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.

FirePro W9100

2014

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 16 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
400% HIGHER MSRP
$4,000 MSRPvs$800 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($4,000 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
❌83.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,200 less on MSRP ($800 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 410.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

FirePro W9100

2014

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 8 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,200 less on MSRP ($800 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
✅Delivers 410.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $4,000 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 16 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
400% HIGHER MSRP
$4,000 MSRPvs$800 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($4,000 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
❌83.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M5500 better than FirePro W9100?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 7,748 vs 7,915 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Quadro M5500 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (150W vs 275W).

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

FirePro W9100 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 16 GB instead of 8 GB. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

Quadro M5500 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $800 MSRP. Quadro M5500 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Quadro M5500 is about $3,200 cheaper on MSRP at $800 MSRP versus $4,000 MSRP, and you are getting 2.2% higher G3D Mark. FirePro W9100 is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does FirePro W9100 make more sense than Quadro M5500?

Yes. FirePro W9100 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 $4,000 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Quadro M5500. The trade-off is that Quadro M5500 currently gives you 2.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 410.8%.

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.

FirePro W9100 Benchmark Check

Quadro M5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	200 FPS	108 FPS
medium	178 FPS	91 FPS
high	147 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	174 FPS	92 FPS
medium	152 FPS	77 FPS
high	109 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	38 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	36 FPS
medium	60 FPS	33 FPS
high	40 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	18 FPS

Open FirePro W9100 Open Quadro M5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	260 FPS	229 FPS
medium	222 FPS	198 FPS
high	176 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	141 FPS	120 FPS
1440p
low	187 FPS	170 FPS
medium	155 FPS	144 FPS
high	132 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	103 FPS	98 FPS
medium	86 FPS	82 FPS
high	72 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	52 FPS

Open FirePro W9100 Open Quadro M5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	349 FPS	356 FPS
medium	279 FPS	285 FPS
high	232 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	174 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	261 FPS	267 FPS
medium	209 FPS	214 FPS
high	174 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	174 FPS	178 FPS
medium	139 FPS	142 FPS
high	116 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	89 FPS

Open FirePro W9100 Open Quadro M5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	317 FPS	234 FPS
medium	275 FPS	202 FPS
high	226 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	174 FPS	140 FPS
1440p
low	234 FPS	183 FPS
medium	204 FPS	159 FPS
high	161 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	127 FPS	100 FPS
medium	100 FPS	80 FPS
high	81 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	50 FPS

Open FirePro W9100 Open Quadro M5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FirePro W9100 and Quadro M5500

FirePro W9100

The FirePro W9100 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 26 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 930 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,748 points.

Quadro M5500

The Quadro M5500 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 8 2016. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1140 MHz to 1165 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,915 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro W9100 scores 7,748 and the Quadro M5500 reaches 7,915 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro W9100 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,816 (FirePro W9100) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 5.238 TFLOPS (FirePro W9100) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500).

Feature	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
G3D Mark Score	7,748	7,915+2%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2816+38%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.238 TFLOPS+10%	4.772 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	176+38%	128
L1 Cache	704 KB	768 KB+9%
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro W9100 comes with 16 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M5500 has 8 GB. The FirePro W9100 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (FirePro W9100) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
VRAM Capacity	16 GB+100%	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro W9100) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
DirectX	12	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (FirePro W9100) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: H.264 (FirePro W9100) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).

Feature	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
Encoder	VCE 2.0	NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder	UVD 4.2	NVDEC (Maxwell)
Codecs	H.264	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro W9100 draws 275W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 58.8% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro W9100) vs 350W (Quadro M5500). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 93 vs 85.

Feature	FirePro W9100	Quadro M5500
TDP	275W	150W-45%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Length	275mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	93	85-9%
Perf/Watt	28.2	52.8+87%

💰

Value Analysis

The FirePro W9100 launched at $4000 MSRP, while the Quadro M5500 launched at $800. The Quadro M5500 costs 80% less ($3200 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (FirePro W9100) vs 9.9 (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 offers 421.1% better value. The Quadro M5500 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2014).