Quadro FX 3500M vs Radeon HD 2900 GT

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 3500M vs Radeon HD 2900 GT 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 3500M vs Radeon HD 2900 GT: 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 3500M

2008

Why buy it

✅37.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
❌656% higher power demand at 189W vs 25W.

Radeon HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 25W instead of 189W, a 164W reduction.
✅More future proof: TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro FX 3500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 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?

Quadro FX 3500M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 37.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.8% in PassMark G3D (306 vs 292), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Quadro FX 3500M 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 2900 GT 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, Radeon HD 2900 GT is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro FX 3500M has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro FX 3500M vs Radeon HD 2900 GT Technical Specifications

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

Quadro FX 3500M

The Quadro FX 3500M 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: 306 points. Launch price was $3,499.

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 292 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Quadro FX 3500M scores 306 and the Radeon HD 2900 GT reaches 292 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro FX 3500M is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 2900 GT uses TeraScale 2, both on 55 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 240 (Quadro FX 3500M) vs 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Raw compute: 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 3500M) vs 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT).

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
G3D Mark Score	306+5%	292
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	55 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	240	480+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6221 TFLOPS	0.696 TFLOPS+12%
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	80+233%	24
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro FX 3500M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT.

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (Quadro FX 3500M) vs 10 (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
DirectX	9.0c	10+11%
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Quadro FX 3500M) vs UVD (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Decoder: VP1 vs UVD.

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
Encoder	None	UVD
Decoder	VP1	UVD
Codecs	MPEG-2,WMV9	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro FX 3500M draws 189W versus the Radeon HD 2900 GT's 25W — a 153.3% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro FX 3500M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
TDP	189W	25W-87%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	—	241mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	1.6	11.7+631%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 2900 GT (2013 vs 2008).

Feature	Quadro FX 3500M	Radeon HD 2900 GT
MSRP	—	$170
Codename	GT200B	Thames
Release	November 11 2008	January 7 2013
Ranking	#815	#883

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