AMD Radeon 780M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile Comparison

The GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile and Radeon 780M represent two fundamentally different approaches to mobile graphics: a dedicated discrete GPU versus a high-end integrated solution. Benchmark data shows the NVIDIA part holds a decisive lead in raw compute and API-specific tests, but the AMD chip counters with a significantly lower power envelope and a newer process node. The following analysis breaks down the measurable differences between these two active-generation parts.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data contains only two directly comparable tests, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile wins both. The most dramatic gap appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 4050 Mobile scores 74,748 against the Radeon 780M’s 18,602. That is a 301.8% delta, meaning the NVIDIA part delivers roughly four times the OpenCL performance. This is an enormous margin that reflects not just raw shading power but also the efficiency of NVIDIA’s driver stack in compute workloads.

The second test, Geekbench Vulkan, narrows the gap considerably but still favors NVIDIA. The RTX 4050 Mobile scores 75,235 versus the Radeon 780M’s 33,683, a 123.4% delta. In other words, the NVIDIA part is more than twice as fast in Vulkan. While the 780M’s Vulkan score is respectable for an integrated GPU, the discrete solution’s dedicated memory bandwidth and larger shader array prove decisive.

Looking at overall averages, the RTX 4050 Mobile holds an average benchmark score of 19,049 across all tests, while the Radeon 780M averages 17,588. This places the NVIDIA part in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, slightly ahead of the AMD chip’s 61st percentile. Interestingly, the RTX 4050 Mobile’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 with an average score of 19,036 — a delta of just 0.1%. The Radeon 780M’s closest competitor is the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17,551, a 0.2% delta. This suggests that while the two parts are separated by about 8% in average score, they compete in different performance tiers relative to their peers.

The wins tally is clean: 2 wins for the RTX 4050 Mobile, 0 for the Radeon 780M. However, the absence of a shared DirectX or Passmark test in the head-to-head data means the comparison relies heavily on compute-oriented benchmarks. In real-world gaming, the gap may fluctuate depending on driver optimization and memory configuration.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two parts is stark. The RTX 4050 Mobile uses the AD107 chip built on TSMC’s 5 nm process, while the Radeon 780M uses the Phoenix chip on TSMC’s 4 nm node. The AMD part is manufactured on a more advanced node, which helps explain its lower power draw, but the NVIDIA chip counters with a higher transistor density: 118.9 million transistors per square millimeter versus AMD’s 142.6M / mm². The NVIDIA chip packs 18,900 million transistors onto a 159 mm² die, while the AMD chip contains 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die.

Shader configuration diverges dramatically. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. The Radeon 780M has only 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite this 3.3x difference in shader count, the FP32 compute figures are nearly identical: 8.986 TFLOPS for NVIDIA versus 8.909 TFLOPS for AMD. This is because the Radeon 780M boosts to 2,900 MHz versus the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 1,755 MHz boost clock. The AMD part’s higher frequency compensates for its lower core count, but the NVIDIA part achieves its compute with far more parallel hardware.

Ray tracing hardware also differs: the RTX 4050 Mobile has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, while the Radeon 780M has 12 RT cores and no equivalent tensor core array. This gives NVIDIA a structural advantage in ray-traced workloads and AI-accelerated tasks. The pixel rate tells a different story — the Radeon 780M achieves 92.80 GPixel/s versus NVIDIA’s 84.24 GPixel/s, a rare win for AMD. Texture rate is nearly tied at 140.4 GTexel/s for NVIDIA and 139.2 GTexel/s for AMD.

Memory is perhaps the most consequential difference. The RTX 4050 Mobile has 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 780M uses system shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This means the NVIDIA part has guaranteed, consistent memory performance, while the AMD part’s performance fluctuates based on the host system’s RAM configuration.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 74,748, which is 301.8% higher than the Radeon 780M’s 18,602. This is the largest performance gap in the head-to-head data.

Q: Does the Radeon 780M win any benchmark?

A: The head-to-head data shows zero wins for the Radeon 780M. The NVIDIA part wins both Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan. However, the Radeon 780M does have a higher pixel rate (92.80 GPixel/s) and texture rate (139.2 GTexel/s) than the RTX 4050 Mobile in specification comparisons, though no direct benchmark confirms this advantage.

Q: How do their average scores compare?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 19,049, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The Radeon 780M averages 17,588, in the 61st percentile. The NVIDIA part is about 8% ahead in this aggregate metric.

Q: What are their transistor counts and die sizes?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile uses 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. The Radeon 780M uses 25,390 million transistors on a 178 mm² die. The AMD chip has a higher transistor density at 142.6M / mm² versus NVIDIA’s 118.9M / mm².

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has 2,560 shading units, compared to the Radeon 780M’s 768. Despite this, their FP32 performance is nearly identical at roughly 8.9 TFLOPS, due to the AMD part’s much higher boost clock of 2,900 MHz.

Q: What memory configurations do they use?

A: The RTX 4050 Mobile has 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 780M uses system shared memory, meaning its bandwidth is dependent on the host system.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile for anyone prioritizing raw performance. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks, holds a higher average score, and sits in a higher percentile. The 301.8% OpenCL lead and 123.4% Vulkan lead are not marginal — they represent a fundamentally different performance class. Additionally, the dedicated 6 GB GDDR6 memory with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth provides consistent performance that the Radeon 780M’s system-shared memory cannot guarantee.

However, the Radeon 780M is not without merit. Its 15 W TDP is dramatically lower than the RTX 4050 Mobile’s 50 W, making it far more suitable for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals matter more than raw frames. Its 4 nm process node is more advanced, and its higher transistor count (25,390 million) and density (142.6M / mm²) suggest architectural efficiency. The nearly identical FP32 TFLOPS (8.909 versus 8.986) and texture rates (139.2 GTexel/s versus 140.4 GTexel/s) show that AMD’s design achieves comparable compute throughput with far fewer cores.

For a user who needs a discrete-class GPU for compute, ray tracing, or consistent gaming performance, the RTX 4050 Mobile is the clear choice. For a user who values portability, battery life, and sufficient integrated graphics for everyday tasks, the Radeon 780M is the sensible pick. The data does not support calling the AMD part a performance equal — but it does support calling it a power-efficiency champion.

Specification Differences

| Field | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile | AMD Radeon 780M |

|-------|-------------------------------|-----------------|

| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 4 nm |

| Transistors | 18,900 million | 25,390 million |

| Die Size | 159 mm² | 178 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 118.9M / mm² | 142.6M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1455 MHz | 800 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1755 MHz | 2900 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | System Shared |

| Memory Type | GDDR6 | System Shared |

| Memory Bus | 96 bit | System Shared |

| Memory Bandwidth | 192.0 GB/s | System Dependent |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 768 |

| TMUs | 80 | 48 |

| ROPs | 48 | 32 |

| RT Cores | 20 | 12 |

| Tensor Cores | 80 | null |

| Pixel Rate | 84.24 GPixel/s | 92.80 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 140.4 GTexel/s | 139.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.986 TFLOPS | 8.909 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 50 W | 15 W |

| Release Date | 2023-01-02 | 2024-01-30 |

| Predecessor | GeForce 30 Mobile | Navi II IGP |

| Successor | GeForce 50 Mobile | Navi III IGP |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | Motherboard Dependent |

The two parts differ in nearly every measurable specification except for API support (both offer DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4), bus interface (both PCIe 4.0 x8), slot width (both IGP), and power connectors (both None). The Radeon 780M’s higher pixel rate and lower TDP are its standout advantages, while the RTX 4050 Mobile’s dedicated memory, tensor cores, and higher shader count define its performance profile.