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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

2018

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 780 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Radeon RX 780

2024

Why buy it

✅36.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

2018

Radeon RX 780

2024

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 180W, a 80W reduction.

Why buy it

✅36.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 780 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌80% higher power demand at 180W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 780 better than Quadro P4200 Max-Q?

Yes. Radeon RX 780 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 780 averages 36.9% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 7,658 vs 7,800 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 780 is a 2024 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, while Quadro P4200 Max-Q is a 2018 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 780 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2018, better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 5nm process instead of 16nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 780 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon RX 780 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $499 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 36.9% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (7,658 vs 7,800). It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Quadro P4200 Max-Q still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Quadro P4200 Max-Q is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around an unclear MSRP, even if Radeon RX 780 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Quadro P4200 Max-Q Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 780 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
1080p
low	93 FPS	125 FPS
medium	81 FPS	114 FPS
high	69 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	78 FPS	108 FPS
medium	69 FPS	92 FPS
high	52 FPS	77 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	67 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	59 FPS
medium	26 FPS	51 FPS
high	18 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	37 FPS

Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q Open Radeon RX 780

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
1080p
low	221 FPS	345 FPS
medium	187 FPS	276 FPS
high	144 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	172 FPS
1440p
low	161 FPS	258 FPS
medium	135 FPS	207 FPS
high	109 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	129 FPS
4K
low	94 FPS	160 FPS
medium	78 FPS	135 FPS
high	65 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	86 FPS

Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q Open Radeon RX 780

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
1080p
low	351 FPS	345 FPS
medium	281 FPS	276 FPS
high	234 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	172 FPS
1440p
low	263 FPS	258 FPS
medium	211 FPS	207 FPS
high	176 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	129 FPS
4K
low	176 FPS	172 FPS
medium	140 FPS	138 FPS
high	117 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	86 FPS

Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q Open Radeon RX 780

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
1080p
low	178 FPS	323 FPS
medium	145 FPS	260 FPS
high	123 FPS	223 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	172 FPS
1440p
low	127 FPS	243 FPS
medium	104 FPS	203 FPS
high	89 FPS	170 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	129 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	144 FPS
medium	58 FPS	126 FPS
high	45 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	85 FPS

Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q Open Radeon RX 780

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro P4200 Max-Q and Radeon RX 780

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

The Quadro P4200 Max-Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 21 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1215 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,800 points.

Radeon RX 780

The Radeon RX 780 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 11 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2335 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,658 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro P4200 Max-Q scores 7,800 and the Radeon RX 780 reaches 7,658 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro P4200 Max-Q is built on Pascal while the Radeon RX 780 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 16 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs 3,840 (Radeon RX 780). Raw compute: 6.82 TFLOPS (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs 35.87 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 780). Boost clocks: 1480 MHz vs 2335 MHz.

Feature	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
G3D Mark Score	7,800+2%	7,658
Architecture	Pascal	RDNA 3.0
Process Node	16 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	2304	3840+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.82 TFLOPS	35.87 TFLOPS+426%
Boost Clock	1480 MHz	2335 MHz+58%
ROPs	64	96+50%
TMUs	144	240+67%
L1 Cache	864 KB+13%	768 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 780 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Quadro P4200 Max-Q lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 780) — the Radeon RX 780 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	Shared
Bus Width	256-bit	System
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 780). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
DirectX	12.1	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.3	1.4+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs RDNA 3 Dual Media Engine (Radeon RX 780). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 780).

Feature	Quadro P4200 Max-Q	Radeon RX 780
Encoder	NVENC 6.0	RDNA 3 Dual Media Engine
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP8	VCN 4.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9	H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro P4200 Max-Q draws 100W versus the Radeon RX 780's 180W — a 57.1% difference. The Quadro P4200 Max-Q is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro P4200 Max-Q) vs 350W (Radeon RX 780). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.