GeForce GT 550M vs Quadro FX 3800M

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.

GeForce GT 550M vs Quadro FX 3800M FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GT 550M vs Quadro FX 3800M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce GT 550M

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 189W, a 139W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro FX 3800M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quadro FX 3800M

2008

Why buy it

✅56.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌278% higher power demand at 189W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Quadro FX 3800M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 56.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2% in PassMark G3D (572 vs 561), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GT 550M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Quadro FX 3800M makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Quadro FX 3800M is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 550M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 550M vs Quadro FX 3800M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 550M

The GeForce GT 550M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 25 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 980 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 561 points.

Quadro FX 3800M

The Quadro FX 3800M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 11 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 610 MHz. It has 240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 189W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 572 points. Launch price was $3,499.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 550M scores 561 and the Quadro FX 3800M reaches 572 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 550M is built on Kepler while the Quadro FX 3800M uses Tesla 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 550M) vs 240 (Quadro FX 3800M). Raw compute: 0.7526 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 550M) vs 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 3800M).

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	Quadro FX 3800M
G3D Mark Score	561	572+2%
Architecture	Kepler	Tesla 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	384+60%	240
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7526 TFLOPS+21%	0.6221 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	80+150%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 550M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro FX 3800M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	Quadro FX 3800M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GT 550M and 64-bit on the Quadro FX 3800M.

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	Quadro FX 3800M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 550M) vs 10 (Quadro FX 3800M). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	Quadro FX 3800M
DirectX	11.0+10%	10
Vulkan	None	N/A
OpenGL	4.0+21%	3.3
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 550M) vs None (Quadro FX 3800M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs PureVideo HD (VP2). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 550M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Quadro FX 3800M).

Feature	GeForce GT 550M	Quadro FX 3800M
Encoder	No	None
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	PureVideo HD (VP2)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 550M draws 50W versus the Quadro FX 3800M's 189W — a 116.3% difference. The GeForce GT 550M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 550M) vs 350W (Quadro FX 3800M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 90.