Quadro FX 3500 vs Radeon HD 6480G

NVIDIA

Quadro FX 3500

2008Core: 610 MHz
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6480G

2010Boost: 900 MHz
Similar parts
·······

Quadro FX 3500 vs Radeon HD 6480G 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.

Quadro FX 3500 vs Radeon HD 6480G 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.

Quadro FX 3500 vs Radeon HD 6480G: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Quadro FX 3500

2008

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6480G across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2008 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 3098% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,599 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.2 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($1,599 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6480G

2010

Why buy it

  • 2.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $1,549 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $1,599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 3001.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 0.2 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $1,599 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
  • Draws 151W instead of 189W, a 38W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6480G is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Quadro FX 3500 instead at 265 vs 257, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro FX 3500 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6480G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,549 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $1,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 3001.5% (5.1 vs 0.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6480G is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro FX 3500 has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro FX 3500 vs Radeon HD 6480G Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro FX 3500

The Quadro FX 3500 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: 265 points. Launch price was $3,499.

AMD

Radeon HD 6480G

The Radeon HD 6480G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 257 points. Launch price was $239.

Graphics Performance

The Quadro FX 3500 scores 265 and the Radeon HD 6480G reaches 257 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro FX 3500 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 6480G uses TeraScale 2, both on 55 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 240 (Quadro FX 3500) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 6480G). Raw compute: 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 3500) vs 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6480G).

FeatureQuadro FX 3500Radeon HD 6480G
G3D Mark Score
265+3%
257
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
TeraScale 2
Process Node
55 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
240
1120+367%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6221 TFLOPS
2.016 TFLOPS+224%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
80+43%
56
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQuadro FX 3500Radeon HD 6480G
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro FX 3500 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6480G carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 6480G gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro FX 3500 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6480G. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Quadro FX 3500) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6480G) — the Radeon HD 6480G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro FX 3500Radeon HD 6480G
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro FX 3500 draws 189W versus the Radeon HD 6480G's 151W — a 22.4% difference. The Radeon HD 6480G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro FX 3500) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6480G). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureQuadro FX 3500Radeon HD 6480G
TDP
189W
151W-20%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Perf/Watt
1.4
1.7+21%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro FX 3500 came in at $1599, while the Radeon HD 6480G launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6480G was 96.9% cheaper ($1549 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.2 (Quadro FX 3500) vs 5.1 (Radeon HD 6480G) — the Radeon HD 6480G offers 2450% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 6480G (2010 vs 2008).

FeatureQuadro FX 3500Radeon HD 6480G
MSRP
$1599
$50-97%
Performance per Dollar
0.2
5.1+2450%
Codename
GT200B
Barts
Release
November 11 2008
October 21 2010
Ranking
#815
#661

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.