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.

GRID P40-8Q

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($3,000 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌350% higher power demand at 225W vs 50W.

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 225W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $3,000 MSRP).

GRID P40-8Q

2015

Radeon RX 6500M

2022

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($3,000 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 225W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌350% higher power demand at 225W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $3,000 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GRID P40-8Q better than Radeon RX 6500M?

Yes. GRID P40-8Q is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 7,507 vs 7,443 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GRID P40-8Q is a 2015 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon RX 6500M is a 2022 model from an older generation with FSR 3 + AFMF. 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 RX 6500M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015, better upscaling support with FSR 3 (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 6nm 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?

GRID P40-8Q can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $3,000 MSRP. GRID P40-8Q is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GRID P40-8Q is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $3,000 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 0.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 6500M is the newer 2022 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 225W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon RX 6500M make more sense than GRID P40-8Q?

Yes. Radeon RX 6500M 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 (50W vs 225W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of GRID P40-8Q. The trade-off is that GRID P40-8Q currently gives you 0.9% higher G3D Mark. 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.

GRID P40-8Q Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 6500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	104 FPS	104 FPS
medium	90 FPS	92 FPS
high	73 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	66 FPS
1440p
low	91 FPS	94 FPS
medium	80 FPS	80 FPS
high	58 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	29 FPS	47 FPS
medium	27 FPS	44 FPS
high	18 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	16 FPS	29 FPS

Open GRID P40-8Q Open Radeon RX 6500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	162 FPS	172 FPS
medium	128 FPS	134 FPS
high	94 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	63 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	113 FPS
medium	92 FPS	87 FPS
high	74 FPS	67 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	56 FPS
medium	52 FPS	44 FPS
high	43 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	24 FPS

Open GRID P40-8Q Open Radeon RX 6500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	338 FPS	334 FPS
medium	270 FPS	268 FPS
high	225 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	169 FPS	167 FPS
1440p
low	253 FPS	245 FPS
medium	203 FPS	201 FPS
high	169 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	127 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	169 FPS	146 FPS
medium	135 FPS	128 FPS
high	113 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	57 FPS

Open GRID P40-8Q Open Radeon RX 6500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
1080p
low	182 FPS	282 FPS
medium	148 FPS	214 FPS
high	133 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	156 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	209 FPS
medium	110 FPS	154 FPS
high	99 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	77 FPS	103 FPS
medium	60 FPS	75 FPS
high	49 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	51 FPS

Open GRID P40-8Q Open Radeon RX 6500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GRID P40-8Q and Radeon RX 6500M

GRID P40-8Q

The GRID P40-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,507 points.

Radeon RX 6500M

The Radeon RX 6500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2400 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,443 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GRID P40-8Q scores 7,507 and the Radeon RX 6500M reaches 7,443 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID P40-8Q is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon RX 6500M uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GRID P40-8Q) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500M). Raw compute: 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID P40-8Q) vs 4.915 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500M). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 2400 MHz.

Feature	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
G3D Mark Score	7,507	7,443
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	2048+100%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.825 TFLOPS	4.915 TFLOPS+2%
Boost Clock	1178 MHz	2400 MHz+104%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	128+100%	64
L1 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6500M is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GRID P40-8Q lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR6. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GRID P40-8Q) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500M) — the GRID P40-8Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (GRID P40-8Q) vs 12 (12_2) (Radeon RX 6500M). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 3.

Feature	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
DirectX	12.0	12 (12_2)
Vulkan	1.1	1.4+27%
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	0	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 4.0 (GRID P40-8Q) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6500M). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP7 vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (GRID P40-8Q) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only) (Radeon RX 6500M).

Feature	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
Encoder	NVENC 4.0	VCN 3.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP7	VCN 3.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9	H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Decode Only)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID P40-8Q draws 225W versus the Radeon RX 6500M's 50W — a 127.3% difference. The Radeon RX 6500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID P40-8Q) vs 350W (Radeon RX 6500M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

Feature	GRID P40-8Q	Radeon RX 6500M
TDP	225W	50W-78%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	Mobile
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	33.4	148.9+346%