AMD Radeon 860M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile Comparison

The Verdict

The data presents a clear separation of roles. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is the decisive performance leader in every recorded benchmark, dominating the AMD Radeon 860M by a massive margin. If the priority is raw compute and graphics throughput, the RTX 3080 Mobile is the only choice from these two. However, the Radeon 860M is an integrated processor (IGP) with a 15 W TDP, while the RTX 3080 Mobile is a dedicated mobile GPU with a 115 W TDP. The Radeon 860M is the practical pick for a thin, light, and power-efficient system where dedicated graphics are not an option. The RTX 3080 Mobile is for a larger, heavier laptop that prioritizes performance above all else. The benchmark data shows no scenario where the Radeon 860M wins, so the verdict hinges entirely on the system design and power constraints, not on performance equivalence.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from entirely different design philosophies and process technologies. The AMD Radeon 860M is built on TSMC's 4 nm process node, featuring the RDNA 3.5 architecture and the Krackan Point chip. It belongs to the Navi III IGP generation, specifically for Strix Point Mobile. In contrast, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is based on the Ampere architecture, using the GA104 chip manufactured by Samsung on an 8 nm process node. This is a fundamental difference: the Radeon 860M is a modern, power-sipping integrated solution, while the RTX 3080 Mobile is a larger, older discrete part.

The transistor counts and die sizes reflect this gap. The RTX 3080 Mobile packs 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². The Radeon 860M's transistor count and die size are listed as unknown in the database, but its integrated nature and smaller process node suggest a far smaller footprint. The RTX 3080 Mobile also features a dedicated memory subsystem with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Radeon 860M uses System Shared memory, with bandwidth described as System Dependent. This architectural difference alone explains the massive performance disparity in memory-heavy workloads.

Feature-wise, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, the RTX 3080 Mobile includes 192 tensor cores and 48 RT cores, while the Radeon 860M only lists 8 RT cores and no tensor cores. The shading units also differ drastically: the NVIDIA part has 6,144 shading units versus 512 on the AMD part. The Radeon 860M operates at a much higher boost clock of 3000 MHz compared to the RTX 3080 Mobile's 1545 MHz, but the sheer width of the NVIDIA GPU overcomes that clock advantage.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data in the database contains only two benchmark entries, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile wins both by a wide margin. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104,831 against the Radeon 860M's 22,759. This is a delta of -78.3% for the AMD part, meaning the NVIDIA GPU delivers roughly 4.6 times the OpenCL performance. That is not a marginal lead; it is a generational and architectural chasm.

In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the results are similarly lopsided. The RTX 3080 Mobile scores 104,066, while the Radeon 860M scores 30,043. The delta is -71.1%, indicating the NVIDIA GPU is about 3.5 times faster in Vulkan. The Radeon 860M's Vulkan score is actually higher than its OpenCL score, suggesting it handles the Vulkan API relatively better, but it still falls far short of the RTX 3080 Mobile's absolute throughput.

The database records zero wins for the AMD Radeon 860M in these head-to-head tests. The NVIDIA part wins both, and the deltas are consistently large. For context, the Radeon 860M's average benchmark score is 26,401, while the RTX 3080 Mobile's average is 23,628. This is an odd inversion: the RTX 3080 Mobile has a lower average score despite winning the head-to-head tests, likely because its average includes many other tests like Passmark entries where it scores modestly. The Geekbench numbers, however, are the clearest direct comparison available, and they favor NVIDIA overwhelmingly.

Specification Differences

The specification table shows where the two parts diverge most sharply. The process node is the first obvious difference: AMD uses TSMC's 4 nm, while NVIDIA uses Samsung's 8 nm. The RTX 3080 Mobile has a known transistor count of 17,400 million and a die size of 392 mm², while the Radeon 860M's figures are unknown. Clock speeds differ as well: the Radeon 860M has a base clock of 600 MHz and a boost of 3000 MHz, whereas the RTX 3080 Mobile runs at 1110 MHz base and 1545 MHz boost.

Memory is another major split. The Radeon 860M uses System Shared memory with a System Dependent bandwidth, while the RTX 3080 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The core counts are vastly different: the Radeon 860M has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, and 8 RT cores, while the RTX 3080 Mobile has 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 96 ROPs, and 48 RT cores. The NVIDIA part also includes 192 tensor cores, which the AMD part lacks entirely.

Rates and throughput follow the same pattern. The RTX 3080 Mobile achieves 148.3 GPixel/s pixel rate and 296.6 GTexel/s texture rate, versus 48.00 GPixel/s and 96.00 GTexel/s on the Radeon 860M. FP32 performance is 18.98 TFLOPS on NVIDIA versus 3.072 TFLOPS on AMD. The TDP gap is enormous: 115 W for the RTX 3080 Mobile versus 15 W for the Radeon 860M. The bus interface also differs, with PCIe 4.0 x16 on NVIDIA and PCIe 4.0 x8 on AMD. The RTX 3080 Mobile is marked as End-of-life, while the Radeon 860M is Active, with a release date of 2025-02-28 versus 2021-01-11 for the NVIDIA part.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in Geekbench OpenCL?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is substantially faster, scoring 104,831 versus the AMD Radeon 860M's 22,759, a delta of -78.3% for the AMD part.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 860M win any benchmark in the head-to-head data?

A: No. The database records zero wins for the Radeon 860M. The RTX 3080 Mobile wins both the Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan tests.

Q: What is the power consumption difference?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile has a TDP of 115 W, while the Radeon 860M has a TDP of 15 W. This is a 100 W difference in favor of the AMD part for power efficiency.

Q: Why does the RTX 3080 Mobile have a lower average benchmark score than the Radeon 860M if it wins the head-to-head?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile's average score of 23,628 includes several Passmark tests where it scores low (e.g., Passmark DirectX 10 at 120, DirectX 12 at 72). The Radeon 860M's average of 26,401 is based only on its two Geekbench scores. The head-to-head Geekbench tests still show NVIDIA winning by a wide margin.

Q: What memory does each GPU use?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Radeon 860M uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth.

Q: Which architecture is more modern?

A: The AMD Radeon 860M uses RDNA 3.5 on a 4 nm process from TSMC, while the RTX 3080 Mobile uses Ampere on Samsung's 8 nm process. The AMD part is newer, with a release date of 2025-02-28 versus 2021-01-11 for the NVIDIA part.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is the clear winner in raw performance, dominating both recorded benchmarks. Its 6,144 shading units, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores provide massive compute throughput for demanding applications like gaming, rendering, and machine learning workloads. The 448.0 GB/s of dedicated GDDR6 bandwidth is critical for high-resolution textures and large datasets. For a gaming laptop where power draw is acceptable, the RTX 3080 Mobile delivers roughly 3.5 to 4.6 times the performance of the Radeon 860M in the tested APIs. It also has a higher percentile rank in the database at 69 versus 72 for the AMD part, though that is a narrow margin.

The AMD Radeon 860M wins in the areas of power efficiency and integration. Its 15 W TDP is a fraction of the RTX 3080 Mobile's 115 W, making it suitable for ultra-portable devices where battery life and thermals are paramount. The 4 nm process node and RDNA 3.5 architecture represent a newer design, and the fact that it is an IGP means no separate memory or power delivery is needed. It also has a higher boost clock at 3000 MHz, which helps it extract performance from its smaller core count. For everyday tasks, light gaming, or media consumption in a thin laptop, the Radeon 860M is the logical choice. The RTX 3080 Mobile is for users who need maximum performance and are willing to accept a larger chassis and higher power draw. The data does not support any scenario where the Radeon 860M outperforms the RTX 3080 Mobile; the choice is purely about whether the system can accommodate a 115 W discrete GPU.