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Quadro M5500 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

Quadro M5500

2016Core: 1140 MHzBoost: 1165 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 290 / 390

2015Boost: 1000 MHz
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Quadro M5500 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 Performance Spectrum

Quadro M5500
8 GB 150
7,915
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GTX 660 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 560 Ti 448
brand logoGeForce GTX 960
brand logoGeForce GTX 1650 (móvel)
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 OEM
brand logoGeForce GTX 1080 (móvel)
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 SUPER
brand logoRTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Radeon R9 290 / 390
4 GB 300
8,150
+3.0%
brand logoRadeon RX 560 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon 760M
brand logoRadeon R9 380X
brand logoRadeon RX 470 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon RX 6850M
brand logoRadeon RX 6800S
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 7800 XT

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 M5500 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 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

Path of Exile 2

1080P
Quadro M5500
low108 FPS
medium91 FPS
high78 FPS
ultra52 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low80 FPS
medium69 FPS
high56 FPS
ultra37 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080P
Quadro M5500
low229 FPS
medium198 FPS
high151 FPS
ultra120 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low182 FPS
medium154 FPS
high128 FPS
ultra99 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080P
Quadro M5500
low356 FPS
medium285 FPS
high237 FPS
ultra178 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low367 FPS
medium293 FPS
high244 FPS
ultra183 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

1080P
Quadro M5500
low234 FPS
medium202 FPS
high164 FPS
ultra140 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low151 FPS
medium124 FPS
high107 FPS
ultra91 FPS
Among Us

Among Us

1080P
Quadro M5500
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
Apex Legends

Apex Legends

1080P
Quadro M5500
low144 FPS
medium127 FPS
high103 FPS
ultra81 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low142 FPS
medium125 FPS
high102 FPS
ultra81 FPS
ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

1080P
Quadro M5500
low78 FPS
medium61 FPS
high49 FPS
ultra33 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low74 FPS
medium58 FPS
high47 FPS
ultra32 FPS
Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

1080P
Quadro M5500
low110 FPS
medium90 FPS
high80 FPS
ultra63 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low64 FPS
medium44 FPS
high37 FPS
ultra29 FPS
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

1080P
Quadro M5500
low84 FPS
medium67 FPS
high55 FPS
ultra45 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low82 FPS
medium65 FPS
high54 FPS
ultra45 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone

1080P
Quadro M5500
low96 FPS
medium74 FPS
high59 FPS
ultra51 FPS
1080P
Radeon R9 290 / 390
low75 FPS
medium62 FPS
high52 FPS
ultra39 FPS
Check FPS with Custom Builds

Quadro M5500 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390: 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

  • ✅18.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • ✅Draws 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌
    143.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $800 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290 / 390

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $471 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 150.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • ❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

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 18.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 290 / 390 instead at 8,150 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 M5500 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2015. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 290 / 390 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $471 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 150.4% (24.8 vs 9.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 290 / 390 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro M5500 has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro M5500 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 Technical Specifications

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

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.

AMD

Radeon R9 290 / 390

The Radeon R9 290 / 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,150 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro M5500 scores 7,915 and the Radeon R9 290 / 390 reaches 8,150 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M5500 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (Quadro M5500) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Raw compute: 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Boost clocks: 1165 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
G3D Mark Score
7,915
8,150+3%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
GCN 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2048
2560+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.772 TFLOPS
5.12 TFLOPS+7%
Boost Clock
1165 MHz+17%
1000 MHz
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
128
160+25%
L1 Cache
768 KB+20%
640 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+100%
1 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
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 M5500 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 carries 4 GB. Quadro M5500 gives you 100% 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 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290 / 390. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro M5500) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+100%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit
512-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB+100%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12.0
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290 / 390).

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
Encoder
NVENC (Maxwell)
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Maxwell)
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M5500 draws 150W versus the Radeon R9 290 / 390's 300W — a 66.7% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M5500) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 95°C.

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
TDP
150W-50%
300W
Recommended PSU
350W-53%
750W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
0mm
275mm
Height
0mm
109mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
85-11%
95°C
Perf/Watt
52.8+94%
27.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro M5500 came in at $800, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 / 390 was 58.9% cheaper ($471 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.9 (Quadro M5500) vs 24.8 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Radeon R9 290 / 390 offers 150.5% better value. The newer card here is Quadro M5500 (2016 vs 2015).

FeatureQuadro M5500Radeon R9 290 / 390
MSRP
$800
$329-59%
Performance per Dollar
9.9
24.8+151%
Codename
GM204
Grenada
Release
April 8 2016
June 18 2015
Ranking
#321
#296
Search Quadro M5500 on AmazonSearch Radeon R9 290 / 390 on Amazon

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