Quadro M5500 vs Quadro P4200 Max-Q

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.

Quadro M5500

2016

Why buy it

✅13.8% more average FPS across 48 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).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌50% higher power demand at 150W vs 100W.

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

2018

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than Quadro M5500: it remains the more sensible modern option while Quadro M5500 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 100W instead of 150W, a 50W 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 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quadro M5500

2016

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

2018

Why buy it

✅13.8% more average FPS across 48 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).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than Quadro M5500: it remains the more sensible modern option while Quadro M5500 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 100W instead of 150W, a 50W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌50% higher power demand at 150W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M5500 better than Quadro P4200 Max-Q?

Yes. Quadro M5500 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 13.8% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data, 1.5% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2016 instead of 2018, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

Quadro P4200 Max-Q is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2018 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 13.8% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. Quadro P4200 Max-Q is the newer 2018 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (100W vs 150W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Quadro P4200 Max-Q make more sense than Quadro M5500?

Yes. Quadro P4200 Max-Q 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 (100W 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 1.5% higher G3D Mark and 13.8% more estimated average FPS across 48 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.

Quadro M5500 Benchmark Check

Quadro P4200 Max-Q Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
1080p
low	108 FPS	93 FPS
medium	91 FPS	81 FPS
high	78 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	46 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	78 FPS
medium	77 FPS	69 FPS
high	59 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	28 FPS
medium	33 FPS	26 FPS
high	21 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	15 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
1080p
low	229 FPS	221 FPS
medium	198 FPS	187 FPS
high	151 FPS	144 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	117 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	161 FPS
medium	144 FPS	135 FPS
high	116 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	94 FPS
medium	82 FPS	78 FPS
high	69 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	50 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
1080p
low	356 FPS	351 FPS
medium	285 FPS	281 FPS
high	237 FPS	234 FPS
ultra	178 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	267 FPS	263 FPS
medium	214 FPS	211 FPS
high	178 FPS	176 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	132 FPS
4K
low	178 FPS	176 FPS
medium	142 FPS	140 FPS
high	119 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	88 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
1080p
low	234 FPS	178 FPS
medium	202 FPS	145 FPS
high	164 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	183 FPS	127 FPS
medium	159 FPS	104 FPS
high	125 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	100 FPS	71 FPS
medium	80 FPS	58 FPS
high	63 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	36 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro P4200 Max-Q

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro M5500 and Quadro P4200 Max-Q

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.

Quadro P4200 Max-Q

The Quadro P4200 Max-Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 21 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1215 MHz to 1480 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,800 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro M5500 scores 7,915 and the Quadro P4200 Max-Q reaches 7,800 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M5500 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro P4200 Max-Q uses Pascal, both on 28 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Quadro M5500) vs 2,304 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q). Raw compute: 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500) vs 6.82 TFLOPS (Quadro P4200 Max-Q). Boost clocks: 1165 MHz vs 1480 MHz.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
G3D Mark Score	7,915+1%	7,800
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Pascal
Process Node	28 nm	16 nm
Shading Units	2048	2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.772 TFLOPS	6.82 TFLOPS+43%
Boost Clock	1165 MHz	1480 MHz+27%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	144+13%
L1 Cache	768 KB	864 KB+13%
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro M5500 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro P4200 Max-Q has 4 GB. The Quadro M5500 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500) vs 12.1 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12.1
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500) vs NVENC 6.0 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs PureVideo HD VP8. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Quadro P4200 Max-Q).

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro P4200 Max-Q
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	NVENC 6.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Maxwell)	PureVideo HD VP8
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M5500 draws 150W versus the Quadro P4200 Max-Q's 100W — a 40% difference. The Quadro P4200 Max-Q is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M5500) vs 350W (Quadro P4200 Max-Q). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.