Quadro P4200 vs Quadro RTX 3000

NVIDIA

Quadro P4200

2018Core: 1227 MHzBoost: 1647 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 3000

2018Core: 1395 MHzBoost: 1770 MHz
Similar parts
·

Quadro P4200 vs Quadro RTX 3000 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 vs Quadro RTX 3000 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 vs Quadro RTX 3000: 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

2018

Why buy it

  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
  • Draws 100W instead of 260W, a 160W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 50% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,200 MSRPvs$800 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.6 vs 13.6 G3D/$ ($1,200 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quadro RTX 3000

2018

Why buy it

  • 42.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $400 less on MSRP ($800 MSRP vs $1,200 MSRP).
  • Delivers 57% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.6 vs 8.6 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $1,200 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Older hardware, 6 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 160% higher power demand at 260W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro RTX 3000 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 42.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.6% in PassMark G3D (10,858 vs 10,376), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro RTX 3000 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 16nm, and 72 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro RTX 3000 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $400 cheaper on MSRP at $800 vs $1,200, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 57% (13.6 vs 8.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Quadro P4200 vs Quadro RTX 3000 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro P4200

The Quadro P4200 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 21 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1227 MHz to 1647 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,376 points.

NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 3000

The Quadro RTX 3000 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 13 2018. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1395 MHz to 1770 MHz. It has 4608 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 260W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 72 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,858 points. Launch price was $9,999.

Graphics Performance

The Quadro P4200 scores 10,376 and the Quadro RTX 3000 reaches 10,858 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro P4200 is built on Pascal while the Quadro RTX 3000 uses Turing, both on 16 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Quadro P4200) vs 4,608 (Quadro RTX 3000). Raw compute: 7.589 TFLOPS (Quadro P4200) vs 16.31 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000). Boost clocks: 1647 MHz vs 1770 MHz.

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
G3D Mark Score
10,376
10,858+5%
Architecture
Pascal
Turing
Process Node
16 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2304
4608+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)
7.589 TFLOPS
16.31 TFLOPS+115%
Boost Clock
1647 MHz
1770 MHz+7%
ROPs
64
96+50%
TMUs
144
288+100%
L1 Cache
0.84 MB
4.5 MB+436%
L2 Cache
2 MB
6 MB+200%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Quadro P4200 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
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 P4200 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro RTX 3000 carries 6 GB. Quadro P4200 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 P4200 and 256-bit on the Quadro RTX 3000. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro P4200) vs 6 MB (Quadro RTX 3000) — the Quadro RTX 3000 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+33%
6 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
6 MB+200%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (Quadro P4200) vs 12.1 (Quadro RTX 3000). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.0. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
DirectX
12
12.1
Vulkan
1.3+30%
1.0
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th Gen (Quadro P4200) vs 7th Gen NVENC (Quadro RTX 3000). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd Gen vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.265,H.264,VP9 (Quadro P4200) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Quadro RTX 3000).

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
Encoder
NVENC 6th Gen
7th Gen NVENC
Decoder
NVDEC 3rd Gen
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.265,H.264,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro P4200 draws 100W versus the Quadro RTX 3000's 260W — a 88.9% difference. The Quadro P4200 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Quadro P4200) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 105mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 85°C.

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
TDP
100W-62%
260W
Recommended PSU
500W
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
105mm
0mm
Height
82mm
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
80-6%
85°C
Perf/Watt
103.8+148%
41.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro P4200 came in at $1200, while the Quadro RTX 3000 launched at $800. On MSRP, Quadro RTX 3000 was 33.3% cheaper ($400 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.6 (Quadro P4200) vs 13.6 (Quadro RTX 3000) — the Quadro RTX 3000 offers 58.1% better value.

FeatureQuadro P4200Quadro RTX 3000
MSRP
$1200
$800-33%
Performance per Dollar
8.6
13.6+58%
Codename
GP104
TU102
Release
February 21 2018
August 13 2018
Ranking
#266
#78

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