AMD Radeon 820M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

# AMD Radeon 820M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark results for these two mobile graphics solutions, yet the recorded specifications and existing measurements for the RTX 3050 A Mobile allow for a clear comparison of their projected capabilities. The AMD Radeon 820M is an integrated graphics processor built on TSMC's 4 nm node, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is a discrete-class mobile GPU using Samsung's 8 nm process. The disparity in raw compute resources is substantial, with the NVIDIA part carrying 1,792 shading units against AMD's 128, and a boost clock of 1,343 MHz versus AMD's 2,800 MHz. These numbers alone suggest very different performance brackets, though the AMD part's higher clock speed and modern architecture narrow some gaps in specific workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Since no direct head-to-head benchmark entries exist in the database, the analysis must rely on the RTX 3050 A Mobile's recorded benchmark scores and the AMD 820M's specification-derived capabilities. The RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers a Geekbench OpenCL score of 52,998, which places it firmly in the range of capable mobile GPUs. Its PassMark G3D score of 11,664 and PassMark GPU Compute score of 4,419 further quantify its performance. The AMD Radeon 820M has no benchmark scores recorded, so its projected performance must be inferred from its 716.8 GFLOPS FP32 throughput, which is dramatically lower than the RTX 3050 A Mobile's 4.813 TFLOPS. This represents a 6.7x advantage for NVIDIA in raw floating-point throughput, a gap that will dominate most compute-heavy workloads.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 with an average score of 8,743 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 at 8,863 (-1.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon R9 M265X at 8,851 (-1.2% delta). These comparisons indicate that the RTX 3050 A Mobile's average benchmark score of 8,746 sits squarely between these older desktop and mobile parts, with essentially no meaningful separation from the GTX 460 v2. The Quadro P2200 trails by just 0.7%, while the two AMD parts edge ahead by roughly 1.2% to 1.3%, placing the RTX 3050 A Mobile in a tight cluster of mid-range GPUs from previous generations.

For the AMD Radeon 820M, the specification sheet shows a pixel rate of 11.20 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 22.40 GTexel/s, compared to the RTX 3050 A Mobile's 42.98 GPixel/s and 75.21 GTexel/s. These figures indicate NVIDIA holds a 3.8x advantage in pixel fillrate and a 3.4x advantage in texture fillrate. The RTX 3050 A Mobile also brings 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores to the table, while the AMD part lists 2 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores, meaning AI-accelerated workloads and ray-traced rendering will heavily favor the NVIDIA solution. The AMD part's FP16 throughput matches its FP32 at 716.8 GFLOPS (1:1 ratio), whereas NVIDIA also runs FP16 at 4.813 TFLOPS (1:1), so no relative advantage emerges from reduced-precision math on either side.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA RTX 3050 A Mobile in raw compute performance compared to the AMD Radeon 820M?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers 4.813 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, while the Radeon 820M provides 716.8 GFLOPS, giving NVIDIA a 6.7x advantage in raw floating-point compute.

Q: What memory configurations do these two GPUs use?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth and 12 Gbps effective memory speed. The Radeon 820M uses system-shared memory, with bandwidth described as system dependent and no dedicated VRAM.

Q: How does the Radeon 820M's pixel throughput compare to the RTX 3050 A Mobile?

A: The Radeon 820M achieves 11.20 GPixel/s, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile reaches 42.98 GPixel/s, a 3.8x difference favoring NVIDIA.

Q: What is the production status of each GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon 820M is listed as Active with a release date of 2025-02-28, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is marked End-of-life with a release date of 2023-12-31.

Q: Do both GPUs support the same graphics APIs?

A: Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API-level compatibility is identical despite the architectural differences.

Q: How does the RTX 3050 A Mobile's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has an average benchmark score of 8,746, sitting 0% delta from the GTX 460 v2 (8,743), 0.7% ahead of the Quadro P2200 (8,686), and 1.2% to 1.3% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M265X (8,851) and Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8,863).

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA RTX 3050 A Mobile wins across every measurable performance category in the database. Its 4.813 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, 42.98 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 75.21 GTexel/s texture rate place it far ahead of the AMD Radeon 820M's 716.8 GFLOPS, 11.20 GPixel/s, and 22.40 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part also provides dedicated 4 GB GDDR6 memory with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is critical for texture-heavy scenes and large frame buffers, while the AMD part relies on system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. The 14 ray tracing cores and 56 tensor cores on the RTX 3050 A Mobile enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-based features, neither of which the AMD part can match given its 2 ray tracing cores and absent tensor cores.

The AMD Radeon 820M's advantages are limited to power efficiency and integration characteristics. Its 15 W TDP is one-third of the RTX 3050 A Mobile's 45 W, making it suitable for thinner, lighter portable devices with less demanding thermal solutions. The 400 MHz base clock and 2,800 MHz boost clock indicate a design optimized for burst performance within tight power envelopes. The 4 nm TSMC process node also suggests lower leakage and better energy efficiency per transistor compared to the 8 nm Samsung node used by NVIDIA. For workloads that are latency-bound rather than throughput-bound, such as basic desktop rendering or light 2D acceleration, the AMD part's higher boost clock relative to its core count could provide snappier response, though no benchmark data confirms this.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every hardware specification. The AMD Radeon 820M uses the Krackan Point 2 chip based on RDNA 3.5 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip based on Ampere architecture, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. The NVIDIA part contains 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die with a transistor density of 43.5M per mm², while the AMD part's transistor count and die size are listed as unknown. Clock speeds differ substantially: AMD runs at 400 MHz base and 2,800 MHz boost, while NVIDIA runs at 1,065 MHz base and 1,343 MHz boost. The AMD part's memory is system shared with system-dependent bandwidth, whereas NVIDIA uses 4 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Core configuration differences are stark. The Radeon 820M has 128 shading units, 8 texture mapping units, and 4 render output units, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1,792 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Ray tracing cores number 2 for AMD versus 14 for NVIDIA, and tensor cores are absent on AMD versus 56 on NVIDIA. The TDP rating is 15 W for AMD and 45 W for NVIDIA. Both use PCIe 4.0 x8 interfaces and have no power connectors, with display outputs described as portable device dependent. The AMD part is an IGP with no slot width specified beyond that classification, and the NVIDIA part is also classified as IGP despite its discrete-class specifications.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs reflects different design philosophies and process technologies. AMD's RDNA 3.5 architecture on the Krackan Point 2 chip represents a modern integrated graphics design optimized for power efficiency within a 15 W envelope. The 4 nm TSMC process allows higher clock speeds at lower voltages, which explains the 2,800 MHz boost clock despite the modest 128 shading units. NVIDIA's Ampere architecture on the GA106 chip is a larger, more power-hungry design from the GeForce 30 Mobile generation, using 12,000 million transistors across a 276 mm² die on Samsung's 8 nm node. The 45 W TDP supports a much larger execution footprint, with 1,792 shading units enabling the 4.813 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The inclusion of 56 tensor cores on the NVIDIA part signals a focus on AI-accelerated workloads such as DLSS and neural network inference, while the 14 ray tracing cores provide dedicated hardware for ray-traced lighting calculations. The AMD part's 2 ray tracing cores offer minimal ray tracing capability, and the absence of tensor cores means no hardware acceleration for AI features. Both architectures support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so feature-level API support is equivalent, but the underlying hardware capabilities diverge sharply. The FP16 to FP32 ratio is 1:1 on both parts, meaning neither gains a throughput advantage from reduced-precision operations. The AMD part's predecessor is listed as Navi II IGP, while NVIDIA's predecessor is GeForce 20 Mobile, indicating both represent generational steps within their respective product lines.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile as the dominant performer in every benchmarked category. Its average benchmark score of 8,746, Geekbench OpenCL score of 52,998, and PassMark G3D score of 11,664 demonstrate a GPU that can handle demanding 3D workloads, while the AMD Radeon 820M has no recorded scores to challenge these figures. The NVIDIA part's 6.7x FP32 advantage, 3.8x pixel rate advantage, and 3.4x texture rate advantage, combined with dedicated 4 GB GDDR6 memory and hardware tensor and ray tracing cores, make it the clear choice for gaming, content creation, and compute-heavy applications. Its nearest rival comparisons show it performing on par with older desktop parts like the GTX 460 v2, confirming it operates at a mid-range performance tier.

The AMD Radeon 820M serves a different purpose entirely. Its 15 W TDP, integrated nature, and modern 4 nm process make it suitable for ultrathin laptops where battery life and thermal constraints take priority over raw performance. The system-shared memory architecture eliminates dedicated VRAM overhead and simplifies device design, while the 2,800 MHz boost clock suggests responsive performance for lighter tasks. For users who need a discrete-class GPU with dedicated memory, ray tracing support, and AI acceleration, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only viable option between these two. For users who prioritize portability and efficiency above all else, the Radeon 820M's specifications align with that requirement, though its performance ceiling remains unquantified in the database. The RTX 3050 A Mobile's end-of-life status and the Radeon 820M's active production status also indicate the AMD part represents current technology, while the NVIDIA part belongs to a previous generation, yet the performance gap remains decisively in NVIDIA's favor.