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 780

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌316.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 60W.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅20.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 60W instead of 250W, a 190W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 780

2013

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅20.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 60W instead of 250W, a 190W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌316.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 60W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design better than GeForce GTX 780?

Yes. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is clearly the better overall GPU here. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design averages 20.0% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,119 vs 7,957 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is a 2019 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while GeForce GTX 780 is a 2013 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?

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013, better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. 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?

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 20.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.0% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 780 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 780 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 780 is 2013 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM, 7,957 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 780 Benchmark Check

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	78 FPS	83 FPS
medium	67 FPS	72 FPS
high	54 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	73 FPS
medium	60 FPS	64 FPS
high	43 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	27 FPS
medium	24 FPS	26 FPS
high	16 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	181 FPS	170 FPS
medium	152 FPS	135 FPS
high	115 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	123 FPS	131 FPS
medium	92 FPS	102 FPS
high	68 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	53 FPS	76 FPS
medium	42 FPS	62 FPS
high	36 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	37 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	358 FPS	365 FPS
medium	286 FPS	292 FPS
high	239 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	269 FPS	274 FPS
medium	215 FPS	219 FPS
high	179 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	179 FPS	183 FPS
medium	143 FPS	146 FPS
high	119 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	91 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	214 FPS	231 FPS
medium	179 FPS	195 FPS
high	143 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	118 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	166 FPS	180 FPS
medium	141 FPS	158 FPS
high	109 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	94 FPS	107 FPS
medium	73 FPS	89 FPS
high	58 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	54 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 780 and Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 780

The GeForce GTX 780 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 863 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,957 points. Launch price was $649.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,119 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 780 scores 7,957 and the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design reaches 8,119 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780 is built on Kepler while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 2,304 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 4.156 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780) vs 5.599 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1215 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	7,957	8,119+2%
Architecture	Kepler	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2304	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.156 TFLOPS	5.599 TFLOPS+35%
Boost Clock	900 MHz	1215 MHz+35%
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	192+33%	144
L1 Cache	0.19 MB	2.3 MB+1111%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	4 MB+167%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GTX 780 is capped at Upscaling support.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 6 GB of video memory. Bus width: 384-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780) vs 4 MB (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) — the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	4 MB+167%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 780) vs 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.0	1.3+30%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 780) vs NVENC 7th Gen (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780) vs H.265,H.264 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	NVDEC 1st Gen	NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.265,H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 draws 250W versus the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design's 60W — a 122.6% difference. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs Unknown.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
TDP	250W	60W-76%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80	Unknown-100%
Perf/Watt	31.8	135.3+325%