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

✅34.9% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 225W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon Pro V520

2020

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm 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 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌50% higher power demand at 225W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Radeon Pro V520

2020

Why buy it

✅34.9% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 225W, a 75W reduction.

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm 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.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M5500 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌50% higher power demand at 225W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon Pro V520 better than Quadro M5500?

Yes. Radeon Pro V520 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Quadro M5500 averages 34.9% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,000 vs 7,915 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon Pro V520 is a 2020 card with FSR upscaling, 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?

Radeon Pro V520 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm 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?

Radeon Pro V520 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon Pro V520 is in basically the same MSRP band at $800 MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.1% 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

Radeon Pro V520 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	108 FPS	91 FPS
medium	91 FPS	81 FPS
high	78 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	79 FPS
medium	77 FPS	68 FPS
high	59 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	34 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	31 FPS
medium	33 FPS	29 FPS
high	21 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	19 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon Pro V520

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	229 FPS	195 FPS
medium	198 FPS	153 FPS
high	151 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	128 FPS
medium	144 FPS	97 FPS
high	116 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	53 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	69 FPS
medium	82 FPS	54 FPS
high	69 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	31 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon Pro V520

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	356 FPS	360 FPS
medium	285 FPS	288 FPS
high	237 FPS	240 FPS
ultra	178 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	267 FPS	270 FPS
medium	214 FPS	216 FPS
high	178 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	178 FPS	180 FPS
medium	142 FPS	144 FPS
high	119 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	90 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon Pro V520

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
1080p
low	234 FPS	143 FPS
medium	202 FPS	115 FPS
high	164 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	84 FPS
1440p
low	183 FPS	108 FPS
medium	159 FPS	88 FPS
high	125 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	100 FPS	63 FPS
medium	80 FPS	51 FPS
high	63 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	31 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon Pro V520

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro M5500 and Radeon Pro V520

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.

Radeon Pro V520

The Radeon Pro V520 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1600 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,000 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro M5500 scores 7,915 and the Radeon Pro V520 reaches 8,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M5500 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon Pro V520 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Quadro M5500) vs 2,304 (Radeon Pro V520). Raw compute: 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500) vs 7.373 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro V520). Boost clocks: 1165 MHz vs 1600 MHz.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
G3D Mark Score	7,915	8,000+1%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2048	2304+13%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.772 TFLOPS	7.373 TFLOPS+55%
Boost Clock	1165 MHz	1600 MHz+37%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	144+13%
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro M5500 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon Pro V520 has 4 GB. The Quadro M5500 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro M5500) vs 4 MB (Radeon Pro V520) — the Radeon Pro V520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500) vs 12.1 (Radeon Pro V520). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12.1
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon Pro V520). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500) vs H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon Pro V520).

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	VCN 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Maxwell)	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,H.265,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M5500 draws 150W versus the Radeon Pro V520's 225W — a 40% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M5500) vs 350W (Radeon Pro V520). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 85°C.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon Pro V520
TDP	150W-33%	225W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	267mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85	85°C
Perf/Watt	52.8+48%	35.6

💰

Value Analysis

The Quadro M5500 launched at $800 MSRP, while the Radeon Pro V520 launched at $800. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.9 (Quadro M5500) vs 10.0 (Radeon Pro V520) — the Radeon Pro V520 offers 1% better value. The Radeon Pro V520 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).