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FirePro W9100 vs Quadro M5500

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro W9100

2014Core: 930 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

Quadro M5500

2016Core: 1140 MHzBoost: 1165 MHz
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FirePro W9100 vs Quadro M5500 Performance Spectrum

FirePro W9100
16 GB 275
7,748
0.0%
brand logoRadeon R9 270
brand logoRadeon R9 M295X
brand logoRadeon R9 380
brand logoRadeon R9 285
brand logoRadeon RX 7400
brand logoRadeon RX 7700S
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 7800 XT
Quadro M5500
8 GB 150
7,915
+2.2%
brand logoGeForce GTX 660 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 560 Ti 448
brand logoGeForce GTX 960
brand logoGeForce GTX 1650 (móvel)
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 OEM
brand logoGeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 SUPER
brand logoRTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro W9100 vs Quadro M5500: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro W9100

2014

Why buy it

  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2014 hardware with 16 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌
    400% HIGHER MSRP
    $4,000 MSRPvs$800 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($4,000 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • ❌83.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $3,200 less on MSRP ($800 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 410.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro M5500 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.2% in PassMark G3D (7,915 vs 7,748), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro W9100 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro M5500 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,200 cheaper on MSRP at $800 vs $4,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 410.8% (9.9 vs 1.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Quadro M5500 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro W9100 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro W9100 vs Quadro M5500 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro W9100

The FirePro W9100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 26 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 930 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,748 points.

NVIDIA

Quadro M5500

The Quadro M5500 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 8 2016. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1140 MHz to 1165 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,915 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9100 scores 7,748 and the Quadro M5500 reaches 7,915 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,816 (FirePro W9100) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 5.238 TFLOPS (FirePro W9100) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500).

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
G3D Mark Score
7,748
7,915+2%
Architecture
GCN 2.0
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2816+38%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.238 TFLOPS+10%
4.772 TFLOPS
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
176+38%
128
L1 Cache
704 KB
768 KB+9%
L2 Cache
1 MB
2 MB+100%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro W9100 has 16 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M5500 carries 8 GB. FirePro W9100 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the FirePro W9100 and 256-bit on the Quadro M5500. L2 Cache: 1 MB (FirePro W9100) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
VRAM Capacity
16 GB+100%
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
2 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9100) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
DirectX
12
12 (12_1)
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
6+50%
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (FirePro W9100) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: H.264 (FirePro W9100) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
Encoder
VCE 2.0
NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder
UVD 4.2
NVDEC (Maxwell)
Codecs
H.264
H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9100 draws 275W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 58.8% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9100) vs 350W (Quadro M5500). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 93 vs 85.

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
TDP
275W
150W-45%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
275mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
93
85-9%
Perf/Watt
28.2
52.8+87%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro W9100 came in at $4000, while the Quadro M5500 launched at $800. On MSRP, Quadro M5500 was 80% cheaper ($3200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (FirePro W9100) vs 9.9 (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 offers 421.1% better value. The newer card here is Quadro M5500 (2016 vs 2014).

FeatureFirePro W9100Quadro M5500
MSRP
$4000
$800-80%
Performance per Dollar
1.9
9.9+421%
Codename
Hawaii
GM204
Release
March 26 2014
April 8 2016
Ranking
#328
#321
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