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 M5500 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design 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 M5500 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design: 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 M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌150% higher power demand at 150W vs 60W.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅8.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 60W instead of 150W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 8.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (8,119 vs 7,915), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 36 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2016. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Quadro M5500 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, Quadro M5500 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro M5500 vs Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design Technical Specifications

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

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.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,119 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro M5500 scores 7,915 and the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design reaches 8,119 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M5500 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Quadro M5500) vs 2,304 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500) vs 5.599 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1165 MHz vs 1215 MHz.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	7,915	8,119+3%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2048	2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.772 TFLOPS	5.599 TFLOPS+17%
Boost Clock	1165 MHz	1215 MHz+4%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	144+13%
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	2.3 MB+207%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design 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	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro M5500 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design carries 6 GB. Quadro M5500 gives you 33.3% 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 M5500 and 256-bit on the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro M5500) vs 4 MB (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) — the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+33%	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500) vs 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500) vs NVENC 7th Gen (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500) vs H.265,H.264 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	NVDEC (Maxwell)	NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.265,H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M5500 draws 150W versus the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design's 60W — a 85.7% difference. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M5500) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs Unknown.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
TDP	150W	60W-60%
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	0mm
Height	0mm	0mm
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	85	Unknown-100%
Perf/Watt	52.8	135.3+156%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design (2019 vs 2016).

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
MSRP	$800	—
Codename	GM204	TU106
Release	April 8 2016	May 27 2019
Ranking	#321	#313

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