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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Why buy it

✅90.5% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $401 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 414.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
100.5% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

2020

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅90.5% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $401 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 414.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
100.5% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti better than Quadro M5500?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti averages 90.5% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 20,312 vs 7,915 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Quadro M5500 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, 156.6% more raw performance headroom, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is about $401 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting 90.5% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 156.6% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 414.5%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Quadro M5500 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Quadro M5500 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $800 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Benchmark Check

Quadro M5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	152 FPS	108 FPS
medium	137 FPS	91 FPS
high	118 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	92 FPS
medium	107 FPS	77 FPS
high	91 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	38 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	36 FPS
medium	65 FPS	33 FPS
high	50 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Quadro M5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	425 FPS	229 FPS
medium	366 FPS	198 FPS
high	296 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	120 FPS
1440p
low	272 FPS	170 FPS
medium	229 FPS	144 FPS
high	190 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	156 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	133 FPS	98 FPS
medium	114 FPS	82 FPS
high	96 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	52 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Quadro M5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	859 FPS	356 FPS
medium	693 FPS	285 FPS
high	602 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	457 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	658 FPS	267 FPS
medium	529 FPS	214 FPS
high	452 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	343 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	178 FPS
medium	346 FPS	142 FPS
high	275 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	221 FPS	89 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Quadro M5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	580 FPS	234 FPS
medium	514 FPS	202 FPS
high	424 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	140 FPS
1440p
low	478 FPS	183 FPS
medium	427 FPS	159 FPS
high	335 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	285 FPS	100 FPS
medium	266 FPS	80 FPS
high	234 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Open Quadro M5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and Quadro M5500

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Quadro M5500's 7,915 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 156.6%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 1165 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
G3D Mark Score	20,312+157%	7,915
Architecture	Ampere	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	4864+138%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	16.2 TFLOPS+239%	4.772 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1665 MHz+43%	1165 MHz
ROPs	80+25%	64
TMUs	152+19%	128
L1 Cache	4.8 MB+540%	0.75 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+100%	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Quadro M5500 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of GDDR6. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB+100%	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
Encoder	NVENC (Ampere)	NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder	NVDEC (Ampere)	NVDEC (Maxwell)
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 28.6% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 350W (Quadro M5500). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 85.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	Quadro M5500
TDP	200W	150W-25%
Recommended PSU	600W	350W-42%
Power Connector	8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	242mm	0mm
Height	112mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75-12%	85
Perf/Watt	101.6+92%	52.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti launched at $399 MSRP, while the Quadro M5500 launched at $800. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti costs 50.1% less ($401 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 9.9 (Quadro M5500) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 414.1% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).