GeForce GTX 645 vs Quadro M520

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.

GeForce GTX 645

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 12.5 vs 9.6 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2010-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌700% higher power demand at 200W vs 25W.

Quadro M520

2017

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 25W instead of 200W, a 175W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
33.3% HIGHER MSRP
$200 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.6 vs 12.5 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 645

2010

Quadro M520

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 31% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 12.5 vs 9.6 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 25W instead of 200W, a 175W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2010-era hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌700% higher power demand at 200W vs 25W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
33.3% HIGHER MSRP
$200 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.6 vs 12.5 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M520 better than GeForce GTX 645?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 1,880 vs 1,913 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Quadro M520 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (25W vs 200W).

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

GeForce GTX 645 is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

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

Quadro M520 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Quadro M520 is about 33.3% more expensive on MSRP at $200 MSRP versus $150 MSRP, and you are getting 1.8% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 645 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 645 make more sense than Quadro M520?

Yes. GeForce GTX 645 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is future-proofing and staying closer to $150 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Quadro M520. The trade-off is that Quadro M520 currently gives you 1.8% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 645 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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.

GeForce GTX 645 Benchmark Check

Quadro M520 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
1080p
low	66 FPS	26 FPS
medium	54 FPS	17 FPS
high	38 FPS	11 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	7 FPS
1440p
low	52 FPS	16 FPS
medium	43 FPS	10 FPS
high	27 FPS	5 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	3 FPS
4K
low	20 FPS	7 FPS
medium	19 FPS	5 FPS
high	12 FPS	3 FPS
ultra	10 FPS	2 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 645 Open Quadro M520

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
1080p
low	85 FPS	71 FPS
medium	62 FPS	45 FPS
high	50 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	20 FPS
1440p
low	49 FPS	20 FPS
medium	33 FPS	15 FPS
high	23 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	7 FPS
4K
low	23 FPS	6 FPS
medium	16 FPS	4 FPS
high	12 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	2 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 645 Open Quadro M520

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
1080p
low	85 FPS	86 FPS
medium	68 FPS	69 FPS
high	56 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	43 FPS
1440p
low	63 FPS	65 FPS
medium	51 FPS	52 FPS
high	42 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	42 FPS	43 FPS
medium	34 FPS	34 FPS
high	28 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	21 FPS	22 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 645 Open Quadro M520

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
1080p
low	85 FPS	76 FPS
medium	68 FPS	61 FPS
high	56 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	41 FPS
1440p
low	63 FPS	13 FPS
medium	51 FPS	11 FPS
high	42 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	8 FPS
4K
low	42 FPS	9 FPS
medium	34 FPS	7 FPS
high	28 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	21 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 645 Open Quadro M520

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 645 and Quadro M520

GeForce GTX 645

The GeForce GTX 645 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 31 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 607 MHz. It has 352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,880 points. Launch price was $279.

Quadro M520

The Quadro M520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2017. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1041 MHz to 1019 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,913 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 645 scores 1,880 and the Quadro M520 reaches 1,913 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 645 is built on Fermi while the Quadro M520 uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 352 (GeForce GTX 645) vs 384 (Quadro M520). Raw compute: 0.8554 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 645) vs 0.7995 TFLOPS (Quadro M520).

Feature	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
G3D Mark Score	1,880	1,913+2%
Architecture	Fermi	Maxwell
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	352	384+9%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.8554 TFLOPS+7%	0.7995 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	44+175%	16
L1 Cache	704 KB+450%	128 KB
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 645 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Quadro M520 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 645 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M520 has 2 GB. The Quadro M520 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 645) vs 1 MB (Quadro M520) — the Quadro M520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 645 draws 200W versus the Quadro M520's 25W — a 155.6% difference. The Quadro M520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 645) vs 350W (Quadro M520). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTX 645	Quadro M520
TDP	200W	25W-88%
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	PCIe-powered
Length	147mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	—
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	9.4	76.5+714%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 645 launched at $150 MSRP, while the Quadro M520 launched at $200. The GeForce GTX 645 costs 25% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 12.5 (GeForce GTX 645) vs 9.6 (Quadro M520) — the GeForce GTX 645 offers 30.2% better value. The Quadro M520 is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2010).