Quadro P4200 Max-Q vs Radeon RX 780

NVIDIA

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

2018Core: 1215 MHzBoost: 1480 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 780

2024Core: 1295 MHzBoost: 2335 MHz
Similar parts
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Quadro P4200 Max-Q vs Radeon RX 780 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 P4200 Max-Q vs Radeon RX 780 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 P4200 Max-Q vs Radeon RX 780: 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 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).
  • Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 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).
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 780 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 36.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Quadro P4200 Max-Q instead at 7,800 vs 7,658, 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?
Radeon RX 780 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while Quadro P4200 Max-Q is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 16nm, 60 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2018. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 780 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Quadro P4200 Max-Q vs Radeon RX 780 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

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.

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon 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)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 780 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Quadro P4200 Max-Q does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon 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 ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Quadro P4200 Max-Q and System on the Radeon RX 780. 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.

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon 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.

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon 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).

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon 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.

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon RX 780
TDP
100W-44%
180W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
78.0+84%
42.5
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon RX 780 (2024 vs 2018).

FeatureQuadro P4200 Max-QRadeon RX 780
MSRP
$499
Codename
GP104
Navi 32
Release
February 21 2018
September 11 2024
Ranking
#234
#131

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