck to ya

I'm curious.

How much noise does the FX 4500 make?

Both the Quadro and X1900XT will be substantially better than the 7300 for Motion and Aperture. The Quadro will not be a whole lot faster than the X1900XT, which makes the ATI card far better for price/performance.

The Quadro is necesary if you want Stereo 3D support or Quadro "certified" drivers. Basically, if you don't know you need the Quadro (and this is for reasons other than performance), then the X1900XT is probably your card.