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 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017

Why buy it

✅Draws 80W instead of 150W, a 70W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅14.6% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌87.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 80W.

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

2017

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 80W instead of 150W, a 70W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅14.6% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌87.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 80W.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M5500 better than GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design?

Yes. Quadro M5500 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 14.6% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data, 0.8% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 8 GB vs 6 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2016 instead of 2017, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2017 generation instead of 2016 and a 16nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

Quadro M5500 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Quadro M5500 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $800 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 14.6% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is the newer 2017 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (80W vs 150W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design make more sense than Quadro M5500?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design 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 newer architecture, lower power draw (80W vs 150W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Quadro M5500. The trade-off is that Quadro M5500 currently gives you 0.8% higher G3D Mark and 14.6% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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 1060 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Quadro M5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	82 FPS	108 FPS
medium	70 FPS	91 FPS
high	59 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	92 FPS
medium	62 FPS	77 FPS
high	46 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	38 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	36 FPS
medium	25 FPS	33 FPS
high	17 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Quadro M5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	167 FPS	229 FPS
medium	142 FPS	198 FPS
high	118 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	120 FPS
1440p
low	115 FPS	170 FPS
medium	92 FPS	144 FPS
high	73 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	50 FPS	98 FPS
medium	41 FPS	82 FPS
high	39 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	52 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Quadro M5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	353 FPS	356 FPS
medium	283 FPS	285 FPS
high	236 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	177 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	265 FPS	267 FPS
medium	212 FPS	214 FPS
high	177 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	177 FPS	178 FPS
medium	141 FPS	142 FPS
high	118 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	89 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Quadro M5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	214 FPS	234 FPS
medium	182 FPS	202 FPS
high	147 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	140 FPS
1440p
low	164 FPS	183 FPS
medium	142 FPS	159 FPS
high	110 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	90 FPS	100 FPS
medium	72 FPS	80 FPS
high	56 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design Open Quadro M5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design and Quadro M5500

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 27 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1063 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,853 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 GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design scores 7,853 and the Quadro M5500 reaches 7,915 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is built on Pascal while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500). Boost clocks: 1480 MHz vs 1165 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
G3D Mark Score	7,853	7,915
Architecture	Pascal	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	2048+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.789 TFLOPS	4.772 TFLOPS+26%
Boost Clock	1480 MHz+27%	1165 MHz
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	80	128+60%
L1 Cache	480 KB	768 KB+60%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Quadro M5500 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
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 1060 with Max-Q Design comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro M5500 has 8 GB. The Quadro M5500 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
DirectX	12.1	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6.0 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP8 vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design	Quadro M5500
Encoder	NVENC 6.0	NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP8	NVDEC (Maxwell)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design draws 80W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 60.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design) vs 350W (Quadro M5500). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.