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

✅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 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: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌150% higher power demand at 150W vs 60W.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅8.7% 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 150W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quadro M5500

2016

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

✅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).

Why buy it

✅8.7% 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 150W, a 90W 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: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌150% higher power demand at 150W vs 60W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design better than Quadro M5500?

Yes. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is clearly the better overall GPU here. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design averages 8.7% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,119 vs 7,915 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is a 2019 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Quadro M5500 is a 2016 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 2016, 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 $800 MSRP, and you are getting 8.7% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.6% higher G3D Mark. Quadro M5500 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Quadro M5500 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Quadro M5500 is 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 7,915 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.

Quadro M5500 Benchmark Check

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	108 FPS	83 FPS
medium	91 FPS	72 FPS
high	78 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	73 FPS
medium	77 FPS	64 FPS
high	59 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	27 FPS
medium	33 FPS	26 FPS
high	21 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	15 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	229 FPS	170 FPS
medium	198 FPS	135 FPS
high	151 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	131 FPS
medium	144 FPS	102 FPS
high	116 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	76 FPS
medium	82 FPS	62 FPS
high	69 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	37 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	356 FPS	365 FPS
medium	285 FPS	292 FPS
high	237 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	178 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	267 FPS	274 FPS
medium	214 FPS	219 FPS
high	178 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	178 FPS	183 FPS
medium	142 FPS	146 FPS
high	119 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	91 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
1080p
low	234 FPS	231 FPS
medium	202 FPS	195 FPS
high	164 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	183 FPS	180 FPS
medium	159 FPS	158 FPS
high	125 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	104 FPS
4K
low	100 FPS	107 FPS
medium	80 FPS	89 FPS
high	63 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	54 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro M5500 and Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

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 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 Quadro M5500 scores 7,915 and the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design reaches 8,119 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M5500 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design uses Turing, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Quadro M5500) vs 2,304 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Raw compute: 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500) vs 5.599 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Boost clocks: 1165 MHz vs 1215 MHz.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
G3D Mark Score	7,915	8,119+3%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	Turing
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2048	2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.772 TFLOPS	5.599 TFLOPS+17%
Boost Clock	1165 MHz	1215 MHz+4%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	144+13%
L1 Cache	0.75 MB	2.3 MB+207%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 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	Quadro M5500	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	Standard	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro M5500 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has 6 GB. The Quadro M5500 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro M5500) 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	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+33%	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500) vs 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 Ultimate
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 7th Gen (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs NVDEC 4th Gen. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500) vs H.265,H.264 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design).

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	NVDEC (Maxwell)	NVDEC 4th Gen
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.265,H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M5500 draws 150W versus the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design's 60W — a 85.7% difference. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M5500) vs 500W (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs Unknown.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design
TDP	150W	60W-60%
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	0mm
Height	0mm	0mm
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	85	Unknown-100%
Perf/Watt	52.8	135.3+156%