Quadro K6000 vs Quadro M5500

NVIDIA

Quadro K6000

2013Core: 797 MHzBoost: 902 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

Quadro M5500

2016Core: 1140 MHzBoost: 1165 MHz

Quadro K6000 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.

Quadro K6000 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.

Quadro K6000 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.

Quadro K6000

2013

Why buy it

  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 hardware with 12 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 558.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $5,265 MSRPvs$800 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.5 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($5,265 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • 50% higher power demand at 225W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

  • 7.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $4,465 less on MSRP ($800 MSRP vs $5,265 MSRP).
  • Delivers 551.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 1.5 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $5,265 MSRP).
  • Draws 150W instead of 225W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro M5500 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 7.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Quadro K6000 instead at 7,993 vs 7,915, 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 K6000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro M5500 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $4,465 cheaper on MSRP at $800 vs $5,265, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 551.7% (9.9 vs 1.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Quadro M5500 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro K6000 has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro K6000 vs Quadro M5500 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro K6000

The Quadro K6000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 797 MHz to 902 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,993 points. Launch price was $5,265.

NVIDIA

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

The Quadro K6000 scores 7,993 and the Quadro M5500 reaches 7,915 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro K6000 is built on Kepler while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,880 (Quadro K6000) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 5.196 TFLOPS (Quadro K6000) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500). Boost clocks: 902 MHz vs 1165 MHz.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
G3D Mark Score
7,993
7,915
Architecture
Kepler
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2880+41%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.196 TFLOPS+9%
4.772 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
902 MHz
1165 MHz+29%
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
240+88%
128
L1 Cache
240 KB
768 KB+220%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro K6000 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M5500 carries 8 GB. Quadro K6000 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Quadro K6000 and 256-bit on the Quadro M5500. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (Quadro K6000) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+50%
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (Quadro K6000) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
DirectX
11.0
12 (12_1)+9%
Vulkan
1.1
1.2+9%
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1.0 (Quadro K6000) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (Quadro K6000) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
Encoder
NVENC 1.0
NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP5
NVDEC (Maxwell)
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro K6000 draws 225W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 40% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro K6000) vs 350W (Quadro M5500). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 265mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85.

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
TDP
225W
150W-33%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
265mm
0mm
Height
110mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
80°C-6%
85
Perf/Watt
35.5
52.8+49%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro K6000 came in at $5265, while the Quadro M5500 launched at $800. On MSRP, Quadro M5500 was 84.8% cheaper ($4465 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.5 (Quadro K6000) vs 9.9 (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 offers 560% better value. The newer card here is Quadro M5500 (2016 vs 2013).

FeatureQuadro K6000Quadro M5500
MSRP
$5265
$800-85%
Performance per Dollar
1.5
9.9+560%
Codename
GK110B
GM204
Release
July 23 2013
April 8 2016
Ranking
#318
#321

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