Quadro P520 vs Radeon R9 M385

NVIDIA

Quadro P520

2019Core: 1303 MHzBoost: 1493 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M385

2015Core: 900 MHzBoost: 1100 MHz

Quadro P520 vs Radeon R9 M385 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 P520 vs Radeon R9 M385 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 P520 vs Radeon R9 M385: 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 P520

2019

Why buy it

  • Costs $150 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 97.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.6 vs 6.9 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Radeon R9 M385 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Quadro P520 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 18W instead of 75W, a 57W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 M385 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2019 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon R9 M385

2015

Why buy it

  • 12.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 100% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.9 vs 13.6 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 316.7% higher power demand at 75W vs 18W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 M385 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.3% in PassMark G3D (2,061 vs 2,034), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro P520 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro P520 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.4% (13.6 vs 6.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 M385 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Quadro P520 vs Radeon R9 M385 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro P520

The Quadro P520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 23 2019. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1303 MHz to 1493 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 18W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,034 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 M385

The Radeon R9 M385 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,061 points.

Graphics Performance

The Quadro P520 scores 2,034 and the Radeon R9 M385 reaches 2,061 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro P520 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M385 uses GCN 2.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (Quadro P520) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M385). Raw compute: 1.147 TFLOPS (Quadro P520) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M385). Boost clocks: 1493 MHz vs 1100 MHz.

FeatureQuadro P520Radeon R9 M385
G3D Mark Score
2,034
2,061+1%
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 2.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
896+133%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.147 TFLOPS
1.792 TFLOPS+56%
Boost Clock
1493 MHz+36%
1100 MHz
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
24
56+133%
L1 Cache
144 KB
224 KB+56%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQuadro P520Radeon R9 M385
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro P520 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M385. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Quadro P520) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M385) — the Quadro P520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro P520Radeon R9 M385
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro P520 draws 18W versus the Radeon R9 M385's 75W — a 122.6% difference. The Quadro P520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro P520) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M385). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

FeatureQuadro P520Radeon R9 M385
TDP
18W-76%
75W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Perf/Watt
113.0+311%
27.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro P520 came in at $150, while the Radeon R9 M385 launched at $300. On MSRP, Quadro P520 was 50% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.6 (Quadro P520) vs 6.9 (Radeon R9 M385) — the Quadro P520 offers 97.1% better value. The newer card here is Quadro P520 (2019 vs 2015).

FeatureQuadro P520Radeon R9 M385
MSRP
$150-50%
$300
Performance per Dollar
13.6+97%
6.9
Codename
GP108
Strato
Release
May 23 2019
May 5 2015
Ranking
#677
#674

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