NVIDIA Quadro P4200 Max-Q

Benchmark Performance

The NVIDIA Quadro P4200 Max-Q occupies a distinctly mid-pack position in the database, with a percentileVsAllGpus score of 50, placing it exactly at the median of all recorded GPUs. This is a telling statistic: the card is neither a performance outlier nor a laggard, but rather a solidly average professional mobile solution. The raw compute figures reinforce this positioning. With 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines, the P4200 Max-Q delivers 6.820 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput. That places it in a performance tier that can handle demanding professional workloads, though it lacks the headroom of top-tier workstation parts.

The clock behavior is notable for a Max-Q variant. The base clock sits at 1215 MHz, with a boost clock of 1480 MHz. That boost delta—approximately 21.8% above base—is modest compared to some desktop counterparts, reflecting the thermal and power constraints of the mobile form factor. The pixel fill rate of 94.72 GPixel/s and texture fill rate of 213.1 GTexel/s are derived directly from these clock speeds and the fixed hardware unit counts. In practical terms, these rates suggest the card can sustain high-resolution rasterization without becoming fill-rate bound in most professional applications, though extreme multi-display or high-sample-rate scenarios will test its limits.

The FP16 performance is a point of caution: at 106.6 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), the card is heavily optimized for FP32 compute and offers negligible half-precision acceleration. Workloads that rely on FP16 tensor operations will see no benefit here. This is consistent with the Pascal architecture's design priorities, which predate the dedicated tensor core push of later generations. For mixed-precision scientific computing or AI inference tasks, the P4200 Max-Q is not the appropriate tool.

Memory Subsystem

The memory configuration is one of the card's stronger attributes. It pairs 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 224.4 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1753 MHz, which translates to 7 Gbps effective data rate. This bandwidth figure is adequate for 1440p and even 4K professional workloads, provided the working set fits within the 8 GB frame buffer.

For high-resolution rendering and large dataset manipulation, the 8 GB capacity is the more critical constraint than raw bandwidth. Many modern CAD, GIS, and video editing applications can exceed 8 GB when working with high-resolution textures or large point clouds. At 4K with maximum texture quality, some scenes will spill into system memory, causing noticeable performance degradation. The 224.4 GB/s bandwidth, while not class-leading, is sufficient to feed the 2,304 shading units without starvation in most scenarios. The 256-bit bus width is a key differentiator from lower-tier mobile parts that often use 128-bit or 192-bit buses, and it directly contributes to the card's ability to maintain consistent frame pacing in memory-intensive professional applications.

The GDDR5 memory type, rather than newer GDDR6 or HBM, reflects the card's 2018 vintage. It is a mature, well-understood technology with reliable driver support. For users working with 1080p and 1440p displays, the memory subsystem will rarely be the bottleneck. At 4K, the combination of 8 GB capacity and 224.4 GB/s bandwidth will handle most tasks, but users with extreme multi-monitor setups or 8K video timelines should look to higher-tier solutions with larger frame buffers.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The P4200 Max-Q is built on the Pascal architecture, which means it has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The fact pack lists both rtCores and tensorCores as null. This is a critical limitation for modern workloads. Ray-traced rendering, whether in real-time applications or professional DCC tools, will rely entirely on compute shaders. The card's FP32 throughput of 6.820 TFLOPS can handle software-based ray tracing, but performance will be far below what dedicated RT hardware delivers on newer architectures.

The API support is comprehensive for the card's era. DirectX 12 (12_1) support enables modern game and application development, while OpenGL 4.6 provides broad compatibility with professional software suites. Vulkan 1.4 support is also present, which is notable for cross-platform development and Linux-based workflows. These APIs allow the card to run current-generation titles and professional applications, but the lack of hardware-accelerated ray tracing means features like DLSS (which requires tensor cores) and real-time RTX effects are entirely unavailable.

The card's FP32 compute capability does provide a fallback for AI inference and some ray tracing workloads, but the 1:64 FP16 ratio means any half-precision acceleration is effectively absent. For users evaluating this card for machine learning tasks, the numbers are clear: it will run inference on FP32 models, but training and mixed-precision workloads will be impractically slow. The feature set is best described as "complete for 2018, dated for today."

Who Should Consider It

The benchmark data positions the P4200 Max-Q as a capable 1080p and 1440p professional mobile GPU. At 1080p, the card has ample headroom in most professional applications, with fill rates and bandwidth sufficient to maintain smooth interaction in CAD, 3D modeling, and video editing. At 1440p, the card remains viable, though users pushing maximum quality settings in demanding applications will notice the 8 GB memory ceiling.

For 4K workloads, the card is usable but not ideal. The 94.72 GPixel/s pixel rate can drive 4K displays, but complex scenes with heavy anti-aliasing or multiple high-resolution textures will challenge the memory subsystem. Users working primarily with 4K video editing, where the 8 GB frame buffer is often sufficient for preview but tight for color grading with LUTs and effects stacks, should consider this card only if their workflows are well-optimized.

The card is not suitable for ray-traced rendering or machine learning training. The absence of RT and tensor cores, combined with the 1:64 FP16 ratio, makes these workloads impractical. Users with such requirements should look at the Quadro Turing-M successor, which adds dedicated hardware for these tasks.

Power consumption is rated at 100 W TDP, which is moderate for a mobile workstation GPU. The MXM Module form factor and MXM-B (3.0) bus interface mean it is only suitable for laptops and portable workstations with MXM slots. Display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning connectivity varies by laptop design.

How It Compares

The fact pack lists no nearest rivals and no benchmark scores, which is unusual. The avgBenchmarkScore is 0, and the benchmarks array is empty. This means the percentileVsAllGpus of 50 is derived from the full GPU database, not from direct comparisons. Without rival data, the card's position must be inferred from its raw specifications.

Against its predecessor, the Quadro Maxwell-M generation, the P4200 Max-Q offers a significant generational leap. The Pascal architecture brings substantial IPC improvements and higher clock speeds, making the upgrade worthwhile for users on older mobile workstations.

Against its successor, the Quadro Turing-M generation, the P4200 Max-Q falls behind in ray tracing and tensor core capabilities. The Turing architecture introduces dedicated RT cores and tensor cores, which enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI features. The P4200 Max-Q's lack of these units is its primary weakness.

The production status is "End-of-life," with a release date of February 20, 2018. This means the card is no longer manufactured and is only available on the used market. For users purchasing refurbished mobile workstations, the P4200 Max-Q remains a functional choice for traditional rasterization workloads, but its age shows in modern feature support.

The 16 nm TSMC process node and 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die give a transistor density of 22.9 million per mm². These figures are respectable for the era but are far behind modern 5 nm and 4 nm parts. The power efficiency, at 100 W TDP for 6.820 TFLOPS, yields a compute efficiency of approximately 68.2 GFLOPS per watt, which is moderate by contemporary standards.

In summary, the P4200 Max-Q is a balanced, mid-range professional mobile GPU from the Pascal era. Its 50th percentile ranking accurately reflects its position: neither exceptional nor deficient, but adequate for a wide range of professional tasks at mainstream resolutions. The memory subsystem is well-configured, the compute performance is respectable, but the lack of modern acceleration features and the 8 GB capacity limit its future-proofing. Users with current-generation software that leverages ray tracing or AI acceleration should look elsewhere, while those with traditional rasterization workloads will find it a serviceable, if aging, solution.