AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single direct benchmark comparison between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M. That test is Geekbench OpenCL, a compute-oriented workload measuring raw GPU throughput. The NVIDIA part scores 52,998, while the AMD part scores 7,447. The delta is 611.7%, meaning the RTX 3050 A Mobile is approximately 6.1 times faster in this specific compute test. This is not a marginal gap; it is a generational chasm in raw processing capability.

Looking at the broader database context, the RTX 3050 A Mobile holds an average benchmark score of 8,746 across all recorded tests, while the HD 8850M averages 7,447. The NVIDIA part sits at the 44th percentile of all GPUs tracked, and the AMD part sits at the 40th percentile. Despite the massive OpenCL delta, the overall average score difference is far smaller, which suggests the AMD card has competitive strengths in other workload types that are not captured in the single head-to-head test.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 3050 A Mobile illustrate its positioning. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 v2 scores 8,743, a delta of 0.0%. The Quadro P2200 scores 8,686, sitting 0.7% behind. The AMD Radeon R9 M265X scores 8,851, which is 1.2% ahead, and the Radeon Pro WX 5100 scores 8,863, 1.3% ahead. This places the RTX 3050 A Mobile in a tight cluster where a few percentage points separate competitors. The AMD part, by contrast, has nearest rivals including the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7,441 (0.1% behind), the Radeon R7 350 at 7,425 (0.3% behind), the GeForce GTX 1650 at 7,472 (0.3% ahead), and the Intel Arc A310 at 7,550 (1.4% ahead). The HD 8850M is similarly clustered, but at a lower performance tier.

The individual benchmark results for the RTX 3050 A Mobile show a wide spread across API generations. In Passmark DirectX 9, it scores 152. In DirectX 10, the score drops to 61. DirectX 11 shows 94, and DirectX 12 shows 55. The Passmark G2D score is 526, which measures 2D graphics and desktop compositing. The G3D score, a more comprehensive 3D gaming metric, is 11,664. The GPU compute score is 4,419. This pattern, where older API tests yield higher scores relative to newer ones, is common for modern architectures that prioritize newer feature sets and may not optimize legacy paths.

The HD 8850M has only one recorded benchmark result in the database: the Geekbench OpenCL score of 7,447. There are no Passmark entries, no G2D or G3D scores, and no compute results beyond that single OpenCL measurement. This limits direct comparison to that one workload. The data indicates the HD 8850M's average score equals its sole recorded benchmark, which is expected when only one test exists.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's pixel rate is 42.98 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 75.21 GTexel/s. The HD 8850M manages 10.00 GPixel/s and 25.00 GTexel/s. These are not benchmark scores but derived specifications, and they reinforce the OpenCL result. The NVIDIA part has roughly 4.3 times the pixel throughput and 3.0 times the texture throughput. In FP32 compute, the RTX 3050 A Mobile delivers 4.813 TFLOPS, while the HD 8850M delivers 800.0 GFLOPS, a factor of about 6.0. These hardware specifications align with the 611.7% Geekbench delta, confirming that the benchmark gap reflects actual architectural capability rather than driver optimizations alone.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is the clear winner in raw compute performance. The 611.7% lead in Geekbench OpenCL is decisive, and the derived specifications for pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput all point in the same direction. Any workload that relies on general-purpose GPU compute, shader throughput, or fill-rate-limited rendering will favor the NVIDIA part substantially.

The HD 8850M is not without merit, but the database evidence is thin. Its single recorded benchmark places it near the 40th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within 1.4% of its score. This suggests it occupies a modest performance tier, roughly equivalent to integrated graphics like the Intel UHD Graphics 750 or entry-level discrete parts like the GeForce GTX 1650. The RTX 3050 A Mobile, by contrast, sits at the 44th percentile and trades blows with parts like the Quadro P2200 and the Radeon Pro WX 5100, both professional-grade GPUs.

Who should pick which? Based strictly on the data, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the choice for anyone needing compute throughput, modern API support, or high fill rates. The HD 8850M would only make sense in scenarios where its 28 nm process, older GCN 1.0 architecture, and lower power envelope are acceptable, but the database does not provide evidence of any workload where it wins. The head-to-head table shows one win for the NVIDIA part and zero for the AMD part. That is the entire recorded contest, and the verdict is unambiguous.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different manufacturing generations and design philosophies. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile uses the GA106 chip, built on Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It integrates 12,000 million transistors on a 276 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 43.5 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M uses the Venus chip, based on GCN 1.0 architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It contains 1,500 million transistors on a 123 mm² die, with a density of 12.2 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA part is nearly 8 times denser in transistor packing and uses a much more advanced process node.

The memory subsystems differ significantly. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. The HD 8850M has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 64.00 GB/s. Both use the same bus width, but the NVIDIA part has triple the bandwidth and double the capacity. The memory clock rates tell the story: the RTX 3050 A Mobile runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective transfer, while the HD 8850M runs at 1000 MHz with 4 Gbps effective.

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward the NVIDIA part. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 1,792 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It also includes 14 RT cores and 56 tensor cores, features entirely absent from the HD 8850M. The AMD part has 640 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The NVIDIA GPU has 2.8 times the shader count, 1.4 times the TMUs, and 2 times the ROPs. The presence of RT cores and tensor cores means the RTX 3050 A Mobile can accelerate ray tracing and AI workloads, capabilities the HD 8850M lacks entirely.

Clock speeds also differ. The RTX 3050 A Mobile has a base clock of 1065 MHz and a boost clock of 1343 MHz. The HD 8850M has a base of 575 MHz and a boost of 625 MHz. The NVIDIA part runs at roughly double the frequency. The API support reflects the architectural gap: the RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 8850M supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The NVIDIA part is one API generation ahead on both DirectX and Vulkan.

The bus interface differs as well. The RTX 3050 A Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the HD 8850M uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The NVIDIA part's slot width is listed as IGP (integrated graphics processor), and it requires no power connectors. The HD 8850M has no slot width or power connector data recorded. The power draw for the RTX 3050 A Mobile is 45 W, while the HD 8850M has no TDP listed in the database.

Release timing places these parts a decade apart. The HD 8850M was released in 2013, while the RTX 3050 A Mobile was released in 2023. The AMD part belongs to the Solar System generation (HD 8800M series), with predecessors in the London generation and successors in the Gem System. The NVIDIA part is part of the GeForce 30 Mobile generation, succeeding the GeForce 20 Mobile. Both are end-of-life products.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile in compute benchmarks?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 52,998 versus 7,447 for the HD 8850M, a delta of 611.7%.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon HD 8850M have any benchmark wins over the RTX 3050 A Mobile?

A: No. The head-to-head table records one test, and the NVIDIA part wins it. The wins count is 1 for the RTX 3050 A Mobile and 0 for the HD 8850M.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each GPU according to the database?

A: For the RTX 3050 A Mobile, the nearest rivals are the GTX 460 v2 (0.0% delta), Quadro P2200 (0.7% behind), Radeon R9 M265X (1.2% ahead), and Radeon Pro WX 5100 (1.3% ahead). For the HD 8850M, they are the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (0.1% behind), Radeon R7 350 (0.3% behind), GeForce GTX 1650 (0.3% ahead), and Intel Arc A310 (1.4% ahead).

Q: Does the RTX 3050 A Mobile support ray tracing?

A: Yes. It has 14 RT cores dedicated to ray tracing acceleration. The HD 8850M has no RT cores listed.

Q: How do the memory bandwidths compare?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile has 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 4 GB of GDDR6, while the HD 8850M has 64.00 GB/s from 2 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 128-bit bus.

Q: What API levels does each GPU support?

A: The RTX 3050 A Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 8850M supports DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.170. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

Where Each One Wins

The data supports a clear split based on workload type and era of software. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile wins in every recorded comparison, but its advantages are most pronounced in compute-heavy tasks. The Geekbench OpenCL score shows a 611.7% lead, and the FP32 throughput of 4.813 TFLOPS versus 800.0 GFLOPS confirms this. Applications that leverage general-purpose GPU compute, such as rendering, simulation, or machine learning inference, will strongly favor the RTX 3050 A Mobile. The presence of tensor cores adds AI acceleration capability that the HD 8850M cannot match.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile also wins in fill-rate-bound scenarios. Its pixel rate of 42.98 GPixel/s is 4.3 times the HD 8850M's 10.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 75.21 GTexel/s is 3.0 times the AMD part's 25.00 GTexel/s. Games or applications that stress ROP or TMU throughput will see a substantial advantage on the NVIDIA side. The larger memory capacity (4 GB versus 2 GB) and higher bandwidth (192.0 GB/s versus 64.00 GB/s) also favor the RTX 3050 A Mobile in texture-heavy scenes or higher resolution workloads.

The HD 8850M's sole recorded benchmark, Geekbench OpenCL at 7,447, places it within 0.3% of the GeForce GTX 1650 and 1.4% of the Intel Arc A310. This suggests it remains competitive with entry-level GPUs from much later eras in specific compute tasks. For legacy DirectX 9 or DirectX 10 applications, the HD 8850M might hold up acceptably, though no benchmark data exists to confirm this. Its 28 nm GCN 1.0 architecture is simpler and may have lower driver overhead in very old titles, but the database provides no measurements to verify this.

The RTX 3050 A Mobile's Passmark results show a pattern where DirectX 9 scores highest (152) and DirectX 12 lowest (55). This indicates the architecture prioritizes modern APIs, and older API paths may not be fully optimized. The G2D score of 526 is respectable for desktop workloads, and the G3D score of 11,664 shows strong gaming performance relative to its nearest rivals. The compute score of 4,419, while lower than the OpenCL result, still represents a capable compute device.

For users running modern DirectX 12 Ultimate titles, Vulkan 1.4 applications, or any workload involving ray tracing or tensor operations, the RTX 3050 A Mobile is the only viable choice. For users stuck on legacy software from the early 2010s, the HD 8850M might offer compatibility advantages due to its older architecture, but the database does not include any benchmarks that prove this. The recorded data shows one decisive win for the NVIDIA part and no recorded wins for the AMD part. The use-case split, therefore, favors the RTX 3050 A Mobile for everything measurable, with the HD 8850M only potentially relevant for scenarios the database does not cover.