GeForce RTX 3060
Quadro M5500
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Quadro M5500 Performance Spectrum
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.
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Quadro M5500 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 3060 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.
GeForce RTX 3060
2021Why buy it
- ✅64.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $471 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 422.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Quadro M5500
2016Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
- ❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌143.2% HIGHER MSRP$800 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Quadro M5500 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3060
The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.
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 scores 16,995 versus the Quadro M5500's 7,915 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 114.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1165 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Quadro M5500 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+115% | 7,915 |
| Architecture | Ampere | Maxwell 2.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+75% | 2048 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+167% | 4.772 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1777 MHz+53% | 1165 MHz |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 112 | 128+14% |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+367% | 0.75 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro M5500 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | 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)
The GeForce RTX 3060 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M5500 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 256-bit on the Quadro M5500. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Quadro M5500 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+50% | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 256-bit+33% |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) 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 | Quadro M5500 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 (12_1) |
| Vulkan | 1.3+8% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Quadro M5500 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | NVENC (Maxwell) |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | NVDEC (Maxwell) |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 12.5% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) 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 | Quadro M5500 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W | 150W-12% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 350W-36% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 242mm | 0mm |
| Height | 112mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 75-12% | 85 |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+89% | 52.8 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Quadro M5500 launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 58.9% cheaper ($471 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 9.9 (Quadro M5500) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 422.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2016).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Quadro M5500 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329-59% | $800 |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+422% | 9.9 |
| Codename | GA106 | GM204 |
| Release | January 12 2021 | April 8 2016 |
| Ranking | #114 | #321 |
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