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

✅Costs $301 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 61.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅10.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
60.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 15.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 780

2013

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $301 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 61.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.9 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅10.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
60.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$499 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 15.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M5500 better than GeForce GTX 780?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Quadro M5500 averages 10.4% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 7,957 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 250W).

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

GeForce GTX 780 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 M5500 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Quadro M5500 is about 60.3% more expensive on MSRP at $800 MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 10.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (7,915 vs 7,957). GeForce GTX 780 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 780 make more sense than Quadro M5500?

Yes. GeForce GTX 780 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 $499 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Quadro M5500. The trade-off is that Quadro M5500 currently gives you a lower G3D Mark (7,915 vs 7,957) and 10.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. GeForce GTX 780 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 780 Benchmark Check

Quadro M5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	78 FPS	108 FPS
medium	67 FPS	91 FPS
high	54 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	92 FPS
medium	60 FPS	77 FPS
high	43 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	38 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	36 FPS
medium	24 FPS	33 FPS
high	16 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	18 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro M5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	181 FPS	229 FPS
medium	152 FPS	198 FPS
high	115 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	120 FPS
1440p
low	123 FPS	170 FPS
medium	92 FPS	144 FPS
high	68 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	53 FPS	98 FPS
medium	42 FPS	82 FPS
high	36 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	52 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro M5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	358 FPS	356 FPS
medium	286 FPS	285 FPS
high	239 FPS	237 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	269 FPS	267 FPS
medium	215 FPS	214 FPS
high	179 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	179 FPS	178 FPS
medium	143 FPS	142 FPS
high	119 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	89 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro M5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
1080p
low	214 FPS	234 FPS
medium	179 FPS	202 FPS
high	143 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	118 FPS	140 FPS
1440p
low	166 FPS	183 FPS
medium	141 FPS	159 FPS
high	109 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	94 FPS	100 FPS
medium	73 FPS	80 FPS
high	58 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	50 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 780 Open Quadro M5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 780 and Quadro M5500

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 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 780 scores 7,957 and the Quadro M5500 reaches 7,915 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780 is built on Kepler while the Quadro M5500 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 2,048 (Quadro M5500). Raw compute: 4.156 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780) vs 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1165 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
G3D Mark Score	7,957	7,915
Architecture	Kepler	Maxwell 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304+13%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.156 TFLOPS	4.772 TFLOPS+15%
Boost Clock	900 MHz	1165 MHz+29%
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	192+50%	128
L1 Cache	192 KB	768 KB+300%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 780 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 780	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 780 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: 384-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780) vs 2 MB (Quadro M5500) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
VRAM Capacity	6 GB	8 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1.5 MB	2 MB+33%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 780) vs 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (12_1)
Vulkan	1.0	1.2+20%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 780) vs NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs NVDEC (Maxwell). Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780) vs H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500).

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	NVENC (Maxwell)
Decoder	NVDEC 1st Gen	NVDEC (Maxwell)
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 draws 250W versus the Quadro M5500's 150W — a 50% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780) vs 350W (Quadro M5500). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 85.

Feature	GeForce GTX 780	Quadro M5500
TDP	250W	150W-40%
Recommended PSU	600W	350W-42%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80-6%	85
Perf/Watt	31.8	52.8+66%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 780 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Quadro M5500 launched at $800. The GeForce GTX 780 costs 37.6% less ($301 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.9 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 9.9 (Quadro M5500) — the GeForce GTX 780 offers 60.6% better value. The Quadro M5500 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2013).