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

✅18.3% 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 300W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
143.2% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290 / 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $471 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 150.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Quadro M5500

2016

Radeon R9 290 / 390

2015

Why buy it

✅18.3% 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 300W, a 150W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Costs $471 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 150.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 9.9 G3D/$ ($329 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.
❌
143.2% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.9 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro M5500 better than Radeon R9 290 / 390?

Yes. Quadro M5500 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 18.3% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data, 3% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2016 instead of 2015, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

Quadro M5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2015, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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 143.2% more expensive on MSRP at $800 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 18.3% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (7,915 vs 8,150). Radeon R9 290 / 390 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 290 / 390 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 290 / 390 is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 8,150 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. 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 R9 290 / 390 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
1080p
low	108 FPS	80 FPS
medium	91 FPS	69 FPS
high	78 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	70 FPS
medium	77 FPS	61 FPS
high	59 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	25 FPS
medium	33 FPS	24 FPS
high	21 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	14 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon R9 290 / 390

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
1080p
low	229 FPS	182 FPS
medium	198 FPS	154 FPS
high	151 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	130 FPS
medium	144 FPS	102 FPS
high	116 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	59 FPS
medium	82 FPS	48 FPS
high	69 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	35 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon R9 290 / 390

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
1080p
low	356 FPS	367 FPS
medium	285 FPS	293 FPS
high	237 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	178 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	267 FPS	275 FPS
medium	214 FPS	220 FPS
high	178 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	178 FPS	183 FPS
medium	142 FPS	147 FPS
high	119 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	92 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon R9 290 / 390

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
1080p
low	234 FPS	151 FPS
medium	202 FPS	124 FPS
high	164 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	91 FPS
1440p
low	183 FPS	109 FPS
medium	159 FPS	90 FPS
high	125 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	100 FPS	64 FPS
medium	80 FPS	50 FPS
high	63 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	29 FPS

Open Quadro M5500 Open Radeon R9 290 / 390

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro M5500 and Radeon R9 290 / 390

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 R9 290 / 390

The Radeon R9 290 / 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,150 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro M5500 scores 7,915 and the Radeon R9 290 / 390 reaches 8,150 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M5500 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (Quadro M5500) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Raw compute: 4.772 TFLOPS (Quadro M5500) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Boost clocks: 1165 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
G3D Mark Score	7,915	8,150+3%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048	2560+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.772 TFLOPS	5.12 TFLOPS+7%
Boost Clock	1165 MHz+17%	1000 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	160+25%
L1 Cache	768 KB+20%	640 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
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 R9 290 / 390 has 4 GB. The Quadro M5500 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro M5500) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Quadro M5500 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	256-bit	512-bit+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Quadro M5500) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (Quadro M5500) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Quadro M5500) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290 / 390).

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
Encoder	NVENC (Maxwell)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Maxwell)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M5500 draws 150W versus the Radeon R9 290 / 390's 300W — a 66.7% difference. The Quadro M5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M5500) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 95°C.

Feature	Quadro M5500	Radeon R9 290 / 390
TDP	150W-50%	300W
Recommended PSU	350W-53%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	0mm	275mm
Height	0mm	109mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85-11%	95°C
Perf/Watt	52.8+94%	27.2

💰

Value Analysis

The Quadro M5500 launched at $800 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 launched at $329. The Radeon R9 290 / 390 costs 58.9% less ($471 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.9 (Quadro M5500) vs 24.8 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Radeon R9 290 / 390 offers 150.5% better value. The Quadro M5500 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).